Release Statement The Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) announces the release of its Report and

Recommendations of the Special Committee on the Impact of Current Law School Curriculum on the Future of the Practice of Law in Illinois. The goal of the Report is to explore ways to ensure that future law school graduates in Illinois are prepared for the realities facing new lawyers in today’s legal marketplace. The Report represents the starting point for a dialogue and collaboration between the law schools and the practicing bar. In the coming months, the ISBA will be reaching out to the deans of Illinois’ law schools and inviting them to work with it to address the important issues the Report raises. Through this collaborative effort, the ISBA hopes to refine and expand the Report’s recommendations. The ultimate goal is to identify realistic ways that legal educators and the practicing bar can work together to ensure that future generations of Illinois lawyers are fully prepared to represent the interests of clients. ISBA President Umberto Davi says, “The adoption of this Report is an important step as we strive to begin a discussion with Illinois’ law schools about improving the skills of those entering the practice of law.” The ISBA’s efforts to address these issues commenced in 2014 when ISBA past president Richard D. Felice convened the Special Committee. The Committee’s efforts built upon the work of a previous special committee, which was appointed by ISBA past president John E. Thies, to explore The Impact of Law School Debt on The Delivery of Legal Services in Illinois. In 2014, the current Special Committee held six hearings throughout the state to gather the observations of practicing attorneys, judges, law students, and law school professors and deans. Based on the input from the various perspectives represented at the hearings, the Special Committee concluded that more must be done to prepare Illinois’ new lawyers for the rigors of practice. To assess the actions law schools are now taking in this arena, the Special Committee delivered a survey to each of Illinois’ law schools and received detailed responses from a majority of them. The Committee learned that the schools have implemented trend-setting programs and taken several innovative approaches to enhance the abilities of their graduates. The Special Committee’s work culminated in the development of a set of detailed recommendations of further steps the law schools could be taking. These recommendations will form the basis of discussions with the law schools. Ultimately, the ISBA seeks to work with the law schools to maintain Illinois’ long history of being home to a practicing bar that well serves the public.

ReportandRecommendationsofthe

SpecialCommitteeonthe

ImpactofCurrentLawSchoolCurriculumonthe

FutureofthePracticeofLawinIllinois

IhearandIforget,IseeandIremember,IdoandIunderstandConfucius,450BC

TellmeandIforget,TeachmeandIremember,InvolvemeandIwilllearn.

BenjaminFranklin,1750

Thereisanintimateandnecessaryrelationbetweentheprocessofactualexperienceandeducation

JohnDewey,1938

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SpecialCommitteeontheImpactofLawSchoolCurriculum&StudentDebt

ontheDeliveryofLegalServices

Co-chairsHon.AnnJorgensen DennisOrseyWheaton GraniteCity

Members

NicholasBertschy LynnCavallo BarbaraDelanois

Peoria Wheaton Danville

J.TimothyEaton JohnHoreled ElizabethKavenyChicago CrystalLake Chicago

JeanKenol PatrickKinnally JamesMcCluskeyJoliet Aurora Lisle

MeghanO’Brien JamesOzog MichaelReaganArlingtonHeights Chicago Ottawa

DeanJenniferRosatoPerea* AndrewSmith Hon.RonaldSpearsChicago Freeport TaylorvilleJosephStone JohnThies ShiraTruittChicago Urbana BellevilleLoisWood BernardWysockiEastSt.Louis Waukegan

Reporters

AmandaBeverothShainaKalanges

NorthernIllinoisUniversity

*ParticipatedasamemberoftheSpecialCommittee,butdoesnotendorseallofthisReport’srecommendations.

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TABLEOFCONTENTSEXECUTIVESUMMARY...................................................................................................................6INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................14 METHODOLOGY...........................................................................................................................15ReportoftheSpecialCommittee.................................................................................................16I.TheCurrentMarketplaceforLegalServices............................................................................16 A.SkillDeficienciesCreateEconomicDisparity.....................................................................16 ImpactonthePrivateSector............................................................................................16 ImpactonthePublicSector.............................................................................................20 CollectiveImpactonIllinoisAttorneys.............................................................................21II.WhatKnowledgeandPracticeSkillsAreLacking,andWhatDoHiringPartnersSeekinaNewAssociate?.........................................................................................23 A.CommunicationSkills.........................................................................................................24 WrittenCommunication..................................................................................................24 OralCommunication........................................................................................................27 B.TraditionalPracticeSkills...................................................................................................29 FocusShouldContinueonCoreSubjectMatter..............................................................30 DraftingCommonPracticeDocuments............................................................................30 IssueRecognition.............................................................................................................31 LegalResearch:CaseLaw................................................................................................31 LegalResearch:StatutesandRules.................................................................................32 BasicChronologyofaCivilCase.......................................................................................33 ProblemSolving...............................................................................................................35 Evidence...........................................................................................................................37 AlternativeDisputeResolution........................................................................................38 OrganizationalSkills.........................................................................................................39 C.Professionalism/WorkEthic...............................................................................................40 WorkEthic........................................................................................................................40 LawSchoolFormat:AContributingFactortoLowWorkEthic.......................................42 ProfessionalDecorum......................................................................................................43 BusinessSkillsforthePracticeofLaw..............................................................................45III.InputfromtheProvidersofLegalEducationinIllinois...........................................................47 A.GeneralCurriculum............................................................................................................48 Skills-RelatedCoursesOfferedinFirst-Year.....................................................................48 CoursesOfferedonLawPracticeManagementand Business-RelatedSkills..................................................................................................49 CoursesProvidingTechnologyTraining...........................................................................50 ProfessionalismandLegalEthicsCourses........................................................................51 B.ExperientialLearningCourses............................................................................................52

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PercentageofStudentsEnrolledinUpper-LevelSimulated ExperientialLearningCourses.......................................................................................52 AverageNumberofExperientialLearningCreditsEarnedperStudent PriortoGraduation.......................................................................................................53 C.LegalClinics........................................................................................................................53 NumberofClinicsOffered................................................................................................53 AveragePercentageofEligibleStudentsEnrolledinClinics............................................55 PercentageofStudentsInterestedinClinics,butNotAccommodated WhenTheyInitiallyRegister..........................................................................................55 D.Externships........................................................................................................................55 InGeneral.........................................................................................................................55 AverageNumberofExternshipPlacementsEachSemester............................................57 AveragePercentageofStudentsEnrolledinExternshipsperYear..................................57 PercentageofStudentsInterestedinExternships,butNotAccommodated..................57 PercentageofStudentsThatCouldBePlacedinNon-ProfitsIf Externships/ClinicExperienceWereRequiredofAllStudents......................................57 PrivateFirmParticipationinExternshipPrograms..........................................................57 E.AttorneyMentoringPrograms...........................................................................................58 F.BarExamReviewCourses/Programs..................................................................................59 G.OtherCurricularReforms...................................................................................................59IV.Recommendations..................................................................................................................61 1.StudentsMustContinuetoTakeCoreSubjectsandPracticeSkills MustBeIntegratedintoMost,IfNotAll,DoctrinalCourses.........................................63 GeneralPracticeSkills......................................................................................................63 TheMostImportantPracticeSkillIstheAbilitytoWriteWell, Clearly,Concisely,andPersuasively,andMustBeTaughtinEveryClass.....................63 OralSkillsMustBeIntegratedintoasManyClassesasPossible.....................................66 StudentsMustBeExposedtoGreaterOpportunityforSophisticated IssueRecognitionandEffectiveLegalResearch............................................................67 StudentsMustLearntoFind,Understand,andApplyBasicStatutes, IncludingtheIllinoisCodeofCivilProcedure,theIllinoisSupreme CourtRules,andtheIllinoisEvidenceCode..................................................................68 StudentsMustUnderstandtheChronologyofaBasicCivilCase....................................69 AlternativeDisputeResolutionShouldBeIntegratedintoMultiple DoctrinalClasses...........................................................................................................69 ProfessionalismandtheBusinessofthePracticeofLaw:Students MustLearnWhatItMeanstoBeaLawyer...................................................................70 StudentsMustDevelopaStrongWorkEthic...................................................................71 StudentsMustLearnProblemSolvingSkills....................................................................72 StudentsMustHaveBasicBusinessSkillsandanUnderstandingofthe BusinessofthePracticeofLaw.....................................................................................72 StudentsMustHaveOrganizationalSkills........................................................................73 2.GreaterExperientialLearningOutsidetheClassroomandinthePrivateSector MustBeOffered............................................................................................................73 PrivateSectorExternshipsforCreditShouldBePermitted.............................................73

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AlternativesShouldBeExploredtoAccommodateBoththeABAProhibition ofCompensationandCredit,andthePrevailingLaborLaws........................................74 TheIllinoisSupremeCourtShouldExpandRule711toIncludeWork inthePrivateSector......................................................................................................76 CriteriaforPrivatePracticeExternshipsMustBeClearandEnforceable........................76 PrivateSectorExternshipswithoutCreditAreDifficultandShouldNotBe theOnlyOpportunitytoGainExternshipExperienceinthePrivateSector.................77 3.TheCurrentLawSchoolGradingStructureShouldBeRevised..........................................77 AnAlternativetoGradingonaCurveShouldBeIntroduced...........................................77 4.TheRolesofAcademicandCareerCounselorsShouldBeExpandedand MentorshipOpportunitiesShouldBeIncreased...........................................................79 TheRoleofAcademicandCareerOpportunityAdvisorsShouldBeExpanded...............79 MentorshipShouldBeExpanded,Individualized,andRewarded....................................80 5.TheCurrentLawSchoolAdmissionCriteriaShouldBeEnhanced.....................................81 EvaluationofWritingPerformanceShouldBePartoftheApplicationProcess..............81 StudentsinthePipeline:Pre-AdmissionProgram..........................................................83 SupplementAdmissionCriteriawithPost-AdmissionProgramming...............................83 6.TheCurrentCriteriaandProcessforAdmittancetotheIllinoisBar ShouldBeExamined......................................................................................................83V.RecentUpdates........................................................................................................................85 A.TheBarExam.....................................................................................................................85 B.ABAChanges......................................................................................................................86 C.PraxisModels.....................................................................................................................89 D.Debt...................................................................................................................................89 E.LawyersAssistanceProgram..............................................................................................91VI.Conclusion...............................................................................................................................91

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EXECUTIVESUMMARY

Introduction

Lawschoolgraduatesmustbeequippedwithpractice-readyskillstosucceedintoday’s

legalmarketplace.Itisnolongersufficientforlawschoolgraduatestomerelythinklike

lawyers;theymustbeabletoperformthebasictaskscentraltolegalpractice.Lawschool

graduatesmusthaveastrongworkethicandbeabletocommunicateeffectively(bothorally

andinwriting),solveproblems,competentlyperformlegalresearch,anddraftcommonlegal

documents.

Inordertoassessthepractice-readyskillsofnewgraduatesandtheissuesassociated

withhowtheyaffectlegalservices,ISBApastpresidentRichardFelice,in2014,conveneda

SpecialCommitteeontheImpactofLawSchoolCurriculumandStudentDebtontheDeliveryof

LegalServices.TheSpecialCommitteebuiltupontheworkofapreviousspecialcommittee,

whichwasappointedbyISBApastpresidentJohnE.Thiestoexploretheimpactoflawschool

debtonthedeliveryoflegalservices.

In2014,theSpecialCommitteeheldsixhearingsthroughoutthestatetogatherthe

observationsofstakeholders.Itheardfromattorneys(bothnewandexperienced),judges,law

students,andlawschoolprofessors,externshipsupervisors,anddeans.Attendeeswereasked

tosharetheirobservationsonwhathaschangedinthelegalmarketplace,whattheyseekin

newhires,andhowwecanimproveprospectsforthenextgenerationoflawyers.

I. TheSkillSetsofRecentLawSchoolGraduatesAreInadequatetoMeettheNeedsof

ProspectiveEmployers

Throughoutthehearings,theSpecialCommitteerepeatedlyheardfromthepracticing

barthatrecentlawschoolgraduateslackthepractice-readyskillsnecessaryforsuccessinthe

profession.Inparticular,theSpecialCommitteedocumentedthefollowing:

• LawSchoolGraduatesMustHaveBetterWrittenandOralCommunicationSkills:The

numberonecomplaintamongexperiencedattorneysisthatnewgraduatescannot

writeclearly,concisely,andaccurately.Theystruggletosynthesizeaseriesofcasesand

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theyareillequippedtoaddressadversecases.Otherpractitionerscomplainedthat

graduateslackbasicwritingskills(e.g.,masteryofgrammarandusage).Additionally,

newgraduates’oralcommunicationskillsarelacking.Theymustbebetterableto

effectivelycommunicatewithclients,officestaff,otherattorneys,andthecourt.

• LawSchoolGraduatesMustBeBetterAbletoDraftCommonLegalDocuments:New

lawyersmustbebetterabletodraft,edit,andrevisebasiclegaldocuments(e.g.,

contracts,pleadings,motions).Mostrecentgraduateshavelittleexperiencewith

commondocuments,letalonetheabilitytoanalyzeanddraftthem.

• LawSchoolGraduatesMustBeBetterAbletoRecognizeRelevantLegalIssues:

Practitionersperceivethatgraduatesareunabletoidentifyrelevantlegalissuesand

recognizethatasinglefactpatternmayraiseseverallegalissues.Relatedly,theylack

theabilitytocompetentlygatherandunderstandthefactsthatinformthelegalissues.

• LawSchoolGraduatesMustBeBetterAbletoCompetentlyPerformLegalResearch:

Whenperformingresearch,newlawyersdonotdigdeepenoughtofindrelevantcases

tosupporttheirargumentsor,moreimportantly,todistinguishandrebutadverse

cases.Theyalsolacktherequisiteabilitytounderstandandanalyzestatutes,rules,and

regulations–particularlyIllinois-specificones(e.g.,TheIllinoisSupremeCourtRulesand

CodeofCivilProcedure).

• LawSchoolGraduatesMustUnderstandtheBasicChronologyofaCivilCase:New

lawyersmustknowthebasicstepsofhowtohandleatypicalcivilcasefromstartto

finish.Withoutaglobalviewofthebasicchronologyofacase,itisimpossibleto

competentlyperformtheindividualsteps.

• LawSchoolGraduatesMustBeBetteratProblemSolving:Problemsolvingisa

cornerstoneoflawyering.Newgraduatesmustbebettertrainedtoeffectivelyconnect

thelawtothefactsoftheclient’scase.

• LawSchoolGraduatesMustBeBetterTrainedinthePracticalApplicationofEvidence

Rules:Acommonthemeexpressedbypractitionerswasthatlawschoolgraduates

knowtherulesofevidencebutcannotapplythem.Whiletheclassroomistheplaceto

learntherules,theskillofapplyingthemmustbelearnedthroughexperienceinlegal

clinicsandexternships.

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• LawSchoolGraduatesMustHaveGreaterExposuretoAlternativeDisputeResolution:

AstheuseADRmechanismscontinuestoexpand,newly-licensedattorneysmusthavea

basicknowledgeofthemsothattheycanbestadviseclientsoncostsanddelaysrelated

tolitigation,asopposedtothepotentialspeedandcost-savingsofADR.Theymust

knowhowtobestmeetaparticularclient’sgoalsbyprovidingaclearexplanationofthe

benefitsanddrawbacksofbothlitigationandADR.

• LawSchoolGraduatesMustHaveBetterOrganizationalSkills:Attorneysmustbe

highlyorganizedtosucceedandmanypractitionersbelievethatnewgraduateslack

organizationalskills.

• LawSchoolGraduatesMustBeMoreProfessionalandHaveaBetterWorkEthic:

Thosehiringrecentgraduatesdesirecandidatestohaveahigh-levelofprofessionalism

andastrongworkethic.Butacommonthemeheardisthatnewlawyerslackthe

requisitelevelofprofessionaldecorumanddonotappreciatethelevelofhardwork

demandedbythepracticeoflaw.

• LawSchoolGraduatesMustBeBetterTrainedinRelevantBusinessSkills:Practicing

lawyers,andinparticularyoungerlawyers,feelthatlawschoolgraduatesmusthavea

basicunderstandingofthebusinessofpracticinglaw.Thisisespeciallytruefornew

lawyersenteringsmallfirmsand,evenmoreso,forthosehangingouttheirown

shingles.

II. InnovativeProgramsHaveBeenIntroduced,butHaveNotSolvedtheProblem

TogaugethestepsIllinois’ninelawschoolsaretakingtoensurethattheirgraduates

havepracticereadyskills,theSpecialCommitteecompiledasurveyandcontactedthedeanof

eachschoolrequestingtheirparticipation.DetailedresponseswerereceivedfromChicago-

KentCollegeofLaw,DePaulUniversityCollegeofLaw,LoyolaUniversityChicagoSchoolofLaw,

NorthernIllinoisUniversityCollegeofLaw,SouthernIllinoisUniversitySchoolofLaw,andthe

UniversityofIllinoisCollegeofLaw.

TheSpecialCommitteelearnedthatlawschoolsaretakingseveralactionstoensure

thattheirgraduatesarepracticeready.Whiletheyallcontinuetooffertraditionaldoctrinal

courses,theyareplacinggreateremphasisonlegalwritingandexperientiallearning.Some

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specificexamplesofparticularlyinnovativeapproachesbeingtakenbythelawschoolsinclude

thefollowing:

• Skills-RelatedCoursesOfferedinFirst-Year:Allofthelawschoolsfocusheavilyonlegal

researchandwritingindedicatedfirst-yearcourses.LoyolaUniversityChicagoSchoolof

Lawincorporatestransactionalandlitigation-basedexercisesintoitsfirst-yeardoctrinal

courses.Chicago-KentCollegeofLawoffersaninnovative“ClinicalRotation”toitsfirst-

yearstudentswheretheyengageinresearch,clientinterviewsimulations,document

drafting,discoveryreview,simulatedhearings,andcourtroomobservation.

• LawPracticeManagementandBusiness-RelatedSkillsCourses:DePaulUniversity

CollegeofLawrequiresitsstudentstotakeapioneeringtwo-semester“Preparingfor

Practice”course.Studentslearnjobseekingskills,thebusinessoflawpractice,the

ethicsoflegalpractice,andprofessionalcommunicationskills.

• TechnologyTrainingCourses:Whilemostoftheschoolsoffercoursesthattouchon

issuesrelatedtotheuseoftechnologyinthepracticeoflaw,NorthernIllinoisUniversity

CollegeofLawprovidesanimpressive“LawandTechnologySeminar”withthestated

objectiveofteachingstudents“howlegaltechnologyisquicklytransformingthe

practiceoflawandisrapidlybecomingagame-changingfactorwhensettingup,

maintaining,ormanagingalegalpractice.”

• ProfessionalismandLegalEthicsCourses:Allofthelawschoolsrequireupper-level

coursesonprofessionalresponsibilityandsomearetakingthedesiredstepof

incorporatingprofessionalismandethicsintorequiredfirst-yearcourses.Someofthe

schoolsalsoofferpracticearea-specificethicscourses(e.g.,“CriminalPracticeEthics”).

• ExperientialLearningCourses:Onaverage,theschoolsreportedthatanimpressive

90.2percentofstudentstakeanexperientiallearningcourse(e.g.,aclinic,externship,

orskills-relatedcourse)priortograduation.Acrosstherespondinglawschools,each

studentearnsanaverageof16.4creditsfromexperientiallearningcoursesbefore

graduating.

• LegalClinics:Onaverage,eachlawschooloffers9.1distinctlegalclinics,whichdraw

theparticipationof22.6percentofeligiblestudentseachyear.Thelawschoolsreport

thatnearlyeverystudentwhowishestoparticipateinaclinicisaccommodated.

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• Externships:Whileallofthelawschoolsallowtheirstudentstoparticipatein

externshipswithjudicialoffices,governmentagencies,andnon-profitentities,onlyfour

allowprivatelawfirmstoparticipateintheirexternshipprograms.Onaverage,37.3

percentofeachschool’sstudentsparticipateinanexternshipeachyear.Allsevenlaw

schoolsreportedthateachandeverystudentwhoproperlyappliesforaqualifying

externshipisplacedinanexternship.

• AttorneyMentoringPrograms:Whilethelawschoolstakevariousapproachesto

attorney-studentmentoring,NorthernIllinoisUniversityCollegeofLawprovidesa

modelprogramforitsstudents.Animpressive80-85%offirst-yearstudentsparticipate

andarepairedwithlawyermentorswhoaredirectedtoprovidethestudentswith“1)

realisticadviceaboutthepracticeoflaw;2)meaningfulcareeradvice;3)exposureto

courtandlawoffices;4)socializationandnetworkingwiththelegalcommunity;and5)

demonstratingprofessionalvaluesandethics.”

• BarExamReviewCourses/Programs:Mostofthelawschoolsoffersometypeofbar

reviewcourse–someforcredit,othersfornocredit.DePaulUniversityCollegeofLaw

offersacomprehensive“BarPassageStrategies”coursewherestudents“practice

writinganswersforeachbarexamcomponent...andreceivefeedbackinwritingand

inindividualconferences.”NorthernIllinoisUniversityCollegeofLawalsooffersan

exceptionalbarreviewprogramthatincludesseveralcoursesthatstudentscantake

throughouttheentirethreeyearsoflawschool.

Despitethelawschool’sinnovativeapproachestoprovidingtheirgraduateswithpractice-

readyskills,theinputreceivedfromstakeholdersattheSpecialCommittee’shearingsindicates

thatmoremustbedone.Thelawschoolshavedevelopedafoundation,whichcanbe

strengthenedandbuiltupon.

III. Recommendations

BasedonalloftheinputreceivedfromIllinois’lawschoolsandrelevantstakeholders,

theSpecialCommitteedevelopedasetofrecommendationsdirectedatensuringlawschool

graduatespossestherequisitepractice-readyskills.Therecommendationsareasfollows:

1. StudentsMustContinuetoTakeCoreSubjectsandPracticeSkillsMustBeIntegrated

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intoMost,IfNotAll,DoctrinalCourses:Lawstudents’courseworkshouldbeenhanced

withmultipleopportunitiestomastereffectivelegalwriting,oralcommunication,and

otherpractice-readyskills.Specifically,theSpecialCommitteerecommendsthat:

• Multiplewritingassignments,withfeedbackandopportunityforrevisions,shouldbe

incorporatedintotraditionalcoursework.Thesewritingassignmentsshouldinclude

commonlegaldocumentssuchaspleadings,motions,orders,andclient

correspondence.

• Writtenandoralpresentationsshouldbeintegratedintoclasscurriculumand

requiredforsuccessfulcompletionofexternships,clinics,andRule711experiences.

• Forupper-levellawschoolcourses,studentsshouldbeexposedtosophisticated

issuerecognitionusingfactpatternswithmultiple,conflictingissuesthatmore-

closelyresemblethoseencounteredinpractice.

• Studentsmustlearntofind,understand,andapplybasicstatutes,rules,and

regulations.AstrongeremphasisshouldbeplacedonIllinois-specificresourcessuch

astheSupremeCourtRules,theIllinoisCodeofCivilprocedure,andtheIllinois

EvidenceCode.

• Lawschoolcoursesshouldconsistentlygiveageneraloverviewofthechronologyof

typicalmattersassociatedwiththeirsubjectarea.Forexample,civilprocedure

coursesshouldfocusonthechronologyofacivilcaseandrealestatelawcourses

shouldcoverthestepsofaclosingfromstarttofinish.

• Doctrinalcoursesshouldincludeoverviewsofhowalternativedisputeresolution

interactswiththegivensubstantiveareaofthelaw.

• Professionalismandcivilityshouldbeintegratedintoeachclassandstudentsshould

betaughtwhatitmeanstobealawyer.

• Inordertoinstillstudentswithastrongworkethic,courseworkmustprovidethem

withanappreciationforcommitments,deadlines,obligations,andthe

consequencesforfailuretocomply.

• Coursesfocusingonthebusinessofthepracticeoflawmustbeofferedand

studentsshouldbeencouragedtotakethem.

• Theimportanceofgoodorganizationalskillsshouldbeemphasizedinallclasses.

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2. GreaterExperientialLearningOutsidetheClassroomandinthePrivateSectorMustBe

Offered:Experientiallearningisthekeytolearningpractice-readyskills.Assuch,the

SpecialCommitteerecommendsthat:

• Studentsshouldbeallowedtoearncreditforexternshipsatprivatesector,for-profit

lawfirms.

• AlternativesshouldbesoughttoaddresstheABA’sprohibitiononstudentsreceiving

academiccreditforpaidexternships.Ofcourse,prevailinglaborlawsmustalsobe

partofthisconsideration.

• IllinoisSupremeCourtRule711shouldbeexpandedtopermitstudentstoworkin

theprivatesector.

• Thecriteriaforsupervisingattorneyswhooverseestudentsinprivatepractice

externshipsmustbeclearandenforceable.

3. TheCurrentLawSchoolGradingStructureShouldBeRevised:Lawschoolsshould

reevaluatetheirrelianceoncurvegrading.Withcurvegrading,studentsareonly

measuredinrelationtoeachotherand,assuch,anoverlycompetitiveenvironment

results.Thisdoesnotfosterprofessionalism,civility,orteamwork,whichisdesiredin

manypracticesettings.Schoolsshouldlookforwaystoobjectivelymeasurewhether

studentshavemasteredthematerialcoveredinagivencourse.

4. TheRolesofAcademicandCareerCounselorsShouldBeExpandedandMentorship

OpportunitiesShouldBeIncreased:Whenstudentsseekadviceoncourseofferings,

counselorsshouldbeencouragedtoprovidestudentswithfrankindividualadvicethat

focusesonthevalueofabalancededucation,passingthebar,andbuildingmarketable

skillsforpost-graduationpractice.Additionally,attorney-to-studentmentoring

programsshouldbeexpandedtoassiststudentswithimportantdecisionsaboutcourse

selection,externshiporclinicparticipation,clerkshipopportunities,andotherissues

thathavelong-termeffectsonastudent’sfuturecareer.Toacknowledgethesignificant

timecommitmentforagoodmentoringrelationship,theSupremeCourtshould

considerofferingaminimumamountofCLEcreditforparticipating.

5. TheCurrentLawSchoolAdmissionCriteriaShouldBeEnhanced:Lawschooladmission

criteriashouldplacegreateremphasisonanapplicant’sabilitytowritewell.Law

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schoolsshouldalsoimplementpre-admissionprogramsrequiringapplicantstoattend

thelawschoolforaweek,sitinonfirst-yearclasses,anddraftapersonalstatement

describingtheexperience.Additionally,lawschoolsshouldrequireincomingstudents

toparticipateinaonetotwoweek“bootcamp”programstaffedby,forexample,the

ISBAasanintroductorycrashcourseonlegalwriting.

6. TheCurrentCriteriaandProcessforAdmittancetotheIllinoisBarShouldBe

Examined:Asexperientiallearningisthekeytodevelopingpractice-readyskills,the

IllinoisSupremeCourtshouldconsiderrequiringexperientiallearningbeyondthe

minimalABAstandardasacriterionforlicensinginIllinois.

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INTRODUCTION:

TheIllinoisStateBarAssociation(ISBA)publishedagroundbreakingreportonthe

ImpactofLawSchoolDebtontheDeliveryofLegalServicesin2013.Itwastheworkproductof

aspecialcommitteeappointedbyISBApastpresidentJohnE.Thiesandconvenedtoexamine

dramaticincreasesinlawschooldebtandconsidertheimpactofnewlawyerdebtonthe

deliveryoflegalservicesinIllinois.Althoughthedirectivewaslimited,thescopeofthe

committee'sstatewidehearingsquicklyspreadbeyonditsinitialscope.Theissueofstudent

debtwasinextricablyentwinedwiththeharshrealityofadismaljobmarketfornewgraduates

andthevirtuallyuniversalobservationofthepracticingbarthatwhiletheywerehiring,they

werenothiringnewgraduates.Theoverwhelmingreasongivenwasthatnewgraduateswere

simplynotpreparedtopracticelaw.Thiswasfurthercompoundedbyfrankcommentsbythe

privatebarthattheywerenolongerwillingorabletocarrytheburdenoftrainingnew

graduatestopracticelaw.

The2013Reportincludedbroadfindingsandrecommendations.Ithighlightedthe

staggeringimpactoflawstudentdebtonthedeliveryoflegalservicestothepublic,

documentedthebleakrealityofthemarketplacefornewgraduatesandthestarklackof

practice-readyskills,andrecommendedtheneedforacriticalreviewofcurrentlawschool

curriculum,thestructureoflegaleducation,andpracticalskillstraining.Sinceitspublicationin

2013,thereporthasreceivednationalattentionasstatesthroughoutthecountryaregrappling

withtheseissues(see,e.g.,DavidM.Schraver,ChangeisUponUs,NYSBAJ.5(Sept.2013)).

Therewasmoreworktobedone.In2014,ISBApastpresidentRichardFeliceconvened

anewSpecialCommitteetoaddressthefindingsandrecommendationsofthe2013Report.

Thenewcommitteewasgivenfourbroaddirectives:(1)assessthecurrentmarketplacefor

younglawyers;(2)identifytheskillsandknowledgethathiringpartnerslookforinanewhire

aswellastheskillsthepracticingbarexpectsinthenewestmembersoftheprofession;(3)

cataloguecurrentandproposedcurriculuminIllinoislawschoolsdesignedtopromotepractice

skillslearning;and(4)makerecommendationsbasedonitsfindings.In2015,ISBAPresident

UmbertoDavidirectedthattheSpecialCommitteecontinuewiththismissionandcompleteits

work.

Theissuesoflawschoolexpenses,accreditation,andtuitioncoststogetherwithloan

forgivenessandamyriadofotherdebtrelatedissueswerethoroughlyaddressedbytheISBA

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SpecialCommitteeonTheImpactofLawSchoolDebtontheDeliveryoflegalServicesinIllinois

andwillforthemostpartremainbeyondourdiscussionhere.Whatisathandarethe

recommendationsofthe2013Reporttoreviewcurrentcurriculumandfosterexperiential

learningwhichwillgivefuturenewgraduatesthetools,thepracticalskills,andthepractice-

readyabilitiestheprofessiondemands.

METHODOLOGY:Inthefallandwinterof2014-15,theSpecialCommitteeheldaseriesofstatewide

hearingsadvertisedinadvancebytheISBA,localbarassociations,lawfirms,andlawschools.

HearinglocationsincludedWheaton,Champaign,Carbondale,FairviewHeights,Rockford,and

Chicago.Thespeakersincludedattorneysfromboththepublicandprivatesector,practicingin

smalltomid-sizedtolargefirmsandsolopractitioners.Weheardfromthepracticingbar,new

andexperiencedattorneys,judges,lawstudents,lawschoolprofessors,externshipsupervisors,

anddeans.Thosethatcouldnotattendwereinvitedtoprovidewrittencomments.

Eachhearingintroducedthefindingsofthe2013Report-thatnewlawyersinIllinoisare

notpractice-readyandtheyrequiresignificanttrainingtobeofvaluetoapublicsectorofficeor

profitabletoaprivatepractice.Questionsthatwereposedincludedwhathaschanged,what

doyousee,whatdoyouwantinnewhires,andhowcanwechangethefutureforthenext

generationofnewlawyers?

Overall,theobservationsandcommentsoftheparticipantsbroughtthelackof

practice-readyskillsintofocus,offeredsolutions,andhighlightedtheprogressiveprograms

alreadyinplace.Additionally,eachIllinoislawschoolreceived,andmostrespondedto,a

surveytoprovidedetailedinformationoncurrentcurriculumstructuresandexperiential

learningopportunitiesavailabletostudents.Finally,thecommitteeconductedcomprehensive

researchofnationalandstatewidelegalscholarshiptoreachitsultimateconclusionand

recommendations.

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ReportoftheSpecialCommittee

I.THECURRENTMARKETPLACEFORLEGALSERVICES

Togainfirst-handinformation,the2014SpecialCommitteeconvenedhearingsin

severaldiverseareasofthestate,receivingtheobservationsandcommentsofadiversegroup

oflawyers,lawstudents,academics,andothers.Fromthiscross-sectionofpracticinglawyers,

wesoughttounderstandthecurrentmarketplaceforlegalservicesandtoappreciatethe

factorsimpactinghiringpracticesinprivateandpublicsectoroffices.Theparticipants’

perspectivesweremostinfluencedbytheirgeographiclocation,sizeofpractice,andclientele.

UnderstandingthediversityofthepracticeoflawinIllinois,wewereabletoputtheoftenvery

frankcommentsandobservationsofcontributingattorneysintocontext.

MuchofwhattheSpecialCommitteeheardin2014and2015aboutthejobmarketand

newgraduateapplicantsechoedthe2013Report,howevertherecenthearingsgavemoretime

andgreateremphasistothespecificquestionofpracticeskillsandhiringgoals.Therefrainhas

grownlouderandisthusworthrepeatingtoreinforcethemagnitudeoftheproblemsfacing

thebarandunderscoretheurgentneedforaction.

A. SkillDeficienciesCreateEconomicDisparity

ImpactonthePrivateSector

Asonelawyerputit,theproblemisnotthattherearetoomanynewlawyers;itisthat

therearetoomanynewlawyersthatdonotknowhowtopracticelaw.The2014-15hearings

wererepletewithfrankremarksfromprivatepractitionersthattherewerejobsintheirfirms,

theywerehiring,butsimplywerenothiringnewgraduates.Thereasonis,firstandforemost,

thatnewgraduatesdonothavethepracticalskillsnecessaryforthepracticeoflawandthe

costoftrainingunskillednewgraduateshasbecomeprohibitiveandformany,apoorlongterm

investment.Further,clientswillnotpaybillsfornewlawyerwork.

Recentgraduates’lackofpracticalskillsnecessarilyaffectshiringpracticesatprivate

sectorlawfirms.Becausenewlawyerslackbasicpracticalskills,hiringanewattorneymeans

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thattheemployerwillmakeasubstantialinvestmentoftimeandmoneytotraintheattorney

inthehopethattheywillbecomeprofitableandstaywiththepracticepost-training.Interms

ofthetimelost,severalexperiencedprivatepractitionersnotedthatyoungattorneys’lackof

practicalskillsslowsprogressincases.Itsimplytakesanuntrainedattorneysignificantlymore

timetocompleteworkaccurately.

Further,thetimespentbysupervisingattorneystomonitorandreviewthefinalwork

productofthenewhireisalsolost,asoneprivatepractitionerdownstatenotedthetimeto

trainanewgraduate,reviewtheirwork,andprovidefeedbackisallnon-billablehours,which

makeshiringanewgraduateanunattractiveexpense.AnotherattorneyfromalargeChicago

firmnotedittakes“alotoftimeandenergytotrainanassociate,”andthatmanytimesitis

easierandfasterto“justdo[thetask]yourself.”Overall,attorneysintheprivatesector

estimatedthatanewgraduate,hiredwithoutbasicpracticeskillsisnotprofitableforatleast

eighteentotwentyfourmonths.Asaresult,inmostfirmsarecentgraduateoftenwillnotearn

thecostofhisorhersalaryduringthefirstyearofemployment.1Thatcostisthenbornebythe

clientiftheywillpay,andifnot,isabsorbedbythefirm.

PrivatepractitionersfromCarbondaletoChicagocandidlycommentedthatclientsnow

scrutinizebillingandaresimplyunwillingtopayfeeswhich,inthepast,allowedthefirmto

coverthecostoftraininganewassociatefreshoutoflawschool.Theyuniversallyagreedthat

timeshavechangedandmanyclientswillnotpayforafirst-yearassociatetoworkontheircase

atall.Forexample,apractitionerfromalargeChicagofirmnotedthatsomeclientswillsimply

notpermitnewassociatestotakedepositionsintheircases.Theywillnotpayforthetime.

PeterA.Joynotes,“a2010surveybytheAmericanLawyerfoundthat47%oflawfirmshad

clientswhodemandedthatnofirstorsecond-yearassociatesworkontheircase.”2TheSpecial

Committeeheardthatrefrainfromlargerfirmsthroughoutthestate,agreeingamong

themselvesthatclientsjustwillnotpayforthosehours.Interestingly–manyinChicagoand

thedownstatemetroareaalsosaidthatthosesameclientsalsowillnotpayforasenior

associateorpartnertodotheroutinework–clientswantroutinemattersdonebyparalegals,

whoarebilledoutatasubstantiallylowerrate.AprivatepractitionerfromtheChicagoarea

alsocommentedthatparalegalsarefrequentlymoreequippedtodoroutinemattersasthey

1 One partner in a downstate firm spoke before the 2013 Special Committee, estimating that for a new associate to 2 Peter A. Joy, Considering the Cost of Clinical Legal Education, NYSBA Journal 20 (Sept. 2013).

18

aretrainedinprocedureandtaughtlittlelaw.

Therewasonenotableexceptiontothereluctancetohirenewgraduates.

Representativesfromlargefirmswhoemployedlawstudentsasclerksorinternsonaregular

basisconsistentlynotedthattheexceptionstothegeneral“nonewgraduatehires”arenew

graduateswhoworkedatthefirmduringsummers,orschoolsemesters.Asclerksandinterns,

thesenewgraduatesgainedsignificantpracticalexperienceandlearnedtheoperationsofthe

firm.Theseopportunitiesaffordedthestudentexperienceandtheemployerexposuretoa

summer-longinterviewwithapotentialnewassociate.Attorneysfromthesefirmstoldthe

SpecialCommitteethattheydidofferpositionstotheinternswhohaddonegoodworkand

wouldfitintothecurrentneedsofthefirm.Thenewgraduatehadalreadyreceivedsubstantial

feedbackandtraining,atasignificantlylowercost,makingthenewgraduateamoredesirable

hire.Inotherwords,thestudentwasbeingtrainedatanintern’swageandbygraduation,was

practice-readyforthatfirm.Thus,hiringtheformerclerkorinternwasaverydesirableand

economicallysounddecision.

Anaggravationtothisexceptionistheweakjobmarket.Forexample,aPeoria

practitionernotedthathisfirmavoidstakingontoomanyinternsbecausethefirmisunableto

offerthemallpositions,andmanyyearsthefirmisunabletoofferanyjobs.Hispointwasthat

lawstudents’expectationofajobatthefirmwheretheyinternedathastochangeorfirms

mightbeunwillingtoacceptinterns.

Newgraduateswithoutexperience,externshiphistory,orpracticeskillshavebeenlikely

toseekandgainemploymentinruraldownstateareasintheprivateandpublicsectorswhere

althoughthesalarywillbelower,theopportunityforexperienceandpracticaltrainingishigher.

Withskillsandafewyearsofexperience,thatnewattorneybecomesmarketableandbegins

themigrationtowardhighersalariesinmoreurbanareas.Themoreurbanthefirm,themore

likelyitistohavethefinancialstatustoattracttheassociatewhohasbeentrainedelsewhere,

andthelesslikelyitistobeartheeconomiccostoftraining.Thedilemmaisthattheassociate

withexperiencewhowasjusthiredbythefirmthatofferedasizablesalarywaslikelytrainedby

aruraldownstateareafirmorinthepublicsector.Thesmallerorruralfirmincurredthecost

oftrainingthenewunskilledgraduatethatleftthetutorforahighersalary.Thesefirmsare

becomingveryawareofthecommonmigrationtobiggermarkets,andareconcludingthat

thereislessandlessreturnontheirinvestmentintrainingnewgraduatesthat,once

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adequatelytrainedbytheirfirstemployer,willleaveforhigherpayinmorepopulousareas.

Themigrationexperienceisalsonegativelyimpactingdiversityindownstatefirms.A

downstatemetroareaattorneyexplainedthatbigfirmscompeteforlargecorporateclientsand

corporateclientsseekfirmsthatexhibitdiversityamongtheirassociates.Hecandidlytoldthe

SpecialCommitteethathecouldn’tkeepaminorityassociateinthedownstateoffice.

Corporateclientpressurefordiversitymakesminorityassociatesvigorouslyrecruited.These

minorityattorneys,wholikelyhavedebt,receivefinancialofferstoobeneficialtoreject.The

resultistheymovetothelargeurbanfirm.Besidestheinvestmentlostbythedownstatefirm,

themoreseriousneteffectisveryfewminorityassociatespracticingdownstate.

Asfirstnotedinthe2013Report,themostsignificantimpetusforthemoveisseeking

greatersalarytoservicestudentdebt.Asonelawyertoldus,sheaskspotentialhiresabout

theirstudentdebtsothatshecan“dothemath”andconsiderwhethertherecanbealong-

termcommitmenttoherfirm.Thattrendcontinues.

Viewingthecurrentmarketfortheprivatepracticeoflaw,inlightoftheeconomic

realitiesfirmsface,thedemandfornewlylicensedlawyerstohavetrainingandpracticalskills

tocompeteforandbringvaluetopositionsintheprivatepracticeoflawin2015hascomeinto

startlingfocus.Studentsmustbemarketabletotheprivatesectorfirm,becausethepractice

oflawisabusinessthatmustmakeaprofittosurvive,anditsimplycannotspendtoomuchon

training.Thus,itisasoundbusinessdecisiontohireanewassociatethatwillnotdeplete

revenueandresourcesbyrequiringanexorbitantamountoftraining.

Inshort,therehasbeenafundamentalshiftinemployerexpectationsfornewhiresand

thecriteriabywhichapplicantsarejudgedintheprivatesector.Thosenewgraduateswho

enterthejobmarketwithoutpracticalskills(i.e.,thosewithoutexperienceinanexternship,

clinic,judicialclerkship,orindependentemploymentinthepublicorprivatesector)areata

distinctdisadvantageinattemptingtoentertheprivatesector.Theshortfallmustbe

addressed,notonlyinIllinois,butalsonationwide.3

3 E.g., NEW YORK CITY BAR ASS’N TASK FORCE ON NEW LAWYERS IN A CHANGING PROFESSION, Developing Legal Careers and Delivering Justice in the 21st Century 22 (2013) (“In the modern legal environment, the “practice-ready” lawyer must have experience identifying and solving problems, navigating the legal system, and exercising professional judgment under conditions of uncertainty. We also believe that writing and professional responsibility remain under-taught and insufficiently integrated into the curriculum . . . . The “practice-ready” lawyer may also require significantly more subject-specific expertise at graduation than in the past, and may have needed more experiential opportunities in law school, through which to develop an exercise his or her professional judgment.”);

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ImpactonthePublicSector

Thepublicsectorportraysasimilarstory.OutsideofChicagoandcollarcounties,many

state'sattorneysandpublicdefendersnotedthatwhiletheycontinuetohirebrightand

enthusiasticgraduates,ittakestime,money,andexperiencetomakethemqualityattorneys

whoarevaluableassetstotheoffice.Mostagreedthatnewattorneysreachthatlevelatthe2

to3yearmark–thepointatwhichtheybegintoreceiveoffersfromtheprivatesector,or

othermoreurban,publicsectorofficeswherethesalaryishigher.Thepracticeskillsand

experiencegainedinthepublicsectorpositionshavemadethenewgraduateamarketableand

desirableassociate.Whentheyleave,theytaketheirtrainingandexperiencewiththem.The

sameofficewilllikelyfillthevacancywithanothernewgraduatethatwillalsorequiretime,

dollars,andexperiencetofilltheshoesoftheattorneywhohasleft.

Publicsectoremployersalsodiscussedsomeofthelesstangibleconsequencesofthe

trainingandleavingcycle,mostnotablythenegativeimpactonmorale.Anattorneyworkingin

alegalaidofficenorthofInterstate80toldthespecialcommitteethathisofficehasdedicated

astaffattorneytoprovideregularfeedbacktonewattorneys,basicallyafulltimepositionto

assistandtrainnewhires.Otherstalkedabouttheirexperiencedattorneyswhoareexpected

tobe“on-call”toanswernewattorneys’questions,takingtheexperiencedattorneyawayfrom

hisorherdailywork.Allpublicsectoremployers,particularlythosedownstate,talkedwith

significantfrustrationaboutthechronicinstitutionalfatigueresultingfromturnoverand

constanttraining,whichnegativelyimpactsmoraleandjobsatisfaction.

Justasintheprivatesector,thecyclicalturnoverandconstantfinancialexpenditures

neededtotrainismakinghiringunskillednewgraduatesacalculatedrisk.Downstatepublic

sectoremployersdescribetheirplightas“caughtbetweenarockandahardplace.”Thepublic

sectoroutsidethemetroareahasarelentlessrevolvingdoorofhiringnewgraduates,spending

timeandmoneytotrain,justtowatchthemleaveforhighersalaries.Onestate’sattorney

fromdownstatestateditbest–“Icannotcontinuetospendevershrinkingbudgetdollarsand

STATE BAR OF CALIFORNIA, Task Force on Admissions Regulation Reform: Phase I Final Report 1 (2013) (“In our view, a new set of training requirements focusing on competency and professionalism should be adopted in California in order to better prepare new lawyers for successful transition into law practice, and many of these new requirements out to take effect . . . prior to the granting of a law license . . . . There would be two routes . . . for pre-admission competency training: (a) at any time in law school . . . 15 units of practice-based, experiential course work . . . (b) participat[ion] in a Bar-approved externship, clerkship, or apprenticeship at any time during or following completion of law school.”).

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thetimeofmyseniorprosecutorstotrainyoungattorneyswholeaveatthepointwhenthey

becomevaluabletomyoffice.Ihavelittlebudgetleftforadvancedtraining;itallgoesto

educatethenewesthires.”Thisisacyclethatsimplycannotcontinue;therevolvingdoorisnot

sustainable.

CollectiveImpactonIllinoisAttorneys

Althoughitwasfirstnotedinthe2013Report,theobservationcontinuedthroughout

the2014hearingsthatoutsideChicagoandthecollarcounties,newattorneysleavetheirfirst

jobdownstateatbetweenthethreeandfiveyearmark.Asaresult,“[a]ttorneyswithfiveto

fifteenyearsofexperience,theworkhorsesofmostprivatefirms,”areabsentinpublicinterest

offices,whileinruralareas,thegrowingmajorityofpracticingattorneysaremarkedlyolder.

Theyounglawyerswhostarttherearenotstaying;theyarenottakingoverthepracticesof

retiringpractitionersinruralIllinois.Ultimately,thiswillnegativelyimpactthequalityand

quantityoflegalservicesavailableinthoseareas.Thisalarmingtrendcontinues.

Theheavydebtburdennotonlyshapesthecareerchoicesofournewestattorneys–it

alsocontinuestoshapetheirpersonallives.Asfirstnotedinthe2013Report,theneedfora

secondjobcontinuesandmayevenhaveincreased.Manyyoungattorneysstillcandidlyadmit

theyneedadditionalincometosupplementthesalariesatpublicinterestorsmalltomid-sized

privatelawfirms,whicharenotsufficienttoallowthemtopaythedebtandlive.Anattorney

testifyingbeforethe2014SpecialCommitteestatedthatnewassistantstate'sattorneysand

deputypublicdefendersinhisarearegularlyhaveasecondjobtopaytheirdebt.Eventhosein

themoreurbanandthemetroareasarepursuingsecondjobstoservicetheirdebt.Storiesof

delayingmarriage,startingafamily,orbuyingahousecontinue.

Duringthe2014hearingstheSpecialCommitteelearnedofanewtrendamongnew

graduates–theyaremovinghome.Somenewlawyerscandidlyconcededthattheywere

unabletomaketheirstudentdebtpaymentsandliveindependentlyonthesalariesofferedto

thosewithoutsufficientpracticeskills.Forsome,livingathomehasbecomethemostviable

option.ArecentgraduatefromChampaignsummedupthepredicamentwhenshetoldthe

2014SpecialCommitteethatrecentgraduates“dowhat[they]mustwhen[they]havedebtsto

payandwanttobeapracticingattorney.”

Furthermore,unemploymentratesareontherise.Fornewgraduateswithoutskills

22

whocannotmovetoaruralareaorcannotsecureanentry-levelpositioninthepublicsector,

thereisanotherdiscouragingdevelopment.Severalemployersatprivatefirmscandidly

describedtheincreasingnumbersofapplicationsfromlicensedattorneysseekingnon-lawyer

positionsasalawclerkorparalegal.AnattorneyfromasmallfirminChicagotestifiedhe

receivedmultipleapplicationsfromlicensedattorneyswhenhepostedforasingleparalegal

position.Similarly,anattorneyfromalargeChicagofirmnotedthatalthoughthefirmreceived

applicationsfromattorneysfornon-lawyerpositions,theydonothireattorneysfornon-lawyer

positions.Ironically,oneattorneyobservedthatnewlawyershavelesspracticalskillsthana

newparalegal;anothernotedthatparalegalsrequirelessonthejobtrainingandasnoted

above,clientsarewillingtopaythehourlyrateforworkdonebyaparalegal.Further,most

believethattheseattorneysseekthepositionjusttolearn,andsimilartothedownstate

dilemma,willleavethenon-lawyerspositionassoonassomethingbettercomesalongandthus

arenotseenasagoodreturn-on-traininginvestments.Itdoes,however,underscorethe

degreetowhichlicensed,butunemployedandlikelyunskilled,newlawyersarewillingtogoto

gainexperienceinalawofficewiththehopeofgainingsomepracticeexperience.

Evenwithexperience,competitionforhigherpayingpositionsintheurbanand

suburbanareashasincreased.Throughout2014,theSpecialCommitteeheardemployers

reportthelargenumberofresumesandapplicationstheyreceiveforeveryattorneypositionin

bothpublicinterestandprivatepractice.Illustrativeofthecompetition,aChicagoattorney

describedthatforeachopenposition,thefirmreceivesastaggeringamountofresumes;a

partnerfromadownstatefirmnotedthathenowreceivestwiceasmanyapplicationsforevery

openpositionashedidfiveyearsago.AcivilpractitionerinDuPageCountytoldussherecently

receivedoveronehundredapplicantsforasingleopening.Finally,wecontinuedtohearofthe

plightofthosenewgraduatesthatremainunemployedorunderemployed.Somehaveopted

forsolopracticeandothershavesimplypursuedotheralternative,non-legalemployment.

MostofthosewhocontributedtheirthoughtstotheSpecialCommitteesuggestedthat

thesechangesdidnothappenovernight.Manyfactors,includingthemulti-yeardownturnin

theeconomy,increasedsophisticationofclients,andchangesinbillingandfeecollection

contributedtotherealignmentinthefinancialaspectsoftheattorneyclientrelationshipand

changesinthebusinessofpracticinglaw.Manyfirmshavetightenedtheirbeltsandcutback

onexpensestheyusedtoaccept.Duringthistimeperiod,lawschoolsdidbegintoincrease

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practicaltraining.However,itappearsthatlawschoolsdidnotincreasepracticaltrainingatthe

sameratethatpost-graduationtrainingwasevaporating.Thus,avacuumwascreatedleaving

morerecentgraduateswithoutsufficienttrainingupongraduationandfarlessopportunityfor

trainingpost-graduation.Understandingthisgapintrainingiscriticaltoaddressingthelackof

practiceskills,andansweringthequestion:where,when,andbywhomshouldthosepractice

skillsbetaught?Thetaskisnotsimple,andanyviablesolutionmustinvolvetheparticipation

andsupportofthepracticingbar,ourlawschools,andtheCourt.

Understandingthecurrentmarketplaceforlegalservices,theSpecialCommitteesought

toidentifytheskillsandknowledgemostdesiredbyhiringpartnersandthepracticingbar.

II. WHATKNOWLEDGEANDPRACTICESKILLSARELACKING,ANDWHATDOHIRINGPARTNERSSEEKIN

ANEWASSOCIATE? Throughoutthehearings,practicingattorneystolduswhatwasmissinginnew

graduatesanddescribedwhattheywerelookingfor.Theyspokeextensivelyaboutrecent

graduates’lackofbasicpracticalskills.Privateattorneysdescribednewgraduatesassimply

“grosslyunpreparedtopracticelaw.”Theydescribeddeficienciesrangingfromalackofbasic

legalskills,mostnotablypoorwriting,todeficienciesinsoftskills,suchasprofessionalism,work

ethic,andinter-personalskills.

Adownstatepractitionernotedthatmanyapplicantswholookgreat“onpaper,”not

onlydonothavepracticalskills,theyhavenoideahowtowriteausefulmemoortalkto

people.Manywhoreviewedpotentialapplicantsnotedtheincreaseintheso-called“paper

courses,”whichthoughinteresting,wereoflittlevaluetotheday-to-daybusinessofthefirm.

Alsonotedwasthedecreaseincoreclasses,externships,andotherclinicalexperiences,which

areoffargreatervaluetothepractice.Anattorneyfromthecollarcountiesremarked,“Iwant

someonewithworkexperience,notjustawardsorgreatgrades.”Interestingly,thosewhodid

interviewrecentgraduates,toldusthattheextraordinarynumberofapplicantsallowsthemto

selectcandidateswiththemostpracticalexperience,oftencitingclinical,clerkship,or

externshipexperienceasacriticalcriteriaforanewgraduatehire.Althoughitdidnotmatter

whetherthepracticalexperiencewasundertheauspicesoftheschooloranindependent

position,itdidmatterwhatthestudentactuallydidinthatposition.

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Therewasaconsensusthatallexternshipsarenotthesame.Knowingthesiteofthe

externship,whosupervisedthestudents,whatworktheycompleted,andwhatexperiences

theywereexposedtomatteredmostinassessingthevalueofthepracticalexperience.While

writingskillsareimportant,aquality“writingsample”canbeseenastheproductofpolishing

andeditingandnotnecessarilyreflectiveofwhattheapplicantcandoinashort-term

assignment.However,apoorwritingsample“spokevolumes”aboutthecandidatewhowould

notgetthejob.

Throughoutthehearings,attorneysvoicedaconsistentlitanyofdesiredpractice-ready

skills.Oneprivatepractitionerfromamedium-sizedfirmsummedupthelawyeringskills

employersarelookingforwhenhesaidwearelookingforsomeone“readytohittheground

running.”Althoughtherewassomevarianceinwhat“hitthegroundrunning”meant,there

wasacommonground.Fromtheseobservationsandcomments,acoreofdesiredpractice-

readyknowledgeandskillsbecameclear.Thecorefellintothreecategories:(1)

communicationskills;(2)traditionalpracticeskills;and(3)professionalismandworkethic.

Theyagreedthatabasicunderstandingofthesecoreskillsandknowledgewouldgreatlyassist

anewgraduatetoenterthejobmarketasavaluableandproductiveattorney.

A. CommunicationSkills

Practitionersthroughoutthestate,fromallpracticeareas,publicandprivatesector,

agreedthatcommunicationproficiencyisthemostimportantskillneededinanyareaof

practice.Basiccommunicationwasdescribedassimplywhatattorneysdo–wecommunicate

withmembersofouroffice,ourclients,staff,opposingcouncil,thecourt,ajury,andamyriad

ofothers.Yet,itistheskillmostnotedaslackinginrecentgraduates.

WrittenCommunication

Thenumberonecomplaintamongexperiencedattorneysisthatnewgraduatescannot

writeclearly,concisely,andaccurately.Theydonotwritewell.4Practitionersstressedthat

4 Kathy M. Morris, The Legal Profession PREP CLASS: The Practice Readiness Project for Chicago-Area Law School Students: Research, Responses, and Report to Chicago-Area Law Schools, UNDER ADVISEMENT, LTD. 10 (2014).

25

newgraduatesdonothavetheabilitytomakeapoint.Theydonotstateaproposition,

supporttheirposition,drawaconclusion,andaddresstheopposingviewpoint.Anattorneyin

theChampaignareanotedthatinherexperience,newattorneysareparticularlyillequippedto

addressadversecases.Shedescribedaninabilitytodistinguishanadversecaseoranticipate

theotherside’sposition.5Othersobservedthatnewgraduatesstruggletodraftashortmemo

clearlyoutliningtheargumentsforandagainstaproposition.Theyoftenlackappreciationfor

whatisrelevantandwhatisnot.Anotheraspectthatgeneratedsignificantcommentfromthe

practicingbaristhestarklackofabilitytosynthesizeaseriesofcasesasopposedtosimply

regurgitatingthefactsandholding.6Inotherwords,theycantellyouwhatacasesaysbutdo

notknowhowtoputaseriesofcasestogethertomakeacogentargumentandmakeapoint.7

Manyalsonotedthatinadditiontowritingskills,alawyermustbeabletocriticallyedit

hisorherdrafts,specificallyeditingforclarityandbrevity.8Onepractitionercommentedthat

newgraduatestendtodraftexceedinglylongdocuments,whichshesuggestsmeansthatthey

areunawareofwhatisimportantandwhatissuperfluous.9

Settingasideissueswithlegalwriting,manypractitionerssawofalackofbasicwriting

skillsasthebiggerproblem.Aprivatepractitionerdownstatesuggestedtheneedformore

5 U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver Jr. further expounded on dealing with adverse cases, observing “[t]here are still a substantial number of counsel who seem to believe that the object of briefing and argument is to cite and argue only the cases that are favorable to their client and hope that opposing counsel and the court will not find the cases, if any, to the contrary.” Solomon Oliver Jr., Educating Law Students for the Practice: If I Had My Druthers, 2013 J. DISPUTE RESOLUTION 85, 90 (2013). He further notes that these attorneys fail to realize “the law is a ‘public profession’” and points out that lawyers have a duty “to uphold the quality of justice.” Id. (quoting WILLIAM M. SULLIVAN ET AL., BEST PRACTICES FOR LEGAL EDUCATION: A VISION AND A ROADMAP (2007)). 6 Kathy M. Morris, The Legal Profession PREP CLASS: The Practice Readiness Project for Chicago-Area Law School Students: Research, Responses, and Report to Chicago-Area Law Schools, UNDER ADVISEMENT, LTD. 10 (2014) (“Young lawyers are woefully inefficient at research and writing. And, when they do get a task, they often misunderstand or misrepresent what a case says.”). 7See also John T. Phipps, ISBA Task Force to Look at Law Schools and Making “Practice Ready” New Lawyers, 6 SENIOR LAWYERS 9 (2014). Phipps describes a gap in legal writing education, explaining that law students “are taught to write in a ‘neutral way.’” Such neutral writing does nothing to advance a client’s position. He suggests students receive instruction on “preparing pleadings, briefs and memoranda of law that are designed to use the facts and the law to advocate the client’s position and persuade the judge to rule in the lawyer’s client’s favor” in order to get new lawyers more practice ready immediately after law school. Legal writing instruction that focuses on writing persuasively would “expose [students] to the process of analysis and hard work persuasive writing requires.” Id. 8 An experienced practitioner also noted “It is important that new/young attorneys review documents, drafts, and any work product with a critical eye so that they do not create more work for their superiors.” Kathy M. Morris, The Legal Profession PREP CLASS: The Practice Readiness Project for Chicago-Area Law School Students: Research, Responses, and Report to Chicago-Area Law Schools, UNDER ADVISEMENT, LTD. 11 (2014).9 When asked what the most important skills needed for a new lawyer, a new practitioner in private practice in urban Georgia responded: “Pinpoint answer to question/ know how to not give an answer in 5 pages when 1 paragraph will do.” Steven S. Nettles & James Hellrung, A Study of the Newly Licensed Lawyer, NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF BAR EXAMINERS 51 (2012) (emphasis added).

26

emphasisonbasicwritingskills,propergrammarandwordusage,andwritingintheactive

voice.Hevaluesbasicwritingskillsmorethanwhetheranapplicantknowshowtodraft

pleadings;hebelievesthathecanteachanewhirehowtodraftapleadingiftheyalreadyhave

theabilitytowriteclearlyandproperly.Iftheydonot,teachingthemtodraftanylegal

documentsorbasiccorrespondenceisafarmoredifficulttask.

Practitionersalsonotedthatnewgraduatesareoftenillequippedtowriteasimple

lettertoaclientorothernon-lawyerthatisunderstandable.Forexample,newgraduatesoften

struggletodraftaclear,conciselettertoaclientinformingtheclientwhathappenedincourt

oroutliningthenextstepsinthecase,withoutusinglegaleseorsoundingimpersonal.10

Attorneysstressedhowimportantitisthattherecipientunderstandswhattheyarerequiredto

doforthenextcourtdate.Withouttheabilitytodraftaclear,straightforwardlettertoaclient,

themessagecanbelost.

LikethedeficienciesdescribedbyIllinoispractitioners,anexperiencedpractitionerfrom

alargefirminurbanPennsylvaniaobservednewlylicensedattorneys“cannotwritegood

English.Theycannotapplylawtothefacts.Theyareeagertoresearchandtellyouwhatthe

principlesare,butcannottaketheprinciples,dotheanalysisandtellyouwhatthatmeansin

theparticularcase.Whenyoudoresearch,thecasesnevermatch;newlawyersarenotgoodat

applyingthecasestotheparticularfactsoftheparticularcases.”11Anotherexperienced

practitionerworkingascounselforanationalcorporationsimilarlyobservedthat“[n]ew

lawyers’writingcapacityhasdiminishedpartlyduetosocialmediasuchastextandtweets.

Theylackfundamental...elementsofwriting.Theylacktheabilitytoexpressoneselfinprose.

Theyneedtolearnstructuredcommunicationbeforetechnologycommunication.”12Atrial

judgefromurbanNewYorkalsonotedthatnewlylicensedlawyers“needtounderstandwriting

asacraft:writing,rewriting,andediting.Theyneedtomakesuretheresearchisaccurateand

10 For example, a lawyer should avoid legalese when writing to a client or other non-lawyer. Also on the importance of writing in a wide variety of contexts, one practitioner responding to the Morris survey stated: “Since most of the law work I do is not trial oriented, most of the things I learned in school were useless. Learning to draft good contracts, letters, and explanations is a necessary but untaught art.” Kathy M. Morris, The Legal Profession PREP CLASS: The Practice Readiness Project for Chicago-Area Law School Students: Research, Responses, and Report to Chicago-Area Law Schools, Under Advisement, Ltd. 11 (2014). 11 Steven S. Nettles & James Hellrung, A Study of the Newly Licensed Lawyer, NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF BAR EXAMINERS 58 (2012). An experienced attorney for purposes of the NCBE Job Analysis is one with greater than thirty-years experience. Id. at 57. A firm with greater than 100 attorneys is large for purposes of the responses in the NCBE Job Analysis. Id. 12 Id. at 64 (an attorney with 26 years of experience).

27

[thorough].[Theyneedto]‘scratchtothebottominsteadofbeingsatisfiedwithskindeep.’

Younglawyersthinktheycanfindtheanswerquickly,butdonotconfirmifitiscorrect.”13

TheseobservationsofalackofwritingskillsinnewlylicensedattorneyscollectedfortheNCBE

JobAnalysisdemonstratethatthelackofwritingskillsinnewgraduatesisnotuniquetoIllinois.

Rather,writingskillsdeficienciesinnewgraduatesarenotedbypractitionersthroughoutthe

nation.

ManypractitionerswhoaddressedtheSpecialCommitteereminiscedwithsome

nostalgiaaboutmootcourtandwritinganappellatebrief.However,fromthevantageof

hindsight,almosteverypractitionerthoughtthatthiswasnotthebestuseoftheirtimeinlaw

school.Veryfewhadeverdoneanappealinpracticeandvirtuallyallfeltthatthetimespent

workingonanappellatebriefwouldhavebeenbetterspentlearningtowriteatthetriallevel

withappellatedraftingleftasanelectiveforthoseinterestedinajudicialclerkshiporappellate

practice.Theynotedthesmallpercentofpracticinglawyerswhodoappellateworkcompared

tothemuchlargersegmentofthebarengagedinlitigationorclient-centeredwork.Whilethe

abilitytowritewellishighlyvalued,experienceindraftinganappellatebriefwasdeemedless

important.Ontheotherhand,manypractitionerssaidtheabilitytoaddressanaudienceis

importantandtheoralargumentportionofmootcourtwasviewedasavaluableexperience.

OralCommunication

Experiencedattorneysplacegreatimportanceonbasicoralcommunicationskills.They

emphasizedtheneedtobeabletocommunicateeffectivelywithavarietyofaudiences.For

example,practitionersvalueanewhirewhoisabletoengagewithaclient,supervising

attorney,officestaff,orthecourtonalevelandinamannerthatisappropriatetoeach.An

assistantstates’attorneytestifiedthatwhenmakinganewhire,hisofficelooksforsomeone

whocanworkwellwithothersbecausecamaraderieandteamworkarekeyvaluesinhisoffice.

Theabilitytocommunicateeffectivelyandaccuratelywithotherattorneysandofficestaff

13Id. at 68. Illinois practitioner responding to the Morris survey similarly noted: “Many young lawyers are of the mindset of the day of instant gratification. They carry that over into the practice, which coupled with lack of practical knowledge, causes important items to be missed. ‘Speed Kills’ applies.” Kathy M. Morris, The Legal Profession PREP CLASS: The Practice Readiness Project for Chicago-Area Law School Students: Research, Responses, and Report to Chicago-Area Law Schools, Under Advisement, Ltd. 11 (2014).

28

contributessignificantlytomaintainingofficeteamwork.14Notably,theseremarks

demonstratethattheabilitytooperateasateamplayer,incontrasttothecompetitive

attitudesoflawstudentstowardstheirfellowstudents(fosteredbycurvegradingandclass

rankingsystems),isofhighvalueinapracticallegalsetting.Theassistantstates’attorney

furthernotedthattobeanefficientprosecutor,anattorneymustcommunicatewellwith

policeofficers,victims,experts,witnesses,andstaff.Inotherwords,anewgraduateisa

helpfulassettoanemployerwhenthenewgraduateisabletocommunicatewithpeopleatall

levelsofeducationandsophisticationandabletoeasilyrelatetoothersinanygivensetting,

therebymakingtheclientandotherscomfortableandwillingtoconfideinthenewgraduate.15

State’sattorneysandpublicdefendersseekcandidateswhocantalktoawitnessand

preparethemtotestifyinasimpletrafficormisdemeanorcase.Thisincludestheabilityto

acquireaccurateinformationfromthemandgiveclear,understandableinstructionand

direction.Furtherobservationsincludedaneedforcommunicationskillsinacourtroom,

includingnotonlytheabilitytospeakeffectivelywiththejudge,butalsoopposingcounsel,

courtroomstaff,andothers.SomepractitionersintheDuPageareacommentedthattheyare

seeingmoreyoungattorneyswithagenerallackofanaturalabilitytotalkwithpeople.

Importantly,virtuallyallagreedthataninabilitytocommunicateeffectivelyisadistinct

disadvantageineveryareaofpractice.

Mostprivatepractitionersemphasizedthenecessitytocommunicatewithaclienton

theclient'slevel.Legalaidattorneysaddedthattheneedoftenextendstoilliterateclients,or

thementallychallenged.Theydescribedeffectivecommunicationwithaclientastheabilityto

engagetheclient,togatherthewholestoryfromthem,distinguishinformationthatis

importantfromwhatisnot,andfromaninterviewidentifytheclient’sissuesandexpectations.

Further,newgraduatespracticingontheirownmustbeabletotalktoclientsaboutretainer

agreements,billing,andfees.Adownstatepractitionersummeditupbest;theyneedto

14 An experienced practitioner in private practice from urban Mississippi observed newly licensed lawyers “do not have the interpersonal skills to be able to work in a team environment.” Nettles & Hellrung, supra note 11 at 56. 15 Ashby Jones & Joseph Palazzolo, What’s a First-Year Lawyer Worth? Not Much, Say a Growing Number of Corporate Clients Who Refuse to Pay,” WALL STREET J. (Oct. 17, 2011), available at http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970204774604576631360989675324 (noting “lawyers said there is still a gulf between a newly minted lawyer and one who can provide value to a client. Among the skills often absent are a comfort and confidence with clients, a sophisticated knowledge of the business world, and many nuts and bolts, such as how to prepare a witness for a deposition or the precise terms that, say, need to be included in a particular kind of loan agreement.”).

29

communicatesimply,withoutlegaljargonandkeepingtheaudienceinmind,understanding

thatthesamemessagemaybedelivereddifferentlydependingonthesophistication,age,

education,ormentalstatusoftheclient.

A2002graduatenotedthataninabilitytocommunicateclearlywithclients,particularly

regardingclientexpectations,canleadtoARDCcomplaintsandethicsquestions.Similarly,a

newattorneypracticinginurbanNorthDakotaobservedthatskillsneededtoworkwithclients

arefrequentlyunaddressedinlawschool.Thispractitionernotedthatnewattorneysneed

“[k]knowledgeofthepragmaticconcernsofanattorneytoobtaintheproperamountfora

retaineraswellasappropriatelyadvisetheclientofalloptions,inwriting,intheeventofa

dissatisfiedclient.”16Newattorneysmustalsobeabletocommunicatewithopposingcounsel

andothersadversetotheirclient,anddosoprofessionally,efficiently,andcivilly.

Aswithwritingskills,newgraduates’underdevelopedoralskillsarenotuniqueto

Illinois.AnewpractitionerfromNorthDakotanotedthatnewlawyers“deficien[cy]in

negotiationskills...[b]oilsdownto[alackof]goodcommunication.”17Thispractitioneradded

attorneysneedtobeableto“talk[]withotherattorneystoworkoutadealtosettleacase

withouttrial[and]know[]whatis[a]fairagreement[].”18Anothernewpractitionerwiththree

yearsofexperiencefromurbanMontananoteditisimportantforanentrylevelattorneytobe

ableto“[c]ommunicat[e]withotherattorneys...[i]nperson[and][o]verthephone....

Communicateon[a]professionallevelandbeassertivewhilebeingprofessional.”19This

attorneyfurthernoteda“casecanturnintoacompletedisasterifcommunicationbreaks

down.”20Asdiscussedabove,alackoforalcommunicationskillsinnewgraduatesisobserved

nationally.

B. TraditionalPracticeSkills

Throughoutthehearingsattorneysvoicedaconsistentlitanyofdesiredpractice-ready

skills.Regardlessofgeography,firmsize,orpracticearea,therewasclearconsensusonthe

16Nettles & Hellrung, supra note 11, at 62.17Id. at 62. 18Id. 19Id. at 72.20Id. at 72.

30

basicskillsandknowledgethateverynewgraduateshouldhave.

FocusShouldContinueonCoreSubjectMatter

Althoughexaminedindepthinthe2013Report,therefraincontinuesthatstudentsmust

haveabackgroundinthebasiccoreclasses.Whileotherinterestingcoursetopicsmaybeseen

asabonus,itiscoreclassworkandpracticeskillsthatarevaluedinanewgraduate.

DraftingCommonPracticeDocuments

ManyIllinoispractitionersindicatedthatnewlawyersshouldhaveexperiencedrafting

andeditingorrevisingthebasiclegaldocumentsthatlawyersfrequentlydraftinpractice.21A

commonexamplewasdraftingasimplecontractinafirstyearContractscourse.OneIllinois

practitionerinresponsetoKathyM.Morris’ssurveyremarked:“Learningtodraftgood

contracts,letters,andexplanationsisanecessarybutuntaughtart.”22AnotherIllinois

practitionerobserved:“We’retaughthowtoanalyzecontracts,buthavenoideahowtogo

aboutturningablankpieceofpaperintoasolidcontract.”23Illinoispractitionersalsonoted

newgraduatesshouldhaveabasicfoundationindraftingdocumentsfrequentlyusedinthe

litigationcontext,suchasamotionforsummaryjudgmentandamotiontodismiss.24Others

mentionedthatnewgraduatesshouldhaveabasicgroundinginthedraftingofclientretainer

orengagementletters,andemails.

SimilartoIllinoispractitioners’comments,anexperiencedpractitionerfromaprivate

firminMississippiobservedthatoneimportantactivitynewlawyersneedtheabilitytodois

“[b]asiccontractdrafting...[to][p]roduce[a]basicdraftofacontractwithalloftheparts.”25

AnotherexperiencedpractitionerfromurbanPennsylvanianotedanimportantskillforentry

21For example, instead of requiring scholarly seminars as an upper level writing requirement, schools could require an upper-level practical writing skills course. Solomon Oliver Jr., Educating Law Students for the Practice: If I Had My Druthers, 2013 J. DISPUTE RESOLUTION 85, 96 (2013).22 Kathy M. Morris, The Legal Profession PREP CLASS: The Practice Readiness Project for Chicago-Area Law School Students: Research, Responses, and Report to Chicago-Area Law Schools, Under Advisement, Ltd. 11 (2014). 23 Id.24 See Oliver, supra note 21 at 96 (“The outcome of [motions to dismiss and motions for summary judgment] will sometimes resolve the dispute. Therefore, it is critical for students to have a familiarity with how to persuasively present and oppose such motions. Students should be taught that motions should be viewed strategically in the overall context of litigation, not as obligatory steps in the litigation process.”). 25Nettles & Hellrung, supra note 11, at 55.

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levelattorneysis“[d]raftingpleading[s].”26Thispractitionerexplainedthatinordertodraft

pleadings,anentrylevelattorneyhas“toknowrules”inorder“todothepleadingeffectively

withincivilprocedure....Havetoincludecertainthingsinacertainway...writeplainlyand

clearly,butcontaincertainthingsthatthestatutesrequire[].”27ThePennsylvaniapractitioner

furthernoteddraftingpleadingscanbe“[t]edious[and]ruledriven[with]lessfreeform.”28As

notedbelow,studentsneedtoknowandunderstandhowtoapplytherules.

IssueRecognition

Abasicskillnecessarytoeverydaypracticeincludesidentifyinganissueandrecognizing

thatasinglefactpatternmaypresentmultipleissues.Practitionersperceivethatnew

graduatesjustdonotseetheissues.Theyhavelearnedusingcannedfactpatterns.Attorneys

describednewgraduateswhostruggletoidentifytheclient’slegalissuesandnotedthatthisis

oftencompoundedbythenewattorney'sinabilitytogatherorunderstandthefactsthatare

importanttotheissues.Manylegalaidattorneysnotedthataclient'slackofformaleducation

andunderstandingoflegalproceedingsoftenobscuresthesignificanceofcertaineventsor

facts.Thisisanexampleofgoodinterviewingskillsassistinginascertainingalltherelevant

factssothatallthepotentialissuesarevisible.

Employersarelookingforanewhirewhocanframeanissueintermsofthegivenfact

pattern,thatisintermsoftheproblemaspresented,andbeabletoconnectthefactstothe

identifiedissueinordertoproposeorrecommendpossiblesolutions.Practitionersalso

stronglyvoicedtheimportanceofbeingabletorecognizeissuesanddefensesfromthe

opposingpointofviewandarticulateasolutionfromanalternativeposition.Itisnotenough

tojustidentifyissuesalone–attorneysmustseetheotherside,andframetheissueswithas

muchclarityaspossible.

LegalResearch:CaseLaw

Perhapsthemostbasicskillistheabilitytoresearchcaselaw.Thatistoreadit,

understandit,andapplyacaseorseriesofcasestoagivensetoffactsandtodraftamemo

26Id. at 57.27Id. 28Id.

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thatpresentssupportivecasesanddistinguishesorrebutsadversecases.Therewasmuch

discussiononthispoint.Attorneysexpressedfrustrationthatnewgraduatesdonotknowhow

tofindcasestosupportoropposeanargument.Theydonotdigdeepenough.Whentheyfind

cases,theydonotappreciatehowaseriesofcasesfitstogethertosupportoropposea

position.Asnotedabove,practitionersarelookingfornewhireswhocanfindcaselawthatis

relevanttothematterathandandsynthesizeitintoacohesiveargumentinsupportofa

client'sissue.Itisnotsufficienttocatalogthefactsandholdingofthecases,alawyermust

takethenextstep–makeargumentsanddrawaconclusion.

Writingskillspermeatedthesediscussions;practitionerscandidlynotedthatanew

lawyer'sabilitytoresearcheffectivelyandaccuratelyisoftenjudgedonthequalityofthe

writtenbrieformemosubmitted.Inotherwords,goodresearchskillsmaybeobscuredby

poorwriting.Sufficeittosay,writingabilityisintegraltowell-perceivedresearch.

LegalResearch:StatutesandRules

Equallyimportantistheabilitytoresearchstatutoryauthority.Therewasconsiderable

testimonythroughoutthestateabouttheneedtobeabletofind,read,andunderstandbasic

statutes,rules,andotherregulations,and,moreimportantly,toapplyastatutetothecaseat

hand.Apublicserviceattorneytoldthecommitteethatevenyoungattorneys,whoareskilled

atinterpretingcaselaw,cannotworkwiththeplainlanguageofastatutewhenconducting

legalanalysis.Onespeakerfromasmallfirmdownstatenotedthatmanynewhiresfailto

recognizethatmanystatutesfollowapatternwithasectionofdefinitionsandapurpose.She

furthernotedthatmanynewhiresmaylookataparticularstatute,butfailtorealizetheremay

alsobeadministrativerules,administrativeregulations,orSupremeCourtRulesthatare

applicable.Anotherspeakerrecalledanexperiencewhereastudent“knewthestatute,”butdid

notrealizethatthewordsinthestatuteare“wordsofart”thathaveaspecificmeaninginthe

contextofthestatute.Shecharacterizeditasa“disconnect”betweenbookandpractice.This

disconnectwasacommontheme.

AnareathatgeneratedconsiderablecommentwaslackoffamiliaritywiththeSupreme

CourtRulesandtheIllinoisCodeofCivilProcedure.Ofparticularconcernwastheabilitytofind

appropriatesectionsoftheCodeofCivilProcedureandapplythemtoroutinematters.Many

discussedthelackofunderstandingabouttheuseofproceduralrules,againnotingtheymay

33

knowwhattherulesaysbutdonotappreciatewhatitmeansorhowitisapplied.Apartnerin

asmallfirmdownstatedescribedherobservationthatmanygraduatesfailtorecognizethe

importanceoftheSupremeCourtRulesandCodeofCivilProcedureinpleadings,motions,and

otherfilings.Furthersheobservedtheydonotunderstandthatmanyterms,particularly

proceduralterms,aredefinedbythestatuteitself.Insum,recentgraduatesdonotrecognize

proceduralissuesnorappreciatehowproceduralandsubstantiveissuesareinterrelated.

Overall,therewasastrongconsensusthatupongraduation,newattorneysshouldhave

acoreknowledgeoftheCodeofCivilProcedureandSupremeCourtRules,andabasic

understandingofhowtoapplythem.

Similarly,anewpractitionerfromNorthDakotaobserved:“Sofar,theoneareathatI

feelhasbeenveryimportantinalmosteveryareaoflawthatIhaveneededtoobtainfurther

knowledgeregarding[are]therulesofcivilprocedure.Rulesofprofessionalresponsibility,rules

ofcivilprocedure,rulesofcourt...areallveryimportantandareissuesthatareaddressed

daily.”29Thus,asinIllinois,nationallytheimportanceofcivilprocedure,includinglocalrules,is

stressedbypractitionerswiththecommonobservationthatnewgraduatesareunfamiliarwith

therulesofprocedureupongraduation.

BasicChronologyofaCivilCase

Apractitionerinalegalaidofficedownstate,whohashired10newgraduatesinthelast

threeyears,spokeindetailabouttheirlackofbasiclawyeringskills,includingalackof

understandingofthebasicstepsinacase.30Becausetheattorneydidn'tunderstandthewhole

case,theycannoteffectivelyinterviewaclientandarefrequentlyunsurehowtogetorverify

informationfromaclientorothersources.Whentheattorneysdonotknowwhattodonextin

29 Id. at 59. See also Susan M. Case, The Testing Column the NCBE Job Analysis: A Study of the Newly Licensed Lawyer, THE BAR EXAMINER 52, 54 (Mar. 2013) (showing in the Table on Knowledge Domains, which included areas like Real Property and Rules of Evidence, Rules of Civil Procedure listed as number one area with highest significance among other Knowledge Domains that practitioners indicated is important for newly licensed attorneys to be competent in.). 30Like knowing how to take a case from start to finish, new graduates should holistically engage in a case. In a study on skills legal employers look for conducted by Susan Wawrose, Sheila Miller, and Vicki VanZandt, “An attorney at a large firm remarked: ‘[T]he number one thing . . . I hear . . . [from outside counsel, is:] understand my business, understand what I need, understand where my business is going, and keep up with whatever is being published in the newspaper.’” Susan A. Wawrose, What Do Legal Employers Want to See in New Graduates?: Using Focus Groups to Find Out, 39 OHIO N.U. L. REV. 505, 528 (2013) (alterations in original) (quoting large firm practitioner from Focus Group II).

34

afile,theyarenotabletoexplainthecaseortelltheclientwhatwillhappennext.31

Thisattorneywasnotaloneinherobservations.Manyattorneysspokeaboutnew

graduatesinabilitytounderstand,letalonehandle,acasefromstarttofinish;theydescribe

instanceswhereanewgraduatedidnotknowthenextstepinhisorhercase.Forexample,a

practitionerfromFairviewHeightsexplainedasituationwhereanewattorneydidnotknow

whathappenswhentheothersidedoesnotaccepttheinitialoffer.Similarly,anassociatedean

testifiedaboutreceivingaphonecallfromarecentgraduatewhohadbeengiventhetaskof

defendingamotion.Thenewattorneywasatalossandcalledhisformerprofessortoask,

“WhatamIsupposedtodo?Thepartnerisnotgoingtobethere.”Theseexamplesillustrate

concernsforhiringpartnersincludingthelackofunderstandingofthechronologyofacaseand

thevariousoptionsateachstage.Further,asnotedbelow,itportraysaninabilityonthepart

ofnewgraduatestoindependentlyproblem-solvetocomeupwithpossiblesolutionsinorder

totakethenextstepinacase.

Aprofessorwhosupervisesaclinicnotedthatalmostallsecondandthirdyearstudents

cannotapplythelawtothefactspresentedinherclinicsettingwhentheystarttheterm.She

elaboratedthattheydonotknowwhat“todo”withtheinformationaclientgivesthem

becausetheydonotunderstandhowtheinformationfitsintoacase.Theydonotknowthe

significanceofwhattheyaredoingbecausetheydonotseethebigpicture.Shealsoechoed

theobservationthattheyoftenfailtoseethedifferencebetweenrelevantinformationand

non-relevantsuperfluousfacts,andbecausetheydonotknowwheretheyare“going”inthe

file,theycannotseewhatisimportant.

AnotherprivatepractitionerfromtheChampaignareastatedthatnewattorneysare

weakintheabilitytoconnectlegalresearchtotheclient’sanddesiredgoaloftenbecausethey

justdonotunderstandhowtheimmediatetaskfitsintothebigpicture.Insum,newgraduates

lackabasicunderstandingofwhatthepracticeoflawisallabout.Putintothecontextofa

client’scase,theydonotknowwhattodotomovethecaseforward.

31Another practitioner noted, “[m]any new lawyers do not have the confidence to talk with clients. Nor do they know how to effectively relate bad news. And they often talk in legalese.” Kathy M. Morris, The Legal Profession PREP CLASS: The Practice Readiness Project for Chicago-Area Law School Students: Research, Responses, and Report to Chicago-Area Law Schools, UNDER ADVISEMENT, LTD. 12 (2014).

35

ProblemSolving

AnattorneyparticipatinginSusanC.Wawrose’sstudy,32whichsoughttoidentifythe

skillsOhiopractitionerslookforinnewhiresnoted:“[F]indingcaselawanddoingresearch–

lawstudentscandothat.Butbeingalawyerisknowinghowtoapplyitandmakeanargument

and...bringthatalltogether....[T]hat’sthelawyering.”33Theideaisthatnewgraduates

needbasicproblem-solvingskillstoeffectivelyconnectthelawtothefactsoftheclient’scase

tohelpsolvetheclient’slegalproblems.InNeilW.Hamilton’sstudyofMinnesotaattorneys,

“Goodjudgment/commonsense/problemsolving”wasrankedasthefifthmost“veryto

criticallyimportant”skillbylargeMinnesotalawfirms;rankedasthefirstmost“veryto

criticallyimportantskill”bysmallMinnesotafirms;secondmostimportantbyMinnesota

Countyattorneys;andsecondbyMinnesotaregionalaidoffices.34Theserankingsdemonstrate

thatthesameproblem-solvingskillsvaluedbyIllinoispractitionersarealsohighlyimportant

outsideofIllinois.

Anexperiencedpractitionerworkingascounselforanationalcorporationdescribeda

“[s]olidsenseofproblemsolving”asanabilityto“provide[a]clientwitharangeofoptions;

[s]enseofclaritywhenthere[is]nooption(allotheroptionsareillegal);[and][h]avingan

abilitytobeflexibleyetfirm....”35AnewpractitionerfromurbanMontanaobservedthat

“[c]asehandling”isamongtheresponsibilitiesofnewlylicensedlawyers’inhispractice.36The

Montanapractitionerexplainsthat“[c]asehandling”includes:“Managingdeadlines;

[c]ommunicatingwithclient;[c]ommunicatingwithotherattorneys;[m]eetingwithclients;

[h]andlingtheirissues;[d]eterminewhattodowithcase....Takecasefromstarttofinish...

[p]re-trialinvestigation,[whichmeans][g]ettingdocumentationfromclienttoverifytheir

versionoftheevent,andsubstantiate...ifclaimispossible.”37Insum,practitionersinsideand

32 Susan C. Wawrose is the Director of Graduate Law Programs and Professor of Lawyering Skills at the University of Dayton School of Law. Susan C. Wawrose, What Do Legal Employers Want to See in New Graduates?: Using Focus Groups to Find Out, 39 OHIO N.U. L. REV. 505, 505 n.a1 (2013). Wawrose’s study utilized focus groups, which were small groups of attorneys practicing in “a range of practice settings” from the Dayton, Ohio area. Id. at 511-16. 33Id. at 559 (2013) (alterations in original) (quoting attorney from Focus Group III).34Neil W. Hamilton, Changing Markets Create Opportunities: Emphasizing the Competencies Legal Employers Use in Hiring New Lawyers (Including Professional Formation/Professionalism), 65 SOUTH CAROLINA L. REV. 547, 551-55 (2014). “Good judgment/common sense/ problem solving” was ranked second overall across types of practitioners. Id. at 557.35 Nettles & Hellrung, supra note 11, at 63. 36Id. at 71.37Id. at 71-72.

36

outsideofIllinoiswantnewgraduatestohavethecasemanagement/problem-solvingskills

necessaryforlawyeringtosolveaclient’sproblem.

AnattorneyfromDuPagedescribedproblemsolvingasthecornerstoneoflawyering.A

Chicagoattorneyfromalargefirmaptlycharacterizedthegeneralsentimentwhenshestated

thattoomanystudentsgraduatefromlawschool“withrawknowledgeandnoideawhattodo

withit”theydonotknowhowtousetheinformationtheyhavetoaddresstheproblem.

Anothersummeditupbystatingnewgraduates“knowtheydonotknowwhattodo,butthey

donotknowhowtolearnwhattheydonotknow.”38Significantly,manyagreedwiththat

sentimentandaddedthatsuchapositionlimitsthenewattorney'sabilitytoaskthenecessary

questionstocompletethetaskathandandeffectivelyrepresentaclient.Manyattorneys

notedthatnewgraduatesoftenfailtoaskthe“how”and“why”questionsnecessarytosolve

theproblem;asaresult,newgraduatesmissthepoint.

Anotherprivatepractitionernotedthattheeffectivepracticeoflawrequiresa

continuinglearningprocess.Heobservedthatoneofthebestwaystolearnisthroughthe

critiqueofexperiencedpractitionersandsuggestedthatnewgraduatesneedtobeableto“ask

forandtakedirection”butnotexpecttobespoon-fed.Manyattorneysstressedthattheylook

fornewgraduateswithself-initiativeandproblem-solvingskills.Putanotherway,theydonot

wantnewassociateswhojustasksfor“theform”orisdependentonotherstotellthemwhat

todonext.Whileacknowledgingthatwealluseformsindailypractice,thepointisthata

“formcomplaint”maybeaplacetostartandagoodlearningtool,butitisnotandshouldnot

bethefinalworkproduct.Aprivatepractitionergavetheexampleofanewattorneygoingtoa

partnerandsaying“tellmehowtodothis,”insteadofdoingtheresearchhimself,makingthe

attempt,andthengoingtothepartnerwithspecificquestions.Thedifferenceisonenew

attorneywantstobetoldwhattodotocompletethetask,whilethesecondseeksguidanceto

learnhowtocompletethetaskalone.Thelatteristhedesirednewhire.

Alegalaidattorneydownstatenotedthatmanynewattorneysstruggletoproblem

solveontheirown,andthatevenafterformulatingaplan,theylooktomoreexperienced

attorneysforreassurance.Althoughtheseexperiencedattorneysspendalotoftime“hand

holding”newattorneysuntiltheyhaveconfidenceintheirdecisions,mostopinedthatthisisa

38A practitioner from urban Montana observed that new attorneys “need to know what they do not know, and where to find the missing information . . . . They need to be better at the ‘nuts and bolts’ of law.” Id. at 74.

37

temporarystageandthatwiththerightskillsandexperience,confidencewillfollow.Itdoes

howeverdrivehomethepointthatexperientialsimulationinclassandclinicworkisonlypart

ofthetrainingneeded.Newlawyersexposedtorepetitionofproblemsolvingdevelop

confidenceintheirability,whichinturnboostsself-initiative.

Evidence

Again,practitionersdescribedthecommonthemeofthe“disconnect”betweenbook

andpractice,reiteratingthattheknowledgeoftheruleisthere,butunderstandingitand

applyingitisnot.Clearly,theschoolsaresuccessfullyteachingtherules.Alegalaidattorney

notedthatrecentgraduatesgenerally“know”therulesofevidence,butoftendonotknow

howtolayafoundationtoadmitasimpledocumentintoevidence.Aprivatepractitionerata

largefirminthePeoriaareasimilarlynotedthatrecentgraduatescanrecitetherulesof

evidence,butdonotknowhowtousetherulestomovetoadmitorobjecttoadmissionofa

pieceofevidenceincourt.Theyroutinelyexpressedthatwhenhiringforalitigationposition,

experiencewithevidence–preferableinaRule711orclinicplacement–washighlydesirable.

AnattorneyfromNorthDakotanotedthattherulesofevidenceareoneofthemost

importantareasforanewattorneytohaveknowledgein.39Thesameattorneyfurther

observedthatnewattorneys“knowhowtoresearchcaselawbuttheydonotknowhowto

researchrulesandstatutes.”40TheNCBE’sJobAnalysisSurveyResultsalsoshowthattheRules

ofEvidencewasgiventhethirdhighestrankingofsignificancebypractitioners,justbehind

RulesofCivilProcedure,rankedfirst,andOtherStatutoryandCourtRulesofProcedure,ranked

second.41Illinoispractitionersechoedthesesentiments.CivilProcedureandEvidencewere

repeatedlynotedtobethemostimportantareasforpractice.Themoreexposurestudents

havetothepracticalapplicationoftheseareas,themoreattractivetheyaretoaprospective

employer.

Mostpractitionersagreedthattheseskillsareprobablybestlearnedinaclinicor

externshipratherthaninaclassroomlecture.Asonethird-yearstudenttoldthespecial

committee,whenshestartedtoworkatalawfirmasaclerk,“thelawcametolife.Ifinally

39 Id. at 62. 40 Id. 41 Case, supra note 29, at 54.

38

understoodwhatIhadbeenlearningandhowitwasrelevanttotheworkofalawyer.”New

graduatesshouldhaveaworkingknowledgeoftheIllinoisRulesofEvidenceandtheirbasic

application,inapracticalsetting.

AlternativeDisputeResolution

Mostattorneysbelievethatnewgraduatesshouldhaveabasicknowledgeofwhat

alternativedisputeresolution(ADR)isandhowitcanbeusedasanalternativetotraditional

litigation.Therewasparticulardiscussionaboutnegotiationskillsinnewgraduates.Mostfelt

thisskillwaslacking,yettheabilitytonegotiateisoneofthemostimportantandmostused

skillsinpractice.Forexample,practitionersagreedthatoften“whattheclientwantsisnot

alwaysalegalremedy,andasolutionbeyondsimplymoneydamagescanbethemost

appropriateresolutiontosolvetheclient'sproblem.Solearninghowtonegotiateto‘solvethe

problem’theclientpresentsisanimportantskill.”Newlylicensedattorneysshouldhaveabasic

knowledgeof“thevariousADRdevices,”sothattheycanbestadviseclientsoncostsanddelays

relatedtolitigationasopposedtothespeedandcost-savingsofADR,andoverallhowtobest

meetaparticularclient’sgoalsbyprovidingaclearexplanationofthebenefitsanddrawbacks

ofbothoptions.42

AprivatepractitionerfromMississippisimilarlyobservedthattofulfillanentry-level

position,anewlylicensedattorneyneedsto“[be]awareofnon-litigationresources.”43A

practitionerfromNorthDakotaalsonotednewlylicensedattorneys“donotknowabout

alternativedisputeresolution.”44Thesecommentsindicatethatdeficienciesinnewgraduates’

knowledgeofADRarenotuniquetoIllinois.

Asthenatureofdisputeresolutioncontinuestochange,theimportanceofnew

graduates’knowledgeofbasicADRdevicesgrows.Manycontractsinlaborandemployment

law,orintransactionalwork,nowincludemandatoryarbitrationclauses,andavarietyof

experiencedpractitionersareservingasarbitratorsthemselves.Mediationisalsobecominga

morepopularmethodforresolvingdisputesbetweenparties,inmanycasesjudgesare

mandatingmediationbeforesettingahearingortrial.Mediationandarbitrationprovide

42 Solomon Oliver Jr., Educating Law Students for the Practice: If I Had My Druthers, 2013 J. DISPUTE RESOLUTION 85, 95 (2013). 43Nettles & Hellrung, supra note 11, at 55. 44Id. at 62.

39

affordableandtime-efficientalternativetolitigationtoresolvedisputes.Becausesavingmoney

isoftenaclientconcern,clientsexpecttheirattorneystobeabletoadvisethemofsuch

options.Asaresult,newgraduatesneedabasicgroundinginmediationandarbitrationtobe

anassettoanemployerandmeetclients’expectations.45

OrganizationalSkills

Organizationalskillswerediscussedbymany,manypractitionersthroughoutthe

hearings.Althoughdescribedindifferentcontexts,organizationalskillswerehighlyvalued.A

practitionerfromasmallprivatepracticedownstatetalkedabouttheneedtokeepneatfiles

andanup-to-datecalendartoavoidconflictsincourtappearances.Othersinlargerfirmsnoted

theimportanceofkeepinganorganizedcalendarfortimemanagement,billing,andaccurate

clientfiles.However,allpractitionersstressedthatitisnotjustfillinginadiaryormaking

entriesonabillingsheet.Organizationskillsrequirethatthenewlawyerunderstandwhyneat,

accurate,andcompleterecordsmatterandwhyitisimportant.Theyneedtoknowthat

keepingacalendarcurrentandmaintainingaccurate,completefileshelpsanattorneymeet

deadlinesandavoidastatuteoflimitations.Italsohelpsanattorneyprepareaccuratebilling

andkeepclientsproperlyinformed,allofwhichkeepthepracticingattorneyincompliancewith

theCodeofProfessionalConduct,whichamongotherthingsrequireattorneystodeliver

competentlegalservicesandkeepaclientinformed.46

Similarly,anewpractitionerwiththreeyearsofexperiencesfromMontanaobserved

onemajorresponsibilityofnewlylicensedattorneysis“[c]asehandling.”Theattorneyadded

thatcasehandlingincludes:“[m]anagingdeadlines;[c]ommunicatingwithclient[s]...[h]aveto

knowdates,names,andmoneythatwasinvolvedinthedispute.”47Thus,organizationis

universallyimportant.

45 See Oliver, supra note 42, at 95.46 See ILLINOIS RULES OF PROF’L CONDUCT R. 1.1 (2010); ILLINOIS RULES OF PROF’L CONDUCT R. 1.4 (2010). See also MODEL RULES OF PROF’L CONDUCT. R. 1.1 (1983) (“A lawyer shall provide competent representation to a client. Competent representation requires the legal knowledge, skill, thoroughness and preparation reasonably necessary for the representation.”); MODEL RULES OF PROF’L CONDUCT. R. 1.4 (1983) (describing attorney’s duty to keep a client informed). 47Nettles & Hellrung, supra note 11, at 72.

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C. Professionalism/WorkEthic

WorkEthic

Anotherareathatgeneratedlivelydiscussionatthehearingswasthelackofworkethic

ofnewerlawyers.48Thoughmoreacharacteristicthanaskill,employersseekastrongwork

ethic.Theylookforanapplicantwithworkexperience,notonlylegalworkexperience,but

generalworkexperiencethatsignalstotheprospectiveemployerthatthenewassociatecan

andwill“putinanhonestday’swork.”Itisimportanttofirmsthatanewhireknowthebasics

ofbeingagoodemployee;arrivingontime,beingappropriatelydressed,andpreparedto

completetheday'stasks.Anunderstandingofcommitments,deadlines,obligations,andthe

consequencesforfailuretocomplyareparamounttoemployers.Perhapsitwasbeststatedby

theattorneywhosaid“manystudentshavelostsightofthefactthatyoumustbringabasic,

goodworkethicandskillstoyourjobasalawyer.”

Privatepractitionersexpressedfrustrationthatnewattorneys“thinktheyknow

everything,”whichhenotedcontributestonewattorneysthinking“theydonothavetowork

veryhard.”Morethanafewprivatepractitionersexpressedfrustrationthatnewattorneys

“justdonotwanttoworkthathard.”Similarly,downstateattorneyJohnT.Phippsnotesthat

manynewlawyers“wanttobeabletoworkfrom9:00a.m.to5:00p.m.andthengohome....

Acareerinlawdoesnotrequirelawyerstobeworkaholics,butitalsodoesnotshutdownat

5:00p.m.,”whichheattributestonewlawyersnotbeingpractice-readywhentheyenterthe

profession.49

48 That a legal employer looks for strong work ethic in a new hire, prompts the question: “How does a student demonstrate affirmative evidence of trustworthiness [and work ethic]?” Neil W. Hamilton, Changing Markets Create Opportunities: Emphasizing the Competencies Legal Employers Use in Hiring New Lawyers (Including Professional Formation/Professionalism), 65 SOUTH CAROLINA L. REV. 547, 562 (2014). Neil W. Hamilton explores the answer to that question, writing:

I have learned from my discussion with . . . employers [from large firms, small firms, county attorneys, and legal aid offices] that they often look at experiences like coming from a farm family or being an Eagle Scout—or being recognized for excellence in sports, the performing arts . . . to infer whether a student has initiative, ambition, drive, or strong work ethic, and whether the student can be trusted with substantial responsibilities. A great opportunity exists to work with legal employers to create assessments and evidence of these competencies that the employers will value.

Id.49 John T. Phipps, ISBA Task Force to Look at Law Schools and Making “Practice Ready” New Lawyers, 6 SENIOR LAWYERS 9 (2014). Phipps also points out that practicing law is a profession, which includes “obligations to our clients and our profession and the law stands for something beyond ourselves . . . . [T]he keys to success involve building relationships and doing something beyond just your job, such as bar involvement or community work.” Id.

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Otherspeakersnotedthatmanynewattorneyshaveanexpectationthattheirday

alwaysendsat5:00pm.Theyfailtorecognizethatpracticinglawisnotanine-to-fivejoband

thatworkinglongintoaneveningisrequiredtomeetdeadlinesorhandleemergencies.One

practitionergavetheexampleofayoungassociatewhorefusedtostaylatebecausethe

associatehadmadeplansforthatevening,whichinhermindwasnotonlyapoorworkethic,

butalsoanexampleofpoortimemanagementastheassociatedidnotunderstandthat,ina

trialweek,thingscomeupandthedayjustdoesnotendat5:00p.m.50Interestingly,this

practitionerattributesnewattorneys’lackofworkethic,andtoalesserextentlackoftime

management,tothecurrentstructureoflawschoolthatincludesfewdeadlinesandoneexam

attheendofthesemester.Timemanagementisacriticaltoolforalllawyers,especiallynew

graduateswhoarejustlearninghowtobalancetheoften-competingdemandsontheirtime.

OneIllinoislawschool-affiliatedlegalclinicsupervisornotedthatstudentsdonot

understandhowmuchworkafilecantake–oftensubstantiallymorethanatheyanticipateina

clinic.Appreciationfortheworkofanattorneyissomethingstudentslearnintheclinicsetting.

Anattorneypracticinginthepublicsectordownstate,whohashirednewgraduatesoverthe

lastfewyears,toldusthatmanynewgraduatesjustdonotrealizehowmuchworkittakesto

bealawyerandnotedthatmanygraduatesaregrosslyunpreparedtoputinthelonghours

requiredofanattorney.Ontheotherhandshenotedthatsomenewhiresoverwork,which

sheattributestoastrongdesiretodothejobbutalackofunderstandingwhatworkisofvalue

tothecaseandwhatisnot.

OthersremindedtheSpecialCommitteethatmanynewerlawyersareobligatedtoleave

theirprimaryjobat5:00p.m.becausetheyhavetakenonasecondjobtosupplementtheir

income.Ironicallythisleavesthesenewattorneyscaughtbetweenworkingthehours

necessarytosatisfytheattorneywhohiredthemandearningadditionalincometomeettheir

financialobligationsincludingstudentloanpayments.

OutsideofIllinois,practitionersalsodescribedadeclineinworkethicamongnew

graduates.Forexample,whenasked“[i]nwhatareasdoyouobservedeficienciesinnewly

50Another experienced attorney writing in response to Morris’s survey question on Client Service Skills wrote about new lawyers: “They certainly do not commit the hours and hard work that I put in as a new associate at a top ten law firm. They do not understand that they are working in a service oriented profession.”Kathy M. Morris, The Legal Profession PREP CLASS: The Practice Readiness Project for Chicago-Area Law School Students: Research, Responses, and Report to Chicago-Area Law Schools, UNDER ADVISEMENT, LTD. 12 (2014).

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licensedlawyers?,”atrialjudgefromurbanNewYorkresponded:

Adoctor recently remarked that inorder tobeaphysician is [sic]youneedto

sacrifice your 20’s. What lawyers do is very hard. They [new lawyers] seek

excellentwork life balance. They [new lawyers] need to sacrifice some home

life.Theydonotnecessarilyneedtosacrificetheir20’s,butstillneedtosacrifice

yearsfordiligence.Theyfailtoappreciatethevalueofexperience.Theyfailto

appreciatethevalueofbeingalawyer....Theyneedtobepreparedtowork

extremelyhard....51

Similarly,OhiopractitionersinSusanC.Wawrose’sstudyalsovaluedworkethic.52Amongthe

observationsoftheparticipatingOhioattorneysarethe“basicexpectations”thatnew

graduates“[s]how[]upattheofficeregularlyandput[]inthe‘extrahours.’”53Likethe

observationsofIllinoispractitioners,Ohiopractitionersnotedthatpracticinglawisoftennota

nine-to-fivejob.54Overall,practitioners,includingthoseoutsideofIllinois,wantnewgraduates

whoare“dedicatedanddriven”tocompletequalitywork,pulltheirweightaspartofthefirm

“team”andofferanextrahandtootherswhenable;putinthehoursnecessarytogetthejob

done.55

LawSchoolFormat:AContributingFactortoLowWorkEthic

AnIllinoispractitionerconcentratinginethicsviolations,whoalsoservesasanadjunct

professor,notedthatthelargelectureformatusedinmostlawschoolclassesallowsforchronic

absenteeismwithoutrepercussion,creatinganenvironmentwherestudentsareableto“skate”

throughthesemester.Thus,heopined,studentsgetintothehabitofnotreadingorpreparing

forclasseveryday,becausedoingsohaslittlepayoff.Instead,studentsworktotheirfull

capacityonlyduringthefinalweeksofthesemesterinpreparationforafinalexam,because

thefinalexamistheonlymeasureoftheirperformanceinthatclass.Suchastructureenables

procrastinationandunintentionallyteachesapoorworkethic.Anotherfullprofessoragreed

thatthe“oneexamattheendofthesemester”gradingmodelenablesstudentstotakea

51 Nettles & Hellrung, supra note 11, at 68. 52 Wawrose, supra note 32, at 523. 53 Id. 54 Id. 55 Id. at 523-24.

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passiverolethroughmuchoftheyear.Suchpassivitydoesnotfostergoodtimemanagement

skillsnortheconsistentworkethicneededtomeetobligations,deadlines,andthedailyrigors

ofthepracticeoflaw.Schoolsaroundthenationcontinuetoemploytheonefinal,onegrade

method,unintentionallyperpetuatingpooracademichabits,whichtranslateintoapoorwork

ethicinpractice.56

ProfessionalDecorum

Practitionersfrequentlymentionedprofessionalismasaqualitytheylookforinanew

graduatetohire.57Severalpractitioners–particularlythoseinpublicsectordownstate–noted

thatnewgraduateswithoutpriorexternshiporclinicexperienceoftendonotknowhowto

dressoractappropriatelyinacourtroom.

Otherattorneysstressedtheimportanceofcivilityindealingwithopposingcounsel,for

exampleextendingthesimplecourtesyofreturningphonecalls.Olderattorneyswere

particularlyawarethatnewgraduatesdonotreadilymakephonecalls.Althoughthismaybea

generationalissue,thepointisthatinapracticewhereclientsexpectaphonecallnotatext,

newgraduateshavetoadaptandreachtheclientaccordingtotheclient'sexpectations.

Manypractitionersmentionedthelackofcivilityandprofessionalcourtesyindealing

withopposingcounsel.Themostoftencitedexampleisrespondingtoopposingcounsel's

56 See Martha Spence, Law Student Life: Frequently Asked Questions From New Students, LEWIS & CLARK LAW SCHOOL, https://law.lclark.edu/student_life/new_student_faqs/#7 (last visited Apr. 7, 2015) (“Most of your courses in law school are graded by means of one examination that occurs at the end of the semester and that tests on any of the material you have covered during the semester.”); Shawn P. O’Connor, 3 Pointers for Success in Law School, U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT EDUCATION (Feb. 27, 2012, 10:00 AM), http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/law-admissions-lowdown/2012/02/27/3-pointers-for-success-in-law-school (“Furthermore, your grades in law school are typically based entirely on just one exam at the end of the semester.”). 57 Through four studies, which surveyed the largest law firms in Minnesota, Minnesota small firms (firms with 2-9 attorneys), Minnesota county attorneys, and Minnesota legal aid offices, Neil W. Hamilton found that the most important competency across the board that Minnesota legal employers look for in a new hire is “[i]ntegrity/honesty/trustworthiness.” Neil W. Hamilton, Changing Markets Create Opportunities: Emphasizing the Competencies Legal Employers Use in Hiring New Lawyers (Including Professional Formation/Professionalism), 65 SOUTH CAROLINA L. REV. 547, 557 (2014). In order for students to acquire these core professionalism values, law schools must:

[H]elp each student entering [the legal] profession to change from thinking like a student—“solv[ing] well-structured problems by learning and applying routine techniques”—to accepting and internalizing responsibility for others, particularly for the persons served, and for the student to develop toward excellence as a practitioner at all of the competencies of the profession. Clients . . . need to trust that their lawyers . . . “will be dedicated above all else to care for [them] with all their ability.”

Id. at 563-64 (quoting William A. Sullivan, Foreword to TEACHING MEDICAL PROFESSIONALISM (Richard L. Cruess et al. eds.) (2009)).

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requestforatimeextensionswithobjectionandnecessityofacourtappearance–evenwhen

theyknowthecourtislikelytogranttherequest.58Anexperiencedattorneyrespondingtothe

MorrisChicagosurveydiscussinginterpersonalskillsaptlydescribedagapbetweenlegal

educationandpractice,writing“[m]anynewlawyerscomeoutoflawschoolwithanideathat

everycaseisadeathmatchandiftheycompromiseonanissueitisasignofweakness.Many

newlawyersarenottaughttheimportanceofcivilityandtheneedtorecognizethatacaseis

nottheirownpersonalquest.”59Oneattorneyfromadownstatefirmadvocatedforanoverall

increasedemphasisoncivilityfromthefirstdayinlawschoolthroughoutallclasses.

Attorneysfromotherstatesmadesimilarobservations.Onthetopicofprofessionalism

anddecorum,apractitionerfromurbanMontananotednewlylicensedlawyers“needtobe

moreprofessional[;]Theyneedtoportraythemselvesaslawyers(clean,andnotwrinkled

apparel)[;][t]heyuseslangintheircommunication[;][t]heysoundflippantattimes[;][t]hey

needtostilldressforthelegalprofession(conformtolocalstandards).”60Onthetopicofcivility

inthecourthouse,anewpractitionerinaprivatefirminNebraskanotedonedeficiencyofnew

lawyersisthat“[t]heylackprofessionalism...[theyare][n]otskilledatworkingwithother

attorneys...[and][t]heylackbasiccourtesy/beingnice.”61Insum,newgraduatesneed

exposureduringlawschooltocourtroomdecorumexpectations,suchasdress,wheretostand,

andhow/whentoaddressthecourt,aswellas,educationaboutofficeandcourtroom

professionalism,suchasconductingthemselveswithcivility.

Infact,inthesectiongoverningtheconductofopposingparties,theAmericanBar

Association’sModelRulesofProfessionalConductstate:“overlyzealousadvocatesarerule

breakers.”Further,therulegoesontoexplainthat“[a]nattorneymaypracticewithzealand

remainsquarelywithinethicalbounds;zealinadvocacymaymeanreadiness,eagerness,

forwardness,orfervor.Whenattorneysarebelligerent,aggressiveoroffensive,they

misunderstandthetruemeaningofzealandhowtoactwithit.”ThePreambletotheABA

ModelRulesalsochargesallattorneyswitha“specialresponsibilityforthequalityofjustice,”58Solomon Oliver Jr., Educating Law Students for the Practice: If I Had My Druthers, 2013 J. DISPUTE RESOLUTION 85, 90 (2013).59 Morris, supra note 50, at 17. Similarly, U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver Jr. explains “[l]awyers must fully comprehend that carrying out the advocate role does not mean they must engage in offensive tactics, discourteous behavior, or disagree with requests of opposing counsel that cause no prejudice to their client.” Solomon Oliver Jr., Educating Law Students for the Practice: If I Had My Druthers, 2013 J. DISPUTE RESOLUTION 85, 89-90 (2013). 60 Nettles & Hellrung, supra note 11, at 74. 61Id. at 67.

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meaningthat“alawyershouldusethelaw’sproceduresonlyforlegitimatepurposesandnotto

harassorintimidateothers.”62AddingtotheloftyPreamblestatements,andasdiscussedin

thesectionondiscoverybelow,ABAModelRule3.4generallyimposesonanattorneya“duty

offairnesstoanopposingpartyandcounsel.”63Insum,newlylicensedattorneysshouldnot

onlybewellversedintheRulesofProfessionalConduct,butalsoafoundationalunderstanding

ofthepracticeoflawasaprofessionwithdutiesandresponsibilitiesnotonlytotheclientbut

alsoto“thequalityofjustice.”64

BusinessSkillsforthePracticeofLaw

Severalattorneystestifiedthatnewgraduatesshouldhaveabasicunderstandingofthe

businessofpracticinglawbeforetheirfirstjob.Anattorneypracticinginsurancedefense

downstatesuggestedthatthetimehascomeforschoolstoprovide,ifnotmandate,acoursein

personalandethicalfinancetoteachstudentsconceptssuchas:housingcosts,savings,

mortgages,insurancecosts,howtoliveunderastudentdebtbudget,basicinvestment

concepts,financingapractice,andescrowaccounts.A2005graduate,practicinginasmall

firm,expressedhowimportantitisfornewlawyerstohavetrainingonhowtomanagealaw

firmorbusinessandonhowasmallfirmoperates,includingthefinancialaspects.Another

practitionerfromalargefirmdownstatestatedstudentsneedanunderstandingofhowto

start,run,andmanagetheirpracticeandmustunderstandtheethicsofalawpractice“tokeep

themingoodstandingwiththeARDC.”

Thelackofpracticalskills,particularlyskillsrelatedtorunningabusiness,isproblematic

forthenewattorneyswhostarttheirownpractices.Manyattorneysobservedthatnew

graduateslackbusinessskills;theyareunabletoreadabalancesheetorprepareabusiness

plan,andtheylacktheorganizationalskillstooperatealawpractice.Youngerlawyersagree

thattheyhadverylittleexperienceintheseareaswhentheybeganpracticeandwishtheyhad

learnedmoreaboutthebusinessofthepracticeoflawinschool.62 MODEL RULES OF PROF’L CONDUCT pmbl. ¶ 1 (1983). It should also be noted that the ABA Rules of Professional Conduct are minimum standards. See Nancy L. Cohen, Candor to the Court and Civility Rules: Ethical Issues or Professionalism, ABA (2013), http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/events/labor_law/2013/03/employment_rightsresponsibilitiescommitteemidwintermeeting/23_cohen.authcheckdam.pdf. An attorney striving for professional excellence necessarily must strive to exceed the minimum standards. 63MODEL RULES OF PROF’L CONDUCT. R. 3.4 (1983). 64MODEL RULES OF PROF’L CONDUCT pmbl. ¶ 1 (1983).

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Settingfees,billing,andretaineragreementswereofparticularconcernstonew

lawyers.AlthoughtheymustpasstheMultistateProfessionalResponsibilityExam(MPRE),the

densityoftherulesthatappearonthetestarenotfullyunderstoodbystudentswhomay

memorizetheruletopasstheexam,butfailtorecognizethecomplexityofhandlingclient,

firm,andaccountmoneyincompliancewiththeRulesofProfessionalConduct.65This

expansivemodelruledemonstratesthecomplexityofhandlingfundsthatarepartofthe

businessofpracticing.Lawyersnotonlyrepresentaclient,theymustunderstandand

appropriatelydischargetheirfinancialresponsibilitiesandfiduciaryduties.Thus,practicallegal

skillsnecessarilyincludeorganizationalskillsandfinancialskillsthatspecificallytietoboth

managinganaccountandone’sownpractice.

Anattorneywhotakesoninternseverysemester,pointedtobillingasaverydifficult

subjectforyoungattorneys,wholacktimemanagementskills.Theydonotunderstandthe

relationshipbetweenworkcompleted,timespent,billabletime,andgettingpaid,whilestill

givingaclientvalueandgoodservice.Asasimpleexample,hesaidrecentgraduatesdonot

understandthatyoucannotspend$5,000worthoftimeona$500problem.Manysenior

attorneysagreeditisimportantthatstudentslearnthedifferencebetweenwhatisreasonable

“intherealworldofprivatepractice”asopposedtothecocoonofpureacademicpursuit.For

example,whileinschoolastudentcanspendwhatevertimeheorshewantsonawriting

assignmentwithoutregardtocostorexpenseforthattime.Alawyerinpracticemustbe

mindfulofthetensionbetweentheclient'sexpectation,thetimeandexpenseexpendedto

65MODEL RULES OF PROF’L CONDUCT R. 1.5 (1983). As an example of the complexity of fees consider provisions of Rule 1.5 on reasonable fees:

Client-Lawyer Relationship Rule 1.5 Fees (a) A lawyer shall not make an agreement for, charge, or collect an unreasonable fee or an unreasonable amount for expenses. The factors to be considered in determining the reasonableness of a fee include the following: (1) the time and labor required, the novelty and difficulty of the questions involved, and the skill requisite to perform the legal service properly; (2) the likelihood, if apparent to the client, that the acceptance of the particular employment will preclude other employment by the lawyer; (3) the fee customarily charged in the locality for similar legal services; (4) the amount involved and the results obtained; (5) the time limitations imposed by the client or by the circumstances; (6) the nature and length of the professional relationship with the client; (7) the experience, reputation, and ability of the lawyer or lawyers performing the services; and (8) whether the fee is fixed or contingent.

Id.

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achievethedesiredresult,andtheclient'sabilityorwillingnesstopaythefeegeneratedbythe

timeexpended.

Insum,practitionersacrossthestateplacetheabilitytowriteeffectivelyand

communicateorallywithavarietyofaudiencesasthetwomostimportantandmostvalued

practiceskillseverynewlawyermusthave.Inadditiontheyseek,themoretraditionalpractice-

readyskillsincludingstrongresearchskills,togetherwiththeconcurrentabilitytosynthesize

thatresearchintoacoherentargument,reachaconclusion,anddistinguishopposingcaselaw.

Everynewlawyershouldhaveabasicunderstandingofthechronologyofasimpleciviltrial

withabasicappreciationforthestepsinlitigationfromclientinterviewtoverdict.

Everynewlawyermustbeabletofind,read,understand,andeffectivelyapplystatutes

andcourtrules.ClearlyleadingthelistaretheSupremeCourtRules,theCodeofCivil

Procedure,andtheIllinoisRulesofEvidence.Withrespecttothese,anewlawyershouldbe

wellversedinthecontent,whattheruleorstatutoryprovisionsmean,andhowtheyare

applied.Everylawyermusthaveorganizationalskillsasthoseapplytotheoperationofalaw

practiceintheprivateorpublicsector,particularlyastheytieintoethicsissues.

Theymusthaveaworkethicandunderstandwhatitmeanstobealawyer,topractice

law,torepresentaclientandmeettheirprofessionalobligations.Everynewlawyerregardless

ofhisorherdesiredpracticeshouldunderstandthebasicoperationsofalawpractice,andthe

ethicalobligationsincumbentonapracticinglawyer.

III.INPUTFROMTHEPROVIDERSOFLEGALEDUCATIONINILLINOIS

TheStateofIllinoisisthehomeofninelawschools.TheChicagoareahostsChicago-

KentCollegeofLaw,DePaulUniversityCollegeofLaw,LoyolaUniversityChicagoSchoolofLaw,

theNorthwesternPritzkerSchoolofLaw,theJohnMarshallLawSchool,andtheUniversityof

ChicagoLawSchool.DownstateDeKalbhostsNorthernIllinoisUniversityCollegeofLaw,

Urbana-ChampaignhoststheUniversityofIllinoisCollegeofLaw,andCarbondalehosts

SouthernIllinoisUniversitySchoolofLaw.TheSpecialCommitteesoughtinputfromthese

schoolstoshowcasewhatactionsourschoolsarecurrentlytakingtofosterexperiential

learningandpracticeskillstopreparetheirgraduatesforsuccessfulcareersasmembersofthe

bar.

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Asurveywascompiledtoaccomplishthisgoal.SpecialCommitteememberDean

JenniferRosatoPereaofDePaulUniversityCollegeofLawcontactedthedeanofeachschool

requestingtheirparticipationinthisprocess.Thecommitteereceiveddetailedresponsesfrom

Chicago-KentCollegeofLaw,DePaulUniversityCollegeofLaw,LoyolaUniversityChicago

SchoolofLaw,NorthernIllinoisUniversityCollegeofLaw,SouthernIllinoisUniversitySchoolof

Law,andtheUniversityofIllinoisCollegeofLaw.TheJohnMarshallLawSchoolandthe

UniversityofChicagoLawSchooldeclinedtheinvitationtotakepart.TheNorthwestern

PritzkerSchoolofLawchosenottosharetheresultsofthesurveyforthisReport.Whatfollows

isanoverviewoftheinputreceivedfromtheparticipatingschools,withparticularresponses

highlightedthroughoutfromtheschoolsthatprovideddetailedresponses.Allquotations

belowaretakenfromthematerialsthelawschoolssubmittedinresponsetotheSpecial

Committee’ssurvey.

A. GeneralCurriculum

Skills-RelatedCoursesOfferedinFirstYear

Allsevenlawschoolsrequiretheirstudentstocompleteacoursefocusingonlegal

writing/analysis/communicationinboththeSpringandFallSemestersoftheirfirstyear.

Generally,thesecoursesfocusontrainingstudentsinthewrittencommunicationoflegal

analysis,includingproperlegalcitationandstyle.Studentsaretypicallypresentedwithfact

patternsandarerequiredtoconductlegalresearchanddraftlegaldocuments(e.g.,briefsand

memoranda).Theythenreceiveinstructorfeedbackontheirwritingandtypicallymustsubmit

revisions.Someoftheschoolsalsoincludeoraladvocacytraininginthesecourses.

Whilemostschoolsincorporatelegalresearchintotheirfirst-yearlegalwritingcourses,

aminorityrequiresstudentstotakestand-alonelegalresearchcourses.Intheseclasses

studentstypicallylearnhowtodevelopresearchplansandconductresearch.Whilestudents

usuallystilllearnhowtoperformresearchinthelawlibraryusingthetraditionalapproach,

mostcoursesplaceagreateremphasisonusingcommercialresearchdatabasesincluding

WestlawandLexis.

Chicago-KentCollegeofLaw:InadditiontobeingrequiredtotakeLegalWriting1and2

duringtheirfirstyear,studentsalsohavetheoptionoftakinga“ClinicalRotation”course

49

wheretheyengagein“someorallofthefollowing:legalandfactualresearch,clientinterview

simulations,documentdrafting,discoveryreview,simulationsofadministrativehearingsand

negotiations,trialstrategysessions,andobservationofcourtandmotioncalls.”Thiseffortto

getstudentsengagedinclinicsduringtheirfirstyearisprogressiveandallowsstudentstosee

thepracticeoflawinactionbeforetheybegintheirsecondyear.

DePaulUniversityCollegeofLaw:Studentsarerequiredtotakeatwo-semestercourse

on“LegalAnalysisResearchandCommunications.”Amongotherthings,thecoursesfocuson

teachingstudentsprofessionalwritingskills,legalanalysis,researchmethods,andcitation

form.

LoyolaUniversityChicagoSchoolofLaw:Studentsarerequiredtotakethetypical

“LegalWritingIandII”duringtheirfirstyear.Itisalsonotablethatalloftheschool’sfirst-year

doctrinalcourses“includeeitheratransactionalorlitigationbasedexercise.”

