This panel explores the challenges of integrating non-traditional (non-JD) populations—non-lawyers, online students, foreign/domestic LLMs, certificate students – into a law school. The pressure to enroll more post- and non-JD students is nothing new. But what happens when these “more and more varied” non-JD cohorts actually arrive? Does simply handing off non-lawyers to your LLM office make sense? What about slotting them into the school’s pre-existing JD infrastructure? And how might some options implicate the ABA’s “acquiescence” (do no harm) standards for reviewing non-JD programs? The underlying assumption is that schools have been quick to develop—or are developing—strategies to enroll more non-JD populations, but have spent less time thinking strategically about resource allocation issues. Career advice for non-lawyers? Community building for online students? Targeted academic support for foreign students? The new kids will likely have non-traditional needs and expectations. But who has the competencies (let alone bandwidth) to take them on? Once they arrive, will you find yourself “retrofitting” them into pre-existing functional silos—or perhaps just “winging it” as best you can? Come hear from experienced colleagues on the important issues to consider when you welcome the new kids on the block.
Section on Law School Administration and Finance held a virtual business meeting in advance of the Annual Meeting.
Section on Post-Graduate Legal Education business meeting will be held at program conclusion.