Law School and the 21st Century

By: Tiffany Hilton

While research websites like LexisNexis and Westlaw offer training through webinars, one-on-one sessions and group trainings for students to become effective researchers, it is simply not enough. Although many law firms and government entities use such websites, research is only one part of what a law graduate should be familiar with as they enter the workforce. Law graduates should not only know how to use an iPad and operate Windows PCs, but also be familiar with the programs that attorneys use to manage caseloads, and much more.

Just as schools offer practical courses involving areas such as arbitration, mediation, and counseling negotiation, law schools should consider integrating practical courses that allow students to become familiar with the different types of software that they might use once they begin working. While technological advances have improved the legal community in many ways, it does not make it any easier for recent law graduates who are familiar with traditional advances in technology, such as the newest cell phone or trending topics on Twitter.

Technology Should be Taught:

Employers are looking for employees who need as little training as possible. As an employee, you want to present yourself as someone who is ready and able to work day 1 and not day 3 after you have gone through training to become familiar with the office software. With many students familiar with how to navigate Westlaw and LexisNexis effectively because they are given access to these sites in law school, many employers are not worried about potential employees being unfamiliar with these programs. On the other hand, when applying to many firms and government entities, applicants are specifically asked for their level of expertise and familiarity with software such as Pro Docs and various case management software programs. Time is money in this profession, so prior experience with practice and case management software while in law school is an effective way to stand out to potential employers.

A majority of law schools offer students the ability to take courses that do prepare them to work in the legal field such as internships and externships, but students should also be given the option to take an elective in which the primary purpose is to prepare them for the day-to-day tasks that attorneys experience. The course should train students to become proficient in software such as Abacus Law, Amicus Attorney, Legal Files, MyCase, and ProLaw, so that when applying to firms the student will be able to transition faster and there will be a shorter learning curve.

Law schools should also integrate into these practical courses the ability for students to learn about personal branding, building websites, and how to market themselves in the 21st century to reach the client base they desire. This would be more beneficial now than in prior generations since many graduates opt to start their own practice upon passing the bar. Students should be given the opportunity to learn about personal and professional branding while in law school because that’s where they start building their reputation and it continues after. While many recent graduates have branched off into starting their own firms, the traditional way of keeping a law practice afloat are just not sufficient anymore. Before, many lawyers would advertise in the phonebook, phone booths, and bus benches. We are now in a day and age where potential clients find their attorney by heading to the Internet and doing their own research on a potential attorney. They will have read your Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn pages before they even meet you. Clients still find attorneys through word of mouth and traditional ways, but those methods are not as quick and effective as a potential client surfing the Internet to find whom they are looking for.

Moreover, a law school elective should focus on professional branding, including the importance of creating the right personal professional brand, even while still a law student. For example, it could explain how to translate one’s brand into a website that would serve as a platform either for the firm that the student wants to start or as a marketing tool that can be used for potential clients or employers to learn more about the student.

Schools Moving Forward:

Some law schools have started to incorporate courses to help their students as they prepare for the real world. For instance, the Nashville School of Law has a Technology and The Law course that teaches digital practice management and the role of digital courtroom presentations, enabling students to enhance their courtroom appearance with digital imagery. More law schools should follow suit because as time goes on there will only be more competition for jobs; and the more experience and training a law student receives before they graduate, the more appealing they are to a potential employer.

As times progresses, so should law schools. Many law schools have updated their curriculum to include courses that deal with new and up-and-coming areas of law, but not everything has substance. It is time for law schools to update their practical courses and give their students an for edge when they enter the legal community.