ft innovative law schools 2014

Monday November 17 2014 www.ft.com/reports | @ftreports

Pressure tostand outfrom the rest

FT SPECIAL REPORT

Business EducationInnovative Law Schools

Schools need to balance conflictingdemands in a rapidly changingworld

2 | FTReports FINANCIAL TIMES Monday 17 November 2014 FINANCIAL TIMES Monday 17 November 2014 FTReports | 3

Innovative LawSchools Innovative LawSchools

Inside

Oversupply promptsflight to qualityTop universities arethe winners in adifficult jobs marketPage 4

New York UniversitySchool of LawThe institution ismaking the most ofits locationPage 5

Practical experiencecan help at interviewSchools are adaptingcourses for achanging marketPage 6

ContributorsBarney ThompsonUK reporter and editorAdam PalinFT Money reporterWai Kwen ChanFT Newslines editorJonathan MoulesBusiness educationcorrespondentCharlotte ClarkeBusiness education reporterEmma BoydeCommissioning editorSteven BirdDesignerAndy MearsPicture editor

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L aw firms are having tobecome nimble. A combi-nation of technology,evolving markets, chang-ing client demands and a

financial crisis have forced a notori-ouslyconservativesector toembracenew services, form fresh partner-ships and become more entrepre-neurial in order to keep relevant andstayalive.

From the emergence of in-houselegal departments whose servicesare also revenue generators, to theadoption of online delivery modelsand automated tools, it is no longerconsidered enough to be “just” askilled lawyer.

Firms want innovators who knowhow to run a company and generatenew sources of income. Yet they alsowant lawyers who can reassure awide range of businesses that theyspeak their language and under-standtheirneeds.

But what of the next generationcomingthroughlawschools?

In a fearsomely crowded market,with far more would-be lawyers thanthere are jobs available, is legal edu-cation changing fast enough to meetthese new demands and give stu-dents theedge?

Peter Crisp, dean and chief execu-tive of BPP Law School, says: “Whenit comes to studying for professionalqualifications such as the LPC [legalpractice course], I don’t think youcan overestimate the importance ofcommercial awareness. It is notenoughsimplyto learnthe law.

“Law firms are businesses andneed to be run successfully. You canbe brilliant at the law, but if youare a rotten businessperson, youwill fail. That involves learningabout finance, but is also aboutdeveloping a commercial mindset,which includes being able to inno-vate.”

Yet the picture painted by lawfirms and experts is patchy. It is notthat there are no attempts to adaptlegal education to a changing sector,it is more that, just as firms are mak-ing different changes at differentspeeds, law schools and trainingprogrammes are making unevenprogress towards creating the newlawyer-entrepreneur.

Michele DeStefano, professor atthe University of Miami School ofLaw,says:“It isan interestingdichot-omythat,as theworldgetsmorespe-cialised, [the legal world] also needsmoregeneralisedskills.”

Prof DeStefano is also the founderof LawWithoutWalls, a programmethat unites law and business schools,firms and companies, tech expertsand others to introduce innovation intobothtrainingandpractice.

She says: “[Firms] need well-rounded businesspeople who arealso lawyers. Those things are in

A changingmarket meansadditional skills are crucialAswell as soundlegal training,commercialawareness isbecoming essentialfor students, reportsBarney Thompson

tension, but law schools have tograpplewith it,”shesays.

The demands the profession nowmakes on its up-and-coming mem-bers are many and varied. On theone hand are specific skills such asdata analysis; on the other are themore general abilities of projectmanagement and the more nebuloustalents of “entrepreneurship” and“businessacumen”.

Buthowdoyouteachthose?“With LawWithoutWalls, the plan

was always to include businessschools,” says Prof DeStefano. “Onevery team we have someone whohas created a legal start-up, or a law-yer who has created a start-up thatcould be in a non-legal area.” Theidea, she adds, is to show studentsmoreof thereal-worldmarket.

In theory, the advantages are two-fold.

First, a lawyer with some commer-cial sense is more likely to be an assetto his or her firm as it seeks newmodels – creating a “one-stop-shop”of services, for example, or diversify-ing intoconsultancy,orevenrestruc-turing the firm to find efficiencies(outsourcing or offshoring morebasicservices, for instance).

Secondly it helps to reassure cli-ents that the person they are relying

on for legal advice understands theirneeds, rather thanexistingsolely inararefied universe of high-end serv-iceschargedbythehour.

Clients with a legal problem do notcome to a firm out of an academicinterest in the niceties of the law,says BPP’s Mr Crisp. “They comebecause they have a problem. Arounded commercial awareness iscrucial to being able to advise clientsand manage the risks of whatevertheyaredoing.”

But there is an obvious obstacle.“It’s hard to teach these skills –should law professors do it?” asksProfDeStefano.“Howdowetrainthetrainers?

“There are not a lot of professorswho had business experience beforethey went into law. There are peoplewho understand that the law marketis changing. But there aren’t as manywho are trying to teach 21st-centuryskills in a 21st-century way – andthat’s because they are not easilytaught in a traditional law school for-mat.”

There is, therefore, a general rec-ognition that law schools cannot go italone and that the process of learn-ing commercial skills cannot endonce students have graduated andbegun training. The obvious answer

would be for schools and firms tofeedoffeachother,butmanyexpertssaythis isaslowprocess.

“Putting a couple of students towork together on a project is not thesame as working with a diverse teamthat has a mixture of disciplines,which is really what our 21st-centuryworld isabout,”saysProfDeStefano.

Nonetheless, it is happening.Simon Hart, partner at RPCresponsible for training, says:“There is no doubt that lawschools have become moreprofessional and wellfunded institutions thatare trying to meet busi-nesses’ requirements ofwhat a lawyer looks like inthe 21st century. The[courses] on offer aremuch more business-oriented than theyusedtobe.”

Firms areinnovating andchanging “to letthose skills bedeveloped”, headds. “Theschools arecoming andconsulting with

leading law firms – for example, theycome to talk to us about their insur-ance law module because we are bigplayers[inthatsector].”

This is not just a question of pack-ing the CV to stand out in the crowd,says BPP’s Mr Crisp. “In our view,[teaching financial and businessskills] isn’t just a ‘nice-to-have’. Webelieve – and this is echoed by whatemployers tell us – that this is anessential part of a would-be lawyer’straining.”

Some observers have wonderedwhether law students might find theacquisition of extralegal skills a dis-traction from the process of learningthe law in depth. Mr Hart does notsee this as a threat, because both thethree-year law degree and the con-versioncoursefornon-lawgraduatesare“stillprettymuchpure law”.

New skills are part of the addi-tionalstudiesbeyondthatpoint.

But that raises another question: iflaw schools are pushing throughlarge numbers of “super-lawyers”, isthere room for them all if the land-scape of the profession is changing soradically?

“We are constantly trying to assesstheir business skills and find the[best candidates] in an ever-increas-ingpool,”saysMrHart.

Peter Crisp: ‘It is notenough simply tolearn the law’

LLM programmesFind out about feesand admissionrequirements for 98schools in 21 countries

ft.com/llm-listing



Trevor Morrison, dean of NewYork University School ofLaw, describes its campuslocation as “an oasis”, situatedin the heart of Greenwich Vil-lage, a desirable, leafy neigh-bourhood in downtown Man-hattan.

But far fromitoperating inaremote academic bubble, ProfMorrison believes that one ofthe school’s strengths is theresult of its proximity to thelaw practitioners, businessexecutives and governmentofficials in New York. He saysstudents benefit from the

extra curricular activities theschool can offer by having somany experts in their fieldcloseathand.

The school recently invitedoutgoing US attorney-generalEricHoldertospeakoncorpo-rate crime, financial fraudprosecutions and enforce-ment.

Prof Morrison says that cor-porate compliance, regulationand risk management areareas of increasing signifi-cance and growth in the legalprofession.

“Financial regulation hasbecome more complex andhad more transborder conse-quences in recent years,” hesays. “So there’s a need for lawschools to be able to preparestudents to practise in thatspace,”headds.

With a view to addressingthese issues, the school has setup a research centre andthink-tankcalledtheProgram

on Corporate Compliance andEnforcement to promoteresearch on effective enforce-ment of regulations and todevelop strategies for enhanc-ingcompliance.

At the school, there is also astrong emphasis on cross-

border business issues. ItsCenter for Transnational Liti-gation, Arbitration and Com-mercial Law focuses on thestudy and practice of globalbusinessdisputeresolution.

Prof Morrison believes thearray of research centres and

conference events createsopportunities for learningoutsidetheclassroom.

The law school also has apartnership with the univer-sity’s Stern School of Businessas reflected in the recent jointappointment of Mervyn King,the former Bank of Englandgovernor. As professor of eco-nomics and law, Lord King isteaching a course calledMoney and Modern Capital-ism: Law and Business, whichincludes looking at reformproposals forbanks.

“When I think of the area offinancial regulationandbank-ing, there’s no one better thanMervyn King,” says Prof Mor-rison adding that he wants thelaw school to have in its midstleading thinkers who havealso worked on the practicalproblemsof theworld.

NYU:Law and NYU:Sternhave also teamed up to teach acourse called Law and Busi-

ness of Bitcoin and OtherCryptocurrencies.

According to the law school,this is the first graduate-levelprogramme in the US to focuson cryptocurrencies andunderlines the school’s deter-mination to keep up with newtrends.

Leadership training is notonly covered within existingcourses, says Prof Morrison, itis also emphasised in stan-dalone offerings, such as theemotional intelligence train-ingprogramme.

“The way we view it is whatwe are producing at NYU isthe next generation of leadersof the profession and leadersbeyondthe legalprofession.”

NYU:Law alumni includeRandal Milch, general counselat Verizon and Vijaya Gadde,general counsel at Twitter.Anthony Foxx, another alum-nus of the law school, is UStransportsecretary.

‘Oasis’ in Greenwich Village is no remote bubbleNYU:Law

New York UniversitySchool of Law ismaking the most ofits many advantages,saysWai Kwen Chan

Ideally situated: NYU Law profits from its location— Dreamstime

A spiring law studentshave more to considerthan ever before. Theynot only need to thinkabout whether there

will be a job for them at the end oftheir studies, they also have to con-sider whether the law school theychoosewillbeabletowithstandpres-sures that are leading to falling stu-dentenrolment.

Diminishing confidence in thestrength of the legal graduate mar-ket, in the wake of the economicdownturn, has made it more chal-lenging for law schools to make theircase to prospective students – thenumberofwhomhasfallen.

In the US, the world’s largest legaleducation market, the number ofapplicants for juris doctor (JD) pro-grammes at schools approved by theAmerican Bar Association shrank bymore than a third between 2009-10and 2013-14, according to the LawSchoolAdmissionsCouncil.

The number of students admittedontothesecoursesalso fellbyalmosta quarter from 2009-10 to 2012-13,the most recent year for which LSACfigures are available. The trendpresents a problem for law schools:lossofrevenue.

Karen Kedem, vice-president atMoody’s Investors Service, says thatstandalone law schools are particu-larly vulnerable to tuition revenuedeclines, as they rely almost exclu-sivelyonfees for funding.

A Moody’s report published inMay concluded that law schoolswithout the financial security andbrand associated with top universi-ties face a greater risk of closure as aresultof sustainedlowerdemand.

There have already been casual-ties. On top of takeovers, some pro-vidershaveclosedprogrammes.

In the UK, the for-profit KaplanLaw School closed its Bar Profes-sional Training Course this May.Jenny Birch, chief executive of theschool, says it became “uneco-nomic” to deliver the course asintended as a result of “downward

pressure on fees and upward pres-sureoncosts.”

John Latham, president and chiefexecutive of The University of Law,says the postgraduate legal marketin the UK, as elsewhere, has becomemuch more competitive. “We under-stand that it is a massive investment[for students] and our focus is onqualityofoutcomes,”hesays.

Students are increasingly con-cerned about employability whenapplying, saysMichaelSchill,deanofthe University of Chicago LawSchool. “It is expensive and studentsare right to expect a return on theirinvestment . . . [they] are drawnmore and more to schools that cankeepupof theirendof thebargain.”

Chicago’s isoneofanumberofuni-versity law schools that has pairedup with other faculties to deliverjoint degrees. Mr Schill says that,while the “Chicago brand” is strong,the development of programmeswith the university’s Booth School ofBusinesshasattractedtopstudents.

Within the sector, there is opti-mism that falling applications will bereversed as the graduate recruit-ment market picks up. “We hopeapplications catch up with generalimprovements in the economy,” saysMaureen O’Rourke, dean at BostonUniversitySchoolofLaw.

Some analysts think the decline indemand is not attributable to theeconomic cycle alone, but reflects astructural shift inthe legal industry.

“We are reaching a point wherechanges in the way that law firms bill[from per-hour charging to flat feestructures] and use technologymeans there is less need for labour,”saysMsKedem.

While demand for top schools thatoffer strong employment opportuni-ties will remain broadly unaffectedby this trend, she says, those withless recognised brands and reputa-tionsaremore likelytostruggle.

Amid oversupply in the legal edu-cation market, the flight to qualityby recruiters and students alike iswellunderway,shesays.

Difficult jobsmarket drivesapplications totopuniversitiesFinance Oversupply sees flight to quality byrecruiters and students, writesAdamPalin

It is not only law schools that facefinancial challenges. Students mustwork out early on how they aregoing to fund their education. Inaddition to tuition fees, full-timestudents will face accommodationand living costs. For those withoutsavings or benefactors, here are themain options:

Scholarships/financial aidMost toplaw schools offer strong applicantsmerit-based financial support thatdoes not have to be repaid. As well

as schools’ scholarships, there arealso several private grants andscholarships. Students can applyfor these according to conditionsset out by their sponsors.

Loans Although several banks lendto graduate students, options forinternational students tend to belimited. Professional and CareerDevelopment Loans, subsidised bythe UK government, are available tolong-term residents, and federalStafford loans are available to US

citizens. A US resident must cosigna US bank loan to an internationalstudent to guarantee its repayment.

Crowdfunding As many traditionallenders withdrew from the studentloans market during the economicdownturn, a new form of financeemerged. Crowdfunding platformsallow students to borrow moneyfrom those interested in investingin them. Borrowing opportunitiescan be limited and terms arearranged on a case-by-case basis.

Finance Students must decide early on how to fund their education

Crowdfunding: online platforms allow students to connect with those interested in investing in them



We live in a period ofeconomic globalisation inwhich we are witnessing theconvergence of humanityaround fundamental rightsand values and the demandsof shared challenges such asclimate change.

Once you accept that law isa reflection of – and isfundamentally shaped by –underlying political, socialand economic structures,

then it becomes clear that atransnational emphasis isessential.

Indeed, a legal educationdriven by a particularnational perspective wouldbe incomplete in today’sworld.

Students at The DicksonPoon School of Law at King’sCollege London are deeplyrooted in the law of Englandand Wales, but the school

also works on the principlethat a legal education shouldbe complemented bytransnational themes.

Academia can foreseemany possibilities, but one ofthe few certainties we possessis that the future will beradically different from todayand in all likelihood in wayswe cannot foresee.

An emphasis on bothnational and transnational

law not only preparesstudents for the world oftoday, it prepares them toadapt to the trajectory onwhich the world and thesphere of law are proceeding,perhaps even accelerating.

Finally, and perhaps mostimportantly, the world’s toplaw schools must preparestudents to lead communitiesthat are both local and global.

Today’s law school students

will go on to have careers inthe law profession, as well aswithin business, governmentand the professions broadly.

Students want to engagewith the pressing ethical andmoral questions of the dayand that most of thoseproblems possess significanttransnational aspects.Therefore, a good educationshould encourage students toexplore the practice and

Teaching of lawmust reflect realities of a transnationalworld

FROM THE DEAN

DavidCaron

theory of law in all respects– for example what does

the rule of law meanfrom one locality to thenext?One of our LLB

(bachelor in laws)studentsrecentlytweeted on thecontradictionsbetween a classon EU law andone on publiclaw. The student

was reallyinterrogating thesubject and

asking what it would be liketo work with lawyers frommultiple jurisdictions onglobal problems.

For law schools looking toadd a transnationalemphasis, the experience ofKing’s points to the need forseveral initiatives.

A solid programme shouldbe established and researchstrength developed intransnational legal orderingto provide expertise andvibrancy.

Peer Zumbansen wasappointed in July this year asthe school’s inaugural

professor of transnationallaw and founding director ofThe Dickson PoonTransnational Law Institute.

The school has alsolaunched the TransnationalLaw LLM (master in laws), aprogramme that builds onthe traditional LLM pathwayto address real-world globalchallenges in areas includingrefugee law, criminal law andcorporate governance.

Schools must also embracea range of activities that bringtransnational themes into thelife of the school.

King’s, for example, will

host the World Justice ForumV in July 2015.

This the first time that thebiennial international eventfor the advancement of therule of law is taking place inthe UK.

It is also the first time thatthe World Justice Project,which organises the Forum,will be partnering with anacademic institution.

The week-long Foruminvolves 600 participantsfrom more than 100countries who exploreand debate the challengesfacing the rule of law.

The Forum is a unique,powerful mix of leaders fromgovernment, business, civilsociety, the judiciary andacademia who join forceswith local leaders working“on the ground” on rule-of-law projects, often in lessdeveloped countries.

Most importantly,transnational law needs to bepresent root and branch inthe way a law faculty thinksabout and teaches law.

The writer is dean of TheDickson Poon School of Law,King’s College London

T he decision by Notting-ham university’s lawschool to offer freeadvice clinics to thoselacking the resources to

pay commercial law firms could beviewed as an act of charity in the fin-est traditions of the county’s mostfamous – albeit legendary – son,RobinHood.

The reality is that there is a dualpurpose to the legal advice centre,which opened this year, because it isalso providing valuable experiencefor the law school’s undergraduates,hopefully giving them a head start inthe jobsmarket.

“It is on-the-job experience for ourstudents, where they can see how

their decisions can improve a per-son’s situation,” explains Nick John-son, the centre’s director. “It alsogives them something to talk aboutin job interviews.”

Suchinitiativesarenotnewamonglaw schools, but they have becomeincreasingly important as the pro-cess of finding a job after graduationhas become markedly more difficultfollowingthefinancialcrisis.

James Leipold, executive directorat the National Association of LawPlacement in Washington DC, agreesthat hiring rates are unlikely toreturn soon to levels seen before thefinancial crisis. He refers to a “newnormal” forhiring levels intheUS.

He adds: “We have seen modest

improvements over the past twoyears, and we would expect to seethatcontinue.”

“Nevertheless it is still a morecompetitive and less robust marketthan itwas insay2006and2007,andwealsoexpect that tocontinue.”

It is not just the financial crisis thathas made finding a job more diffi-cult, although this has had a bigimpact intheUSandEurope.

Structural changes in the way legalservices are delivered, such as out-sourcing work to lower-cost coun-tries, have meant that law firms areless likelytotakeonentry-level staff.

Many schools are trying to inte-grate more training on practicalskills into the curriculum, as well as

teaching students about relevanttechnology.

In some cases, this can mean anemphasis on the kinds of skillsetsusually found in business schooldegrees, such as financial literacyand group problem solving, accord-ingtoMrLeipold.

There is also a move to try toshorten the time students are inschool and out of the workforce,thereby reducing the lost opportu-nitycosts.

For instance, qualifications thatwere once taught in three years arenowcompleted intwo.

Although there has been a lot ofinnovation, there is a problem forlaw schools in that the industry they

Practical experiencegives graduates theedge in interviews

Careers Schools are adapting courses for a changingmarket, but nonehas the formula yet to ensure jobs for its students, says JonathanMoules

are supplying is one in which oldhabitsdiehard,MrLeipoldadmits.

“I am not able to single out a par-ticular school that has found a magicformula that allows it to stand outabovetherest,”hesays.

“As legal employers, law firms con-tinue to rely on old habits, hiring forhigh grades and class rank from eliteschools, rather than making an ear-nest attempt to evaluate practicalskills.”

Crucial to the process is helpingstudents to think about finding workas soon as they start studying,according to Lois Casaleggi, thesenior director of career services atthe University of Chicago’s lawschool.

“One of the most common mis-takes that we see are students whodon’t do enough self-assessmentabout how they want to use their lawdegree and what they are looking forina job,”shesays.

“If they cannot answer those ques-tions first, they are unlikely to find apositionthat isagoodfitandthatwillbesatisfying.”

It might be assumed to be enoughto have gained a place in one of theworld’s top lawschools.

But even high-ranking lawschools, such as that of Cambridgeuniversity, put considerableresources into advice on job seeking,coaching sessions and networkingevents, where commercial firms are

invited in to meet the students,according to David Ainscough, thedeputy director of Cambridge’scareersservice.

The highest ranked schools tendnot just to have the reputation toattract the attention of large com-mercial law firms but also the moneytofundcareersevents.

“We are quite well resourced, sowe can afford to give the time tostudents. And giving them time isoften what is needed most,” Mr Ains-coughsays.

It isnot thekindof talkthatameri-tocrat like Robin Hood would haveappreciated, but, then again, realityis often more prosaic than medievallegends.

‘It is amore competitiveand less robustmarketthan it was in 2006-07’

Job seeking: helping students tothink about finding work as soonas they start studying is crucialAlamy

What are the main things you lookfor when hiring law graduates?Academic achievement – ideally acandidate will have obtained a 2:1degree (whether in law or anyother subject). It is alsoincreasingly important thatcandidates not only show theyunderstand wider economic issuesand how they affect us, but alsothat they have a passion for howbusiness works.For a lawyer, understanding our

clients and how issues affect theirbusiness is fundamental inensuring we offer the right advice,and so we need to ensure we areassessing candidates’ knowledgeof this from an early stage.

What should candidates do toprepare for an interview?As clichéd as it sounds,researching the firm andunderstanding who we are andwhat differentiates us from ourcompetitors, is essential.If candidates have not shown

understanding of the type of firmwe are and our culture, then wecannot feel comfortable that theyknow the challenges they aregoing to face in the role.

Has the process of hiring lawschool graduates changed inrecent years, and if so, how?Although the number of trainingcontracts across the sectorhas reduced since the financialcrisis, the concept of recruiting thebest graduates who can developthe business has remained thesame.There has been an additional

focus on assessing a candidate’sunderstanding of business and

commercial awareness. However,many firms have been usingrigorous selection processes withassessment centres for many yearsnow.The biggest changes have not

necessarily been in selection, butin how firms like ourselves aregetting the message to studentson campus. The ever-changingworld of technology means thatwe have to adapt and embrace avariety of methods, particularlythe use of social media andmobile-enabled websites, toensure we are reaching ouraudience.Recruitment techniques are also

likely to change over the comingyears – video-based interviewsusing technology such as Skypewill be increasingly common.

Has the competition for jobsbecome harder in the years sincethe financial crisis?Like many firms, we reduced thenumber of training contracts weoffered when the financial crisishit. However, the number of lawgraduates has not reduced, norhas interest from graduates inother disciplines in a career in thelaw, so competition for trainingcontracts inevitably remains high.

Howmany training contracts doyou tend to offer each year?We offer 55 training contracts eachyear, either to those who haveapplied via our “vacation scheme”,or to candidates who have applieddirectly for a training contract. Weoffer approximately 80 vacation-scheme places a year.

Jonathan Moules

Q& AMargot King, headof recruitment atEversheds,discusses hiringpriorities

Margot King, Eversheds

8 | FTReports FINANCIAL TIMES Monday 17 November 2014

Innovative LawSchools

I n a profession in which lawfirms struggle to retain femaletalent and establish gender par-ity at partner level, youngfemale lawyersstandapart.

Nurturedonadietofglobalisation,new technology and equal opportu-nity in theclassroom, today’swomenexpectmorefromtheworkplace.

US-based LLM (master of laws)student Anna Bulman is one repre-sentative of this new generation.“The way we have been raised isquite different from previous gener-ations,” she says, when asked aboutwomen.

“We are much more empowered

and even if we can’t achieve com-plete institutional reform, it is rea-sonable to expect law firms to meetourneedshalfway”

Ms Bulman discusses the partner-ship track and the unsociable hoursit brings with her peers at ColumbiaLaw School – particularly with thewomen, who make up 55 per cent ofthe cohort. “I have friends who prac-tise corporate law and the work/lifebalance is horrific,” she says, addingthat, as things stand, she has nodesire tobeapartner ina lawfirm.

Ms Bulman’s views are reflected inresearch by Eversheds, the London-based international law firm. In asurvey of 1,800 lawyers aged 23-40,it found just 57 per cent of womenaspired to be partner compared with77percentofmen.

Greater opportunities for flexibleworking were important to allrespondents but twice as manywomen rated it as crucial. Work/lifebalance was also more important towomen, 96 per cent of whom saidachieving a work/life balance was of

primeimportancetotheircareersat-isfaction. However, Lee Ranson,managing partner at Eversheds saysanother finding of the survey shouldcommand employers’ attention. Theresearch also showed that womenwerepaid30percentmorethanmenat thestartof theircareers.

“The fact that women are gettingbetter jobs at the start of theircareers may well be evidence ofthem being the best and brightestcandidates,” he says. “We need toadapt tothis.”

According to Mr Ranson, some lawfirms are further down this routethan others. “A lot of good things arehappening in the profession,” hesays. Initiatives could include estab-lishing new career structures oradoptingflexibleworking.

The existence of more female rolemodels is clearly a factor too.Gráinne Hawkes, an LLM student atthe College of Europe in Belgium,says she accepted a training contractwith UK law firm Linklaters this yearbased on the fact it had appointedmore women than men as partnersin 2013 and continued to have a goodratio in terms of male-female part-nerappointees.

“I thought it might be easier for methere if getting to partner level waswhat Iwanted,”shesays.

For law firms lagging behind,schools are increasingly finding waysto offer assistance. This month theUniversity of Cambridge Judge Busi-ness School in the UK launched athree-day course titled Women inLaw Leadership. Fiona Rice, the pro-gramme director, says men canattend. “The whole women’s agendahas become an issue for a lot of lawfirms,” Ms Rice says. “They can’taffordto losethesewomen.”

In the US, several law schools nowoffer law degrees in conjunction with

women and gender studies. The LLMon women and the law at AmericanUniversity Washington College ofLawwasestablishedin1984.

Asked whether the next genera-tion of female lawyers could be seenas agents of significant change, Caro-line Berube, a lawyer in Asia, isdoubtful. “It’s very difficult tochange the legal industry,” she says.“It’shighlycompetitive.”

But Patricia Saiz, a professor ofarbitration and investment at EsadeBusiness and Law School in Spain,believes thingsarechanging.

“I see a shift from women lawyersthinking they need to sacrifice workor family life to really leaning in, andbecauseof thatdetermination,barri-erswillbebroken,”shesays.

Female lawyers require more flexibilityGender equality

Law firms are increasinglyrecognising that theycannot afford to lose theirtalented women recruits,writes Charlotte Clarke

Anna Bulman:‘The way we havebeen raised isquite differentfrom previousgenerations’

Gráinne Hawkes:accepted a trainingcontract based onthe ratio of womenappointed aspartners

ft innovative law schools 2014

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