Until March 2020, law schools had noisy halls and lively classrooms. “Real-life law practice” meant busy offices, hallway conversations, and packed courtrooms. These in-person norms vanished virtually overnight with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. For many, many months, law schools, law offices, and student externships were fully remote. Externship clinicians and field supervisors began innovating new models for law practice and law student supervision. Those models are continuing to evolve. Two years later, where are we?
The CLEA Externship Committee has conducted two national surveys of externship clinicians on virtual remote placements: the first in August 2021 and the second in March 2022. The surveys asked which schools were permitting virtual remote placements and if so, what factors were considered. The surveys indicate that numerous schools want to explore the unique benefits of virtual externships while ensuring robust learning environments for their students. Committee members will lead a discussion of what we have learned and its significance for future planning. Attendees will receive copies of the reports and survey instruments.
The second part of the discussion will focus on our field placements, who are our partners in the student’s education. It is increasingly apparent that because of the pandemic, many law offices are moving away from traditional in-person models while remaining committed to taking and mentoring law students. What new practice models are emerging in the placements? How can we collect and use that information? Is a national survey like the one of externship clinicians indicated? If so, what would that look like?