There is a widespread consensus that the practice of law has changed dramatically in the last several decades, and most expect that these changes will only accelerate in the coming years. And yet, the model of legal education used in most law schools around the world is similar to what it was in not only the last century but also the century before last. In this panel, we will explore how the large-scale forces that are transforming law practice–the globalization of economic activity and the important shift in that activity from the Global North to the emerging economies in the Global South; the exponential increases in the speed and sophistication of information technology; and the blurring together of traditional categories of organization and thought such as “public and private,” “law and business,” or “politics”–are likely to transform legal education as well. How should we prepare the next generation of lawyers to both understand and flourish in understand this rapidly changing environment? How can we change law schools to reflect these new realities without losing sight of the core competencies and professional values that must always be at the heart of what it means to be a lawyer?
To help us grapple with these large and complex questions, we assembled a panel of five distinguished academics and practitioners who are at the forefront of redefining the intersection of legal education and legal practice in the United States and around the world. Building on the HLS Center on the Legal Profession’s research, Professor David Wilkins asks the panelists and the audience to reflect on their own experiences and to help Harvard Law School redefine legal education for the 21st century.
FridayHLS in the World:
