Discussion Groups provide an in-depth discussion of a topic by a small group of invited discussants selected in advance by the Annual Meeting Program Committee. In addition to the invited discussants, additional discussants were selected through a Call for Participation. There will be limited seating for audience members to observe the discussion groups on a first-come, first-served basis.
Law students
and non-lawyers often have a general understanding of how and why the law
matters in litigation, civil and human rights, constitutional, and similar
issues that are in the public eye. When it comes to transactional law, however,
law students, non-lawyers, and perhaps even law school faculty are less clear
on the value effective transactional lawyers contribute—that is, why
transactional law matters. Still, about half of all law students follow a
career path to a practice based in transactional law. In recent years, law school curricula have
begun to incorporate increased training and teaching of transactional law, with
the growth of transactional law clinical programs and movement toward more
experiential learning in doctrinal courses (including new ABA
requirements).
This session
will convene a diverse group of legal educators from around the U.S. to discuss
why transactional law matters and how teaching transactional law skills fits
within the broader law school curriculum. Individual participants may elect to
publish scholarly papers related to their participation in the discussion.