Given the ABA’s increasing emphasis on the importance of practical skills development and the results of the Carnegie Report’s “Educating Lawyers,” a discussion of these practice readiness factors within the context of changing legal education and the shift in what legal employers seek is especially relevant and necessary. As educators, we consistently hear from employers that they want “practice ready” new lawyers, but how do we best train and assess practice-ready students for careers in which they will need a variety of interpersonal skills, including the ability to balance work and personal commitments?
Professor Shultz will present the latest findings from her extensive research on the predictors of lawyering effectiveness. Professor Westfahl, formerly the Director of Professional Development for Goodwin Proctor and now serving as the Faculty Director of Harvard Law’s Executive Education Program School, will speak to the skills new lawyers need from the viewpoint of employers. Ms. Gerkman, Director of the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System, will discuss innovative approaches to preparing practice-ready students and measuring the effectiveness of those methods.