Page 8 - Law Schools

S8 | Monday, august 17, 2015 | Law Schools | nylj.com
Experience
New York City Law Schools Give Students An Edge While Serving Many Needs
By anthony W. croWell
T echnological change has always disrupt- ed the marketplace, and during the last decade the increasing pace of changes in
technology has led to correspondingly faster and ever more profound changes in every aspect of our economic lives. The market for legal education is not immune to these and other developments, forcing law schools to give serious consideration to making dramatic changes in the delivery of legal education.
as the profession demands more practice- ready graduates, law schools must ensure that
ANthONY W. CROWELL is dean and president of New York Law School.
their students’ classroom education is com- plemented by ample opportunities for a wide range of practical training in both traditional legal settings and new and high-growth fields requiring legal talent. Indeed, in response to the shifting sands of the market, the american Bar association (aBa) now mandates that law schools require their students to complete at least six credit hours of so-called experiential learning before graduation. although most, if not all, american law schools have long offered some form of clinical education or a formal externship program, the new aBa requirements call for every school to evaluate its programs and ensure they are sufficiently varied to meet student professional interests while serving important community needs.
Law schools in densely urban environ- ments like New York have the opportunity to
create diverse and robust programs through a wide variety of strategic partnerships. Law schools in suburban or rural settings, how- ever, may face more limited opportunities because of lower population density and less diversity of economic, and therefore legal, activity.
New York City, which has long been a major center for financial services, media, health care, and fashion, is now also the larg- est urban center for technology companies. These industries offer law schools singular opportunities to meet new market challenges. Schools have the opportunity to align their curriculums, academic centers, and practi- cal training programs with the legal needs of these key economic drivers in the city. Fulfilling that goal means that law schools must pursue opportunities in crucial areas
of employment and growth, in both the local and global economies: business and financial services; intellectual property, media, technol- ogy, and applied sciences; and government and public interest. They must also recognize that sources of employment for their students have to change as the economy changes, and they must build alliances in nontraditional fields, such as compliance, legal technology, entrepreneurship, and financial services.
Clinical Programs
Throughout the city, law schools have greatly expanded their clinical programs in recent years in response to the demands of employers that law school graduates have practical experience. New York Law School (NYLS), for example, significantly expanded
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