NorthernIllinoisUniversityCollegeofLaw:Ineachsemesteroftheirfirstyear,

studentsarerequiredtotakealegalwritingcourseandabasiclegalresearchcourse.Legal

WritingIandIIfocusondevelopingskillsrelatedtolegalwriting(includingdocumentdrafting

andemailcorrespondence),oralcommunication,research,clientinterviewing,and

professionalism.BasicLegalResearchIandIIfocusondevelopingskillsrelatedtoanalyzingfact

patterns,usingprimaryandsecondarysources,locatingcaselawandstatutesinvarious

formats,usinglegalcitators,usingpropercitationformats,locatinglegalforms,creating

researchplans,andusingelectronicresearchdatabases.Studentsalsolearncriticalskills

associatedwithevaluatingtheusefulnessandaccuracyoflegalsourcesfoundviatheir

research.

SouthernIllinoisUniversitySchoolofLaw:Studentstake“LawyeringSkills1andII”(for

3creditseach)and“ProfessionalismIandII”(forahalfcrediteach).

UniversityofIllinoisCollegeofLaw:Studentsarerequiredtotake“LegalWritingand

Analysis,”“IntroductiontoAdvocacy,”and“LegalResearch.”

CoursesOfferedonLawPracticeManagementandBusiness-RelatedSkills

Whileallsevenlawschoolsreportedofferingbusiness-relatedskillscourses,itappears

thatthequestionwasinterpretedverybroadlytoincludecoursesdealingwiththe

representationofclientsinabusinesscontextasopposedtocoursesfocusingonthebusiness

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ofoperatingalawpractice.Forexample,oneschoollisted“ArtLaw,”“Contracts,”and

"InsuranceLaw"aspartofalengthyrosterofbusinesslawcoursesprovidingbusiness-related

skills.However,adiscriminatingreviewshowsthatthemajorityofschoolsdoprovidecourses

squarelyfocusedonlawpracticemanagementandteachingbusiness-relatedskills,inthe

contextofalawpractice.Examplesofthesetypesofcoursesinclude“TheBusinessof

Lawyering,”“TheBusinessofLaw,”“ThePracticingLawyer,”and“LawFirmManagementand

Economics.”

DePaulUniversityCollegeofLaw:Fourclassesareavailablethatplaceanemphasison

lawpracticemanagementandbusiness-relatedskills.Intherequiredandpioneering

“PreparingforPractice”course,students“masterthebasicjobsearchskillsincludingresume

andcoverletterdrafting,interviewingandnetworking.”Theyalsoworkwithcareeradvisorto

developanindividualizedcareerplan.In“PreparingforPracticeII,”studentsbuildonthese

skillsandlearnabout“thebusinessoflawpractice,theethicsoflawpractice,andprofessional

communicationwithseniorlawyers.”DePaulalsooffers“TheBusinessofLawyering”and

“FinancialAccountingforLawyers.”

NorthernIllinoisUniversityCollegeofLaw:Theschooloffersacoursecalled“The

PracticingLawyer.”Itistaughtbyawell-establishedsmall-firmlawyerandincludesguest

lecturersfrompracticingattorneys.Thestatedobjectiveofthecourseis“toprovidestudents

withinformationabouthowtopracticelawinasmall-to-mediumsizedlawfirminIllinois

successfullyandasanethicaladvocateforclients.”

SouthernIllinoisUniversitySchoolofLaw:Theschooloffersa“LawPractice

ManagementCourse”thatistaughtbyafacultymemberwithconsiderablepracticeexperience

andculminatesinthestudentscreatingabusinessplanforarealorfictionalizedlawpractice.

Studentscanalsotake“BusinessBootCamp,”“AccountingforLawyers,”and“Business

Planning.”

UniversityofIllinoisCollegeofLaw:Ofnote,theschoolofferscoursesonthe

“FundamentalsofLegalPractice,”“SmallFirmPractice,”“TheBusinessofLaw,”and

“AccountingforLawyers.”

CoursesProvidingTechnologyTraining

Therearetwocomponentstotechnologytraining:(1)trainingstudentstouse

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technologyintheirfuturepractices;and(2)learningsubstantiveareasofthelawthatinvolve

technology.Allsevenlawschoolsoffercoursesinvolvingthelattertypeoftechnologytraining.

Thesecoursesincludetitlessuchas“IntroductiontoIntellectualProperty,”“CyberLaw,”

“InternetSpeechSeminar,”and“MediaLaw.”Fiveofthelawschoolsalsooffercoursesthat

teachtheirstudentshowtousetechnologyinconjunctionwiththepracticeoflaw.

Chicago-KentCollegeofLaw:Theschooloffersaninnovative“Justice&Technology

Practicum”for4creditsandacourseon“LitigationTechnology”for3credits.

DePaulUniversityCollegeofLaw:Intheschool’s“PreparingforPracticeII”course,

studentsareinstructedon“theprofessionalapproachtosocialmedia.”Theuseoftechnology

inthepracticeoflawisalsocoveredin“TheBusinessofLawyering.”

NorthernIllinoisUniversityCollegeofLaw:Theschool’s“LawandTechnology

Seminar”exposesstudentstothevarietyofwaysthattechnologyisusedinlegalpractice.An

objectiveofthecourseistoteachstudents“howlegaltechnologyisquicklytransformingthe

practiceoflawandisrapidlybecomingagame-changingfactorwhensettingup,maintaining,

ormanagingalegalpractice.”

SouthernIllinoisUniversitySchoolofLaw:Theschooloffersbothan“Advanced

ElectronicLegalResearch”courseandan“ElectronicDiscovery”course.

ProfessionalismandLegalEthicsCourses

Providingcoursesthatfocusonprofessionalismandlegalethicsisoneoftheareasof

inquiryinwhichourIllinoislawschoolsexcel.Allofthesevenschoolsrequireanupper-level

courseonprofessionalresponsibilityandethics.ThesecoursestendtofocusontheRulesof

ProfessionalConduct,theABAModelRulesofProfessionalConduct,andtheABAModelCode

ofProfessionalConduct.Inadditiontothelaudablegoalofteachingethics,thesecourseshelp

preparestudentsfortheMultistateProfessionalResponsibilityExam.Mostschoolsalsooffer

practice-area-specificethicscourses,suchas“LegalEthicsforBusinessLawyers”or"Litigation

Ethics."

Chicago-KentCollegeofLaw:Whiletheschooldoesn’tofferanyethics-relatedcourses

duringthefirstyear,itoffersseveralupper-levelethicscourses.Theseinclude“Professional

Responsibility”for2credits,“ProfessionalResponsibility:BusinessEthics”for2credits,“Ethics

andAdvocacy”for3credits,and“PracticeandProfessionalism”for3credits.

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DePaulUniversityCollegeofLaw:Ethicsiscoveredintheschool’s“Preparingfor

PracticeII”course,aswellasitstypicalupper-levelprofessionalresponsibilitycourse,whichis

titled“LegalProfession.”

LoyolaUniversityChicagoSchoolofLaw:Duringitsmandatoryorientationprogram,

theschoolsetsitsexpectationforprofessionalismwithwordsfromJusticeRobertR.Thomas

whothenadministerstheOathofProfessionalismtothenewclass.Thisisfollowedinthe

secondsemesterwithapresentationtheIllinoisBarexaminersoncharacterandfitnessanda

mandatoryprogramonCivilityintheProfession.LoyolaalsooffersaseminaronProfessional

ResponsibilityandImplicitBiastostudentswhowillundertakefieldworkinclinicsor

externships.Theschoolhasalsotakenthecommendableefforttoincludeinitsstrategicplan

“theincorporationofProfessionalResponsibilityinstructionisanintegralcomponentin

experientialcourses...aswellasinskillscourses.”

NorthernIllinoisUniversityCollegeofLaw:Duringorientation,studentsattenda

professionalismprogramletbymembersoftheCommissiononProfessionalismandtheARDC.

TheProgramculminateswiththestudentstakingtheOathofProfessionalism.Studentsalso

learnaboutprofessionalisminamandatoryfirst-yearcoursetitled“IntroductiontotheLegal

Profession”andinatypicalupper-level“ProfessionalResponsibility”course.

SouthernIllinoisUniversitySchoolofLaw:Duringtheirfirstyear,studentstakeatwo-

semestercoursein“ProfessionalismandtheLaw”andtheyarealsorequiredtotakeanupper-

levelcourseonthe“LegalProfession.”

UniversityofIllinoisCollegeofLaw:First-yearstudentsarerequiredtotake

“FundamentalsofLegalPractice”andupper-levelstudentsarerequiredtotake“Professional

Responsibility.”Theschoolalsooffers“CriminalPracticeEthics,”“Compliance,Ethics,and

ProfessionalResponsibility,”and“AdvancedTrialAdvocacyandProfessionalResponsibility”to

itsupper-levelstudents.

B. ExperientialLearningCourses

PercentageofStudentsEnrolledinUpper-LevelSimulatedExperientialLearningCourses

Onaverage,90.2percentofstudentsatthesevenlawschoolscompleteanupper-level

experientiallearningcoursebeforetheygraduate.Thesecoursesincludeclinics,externships,

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andskills-relatedcourses.Itisalsonotablethatthreeschoolsreportedthatalloftheir

graduatesarerequiredtotakeatleastonesuchcoursepriortograduation.Wenotethis

accomplishmentinlightoftherecentchangeintheABAstandardsforcurriculum.ABA

Standard303nowrequiresallstudentstocomplete“oneormoreexperientialcourse(s)

totalingatleastsixcredithours.”

Chicago-KentCollegeofLaw:Theschoolrequiresitsstudentstotake“LegalWriting3

and4”asupper-levelcourses.Thisisanefforttoplaceanemphasisonlegalwriting

throughoutthethreeyearsoflawschool.

NorthernIllinoisUniversityCollegeofLaw:Asignificantpercentage(34%)ofthe

school’sstudentsareengagedinitstrialadvocacyprogram.Mostnotably,theschoolrequires

thatallofitsgraduatescompleteits“LawyeringSkills”course.

SouthernIllinoisUniversitySchoolofLaw:Priortoearningtheirdegree,allstudents

arerequired6creditsfromalistofapprovedexperientiallearningcourses.

AverageNumberofExperientialLearningCreditsEarnedperStudentPriortoGraduation

Acrossthesevenlawschools,eachstudentearnsanaverageof16.4creditsfrom

experientiallearningcoursespriortograduation.Thisaccountsforarangefromanaverageof

6.75creditsatoneschoolto31creditsatanother.Itisnotedthattheseaveragesinclude

creditsassociatedwithclinics,externships,andskills-relatedcourses.Also,atamajorityofthe

sevenlawschools,creditsassociatedwithskills-relatedcoursesaccountedformostofthe

experientiallearningcreditsearnedperstudent.Forexample,atNorthernIllinoisCollegeof

Law,eachstudentearnsanaverageof1.55creditsforclinicparticipation,1.75creditsfor

externshipparticipation,and6.25creditsfromskillscourses.

C. LegalClinics

NumberofClinicsOffered

Onaverage,eachofthesevenlawschoolshas9.1legalclinicsthatareavailableto

students.Thiscoversarangefrom4clinicsto19clinicsperschool.Allschoolsofferafamily

law-relatedclinicandaclinicthatdealswithcivillitigation.Mostalsoofferclinicsthatfocuson

immigrationlaw,civilrights,criminalappeals,andintellectualproperty.Otherpracticeareas

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coveredbytheschools’clinicsincludepovertylaw,elderlaw,housingandcommunity

development,entrepreneuriallaw,environmentallaw,mediation,employmentlaw,taxation,

juvenilejustice,andbusinesslaw.

Chicago-KentCollegeofLaw:Theschooloffersninedifferentclinicstoitsstudents.

Mostareavailablefor1,2,3,or4credits,whichareawardedonapass/failbasis.Manyofthe

distinctclinicsareavailableforstudentstoparticipateinfortwosemesters.

DePaulUniversityCollegeofLaw:Theschooloffersanextensiverosteroflegalclinics,

manyofwhichhavesub-clinics.Theyinclude:(1)“Asylum&ImmigrationLawClinic,”which

housestheAsylum&RefugeeClinic(twosemesters/3creditspersemester/lettergrade)and

the“AdvancedImmigrationDetaineeClinic”(onesemester/3credits/lettergrade);(2)“Civil

RightsClinic”(twosemesters/3creditspersemester/lettergrade);(3)“CriminalAppealsClinic”

(onesemesters/3credits/lettergrade),whichcanalsoinvolvetheAdvancedCriminalAppeals

Clinic(onesemesters/3credits/lettergrade);(4)“FamilyLawClinic”(onesemesters/3

credits/lettergrade);(5)“Housing&CommunityDevelopmentLegalClinic”(twosemesters/3

creditspersemester/lettergrade);(6)“Misdemeanor”(onesemesters/3credits/lettergrade);

(7)“PovertyLawClinic”(onesemesters/3credits/lettergrade);and(8)“Technology/Intellectual

PropertyClinic”(onesemesters/3credits/pass-fail).Theseclinicsprovidethestudentswitha

widearrayofpracticeskills.

LoyolaUniversityChicagoSchoolofLaw:Theschooloffers“TheLoyolaCommunity

LawCenterClinic”for4credits,“TheChildandFamilyLawClinic”for3-4credits,“TheChildLaw

LegislationandPolicyClinic”for2-4credits,“TheFederalTaxClinic”IandIIfor2-4creditseach,

“TheBusinessLawClinic”for4credits,“TheHealthJusticeProject”for4credits,and“LifeAfter

Innocence”for2-3credits.

NorthernIllinoisUniversityCollegeofLaw:Theschooloffersfourdistinctlegalclinics

inwhichstudentsearnfourcreditsonapass/failbasis.Intheseclinics,studentslearnskills

associatedwithinterviewingandcounselingclients,legaldocumentdrafting,legalresearch,

courtroomadvocacy,developingcasetheory,andadvocacybeforeadministrativeagencies.

SouthernIllinoisUniversitySchoolofLaw:Studentscanparticipateinthe“Civil

Practice/ElderLaw”clinic,“DomesticViolence”clinic,or“JuvenileJustice”clinic.Studentscan

earn1-6creditspersemesterbyparticipatinginclinicsandmayearnupto12creditsfrom

clinicspriortograduation.

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UniversityofIllinoisCollegeofLaw:Studentscanparticipateinthe“CivilLitigation

Clinic,”“CommunityPreservationClinic,”“ElderFinancialJusticeClinic,”or“FamilyAdvocacy

Clinic.”Eachareofferedfor4creditsonagradedbasis.

AveragePercentageofEligibleStudentsEnrolledinClinics

Acrossthesevenschools,anaverageof22.6percentofeligiblestudentsperyear

participateinlegalclinics.Thisaverageaccountsforarangefrom14percentattheschoolwith

thelowestparticipationto35.5percentattheschoolwiththehighest.

PercentageofStudentsInterestedinClinics,butNotAccommodatedWhenTheyInitially

Register

Threeoftheschoolsreportedthatallstudentswhosoughtplacementinalegalclinic

wereabletobeaccommodatedwhentheyinitiallyregistered.Onereportedthat11.9%of

studentswereunabletobeaccommodatedinitially,butwereallsubsequentlyplaced.Another

schoolreportedthat0-5percentofstudentswereinitiallydeniedplacementinaclinic,butall

werelateraccommodated.Yetanotherschoolreportedthat19studentswereinitially

waitlistedforitsclinics,with9ofthemultimatelybeingofferedaposition.Theseventhschool

reportedthatwhileitdoesn’ttrackthenumberofstudentswhoareunabletobe

accommodatedbyitsclinics,itdoesknowthatfrom2011-2014,therewereonlythree

occasionswhenaclinicreacheditsmaximumenrollment.

D. Externships

InGeneral

Chicago-KentCollegeofLaw:Studentscanparticipateina“LegalExternship”or

“JudicialExternship”formultiplesemestersandfor1,2,or4credits,whichareawardedona

pass/failbasis.Theschoolalsooffersa“SemesterLawFirmAssociateProgram”inwhich

studentscanearn6creditsonapass/failbasis.Theprogramaccommodatesanaverageof8

privatefirmplacementseachsemester.

DePaulUniversityCollegeofLaw:Theschooloffersanexternshipprogramthatother

lawschoolsshouldseektoemulate.Studentscanselectfromalistofover100approved

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externshipplacements.Governmententities,thejudiciary,non-profits,corporations,andlaw

firmsareallincluded.Studentscanopttoreceive2creditsfor120hoursofworkpersemester

or3creditsfor180hoursofwork.Allcreditisawardedonapass/failbasis.Participating

studentslearn“problemsolving,legalanalysisandreasoning,legalresearch,factual

investigation,communication,counseling,negotiation,litigationandalternativedispute

resolution,organizationandworkmanagement,recognizingandresolvingethicaldilemmas,

anddevelopingasenseofbothprofessionalidentityandprofessionaljudgment.”

LoyolaUniversityChicagoSchoolofLaw:Studentscanearn2or3creditspersemester

forexternshipparticipation.Aftercompletingtheirfirstyear,studentscanearnatotalof8

creditsviaexternshipsandarealsorequiredtoenrollinanexternseminarcourse.Also,asof

summer2015,studentscanearnexternshipcreditthroughfieldplacementsinWashington,DC.

NorthernIllinoisUniversityCollegeofLaw:Theschooloffersawiderangeof

externshipopportunitiesforitsstudents.Forstudentsinterestedincriminallaw,itoffersthe

NIUCriminalExternshipProgramandtheNIUAppellateDefenderCriminalExternshipProgram,

bothofwhichprovidefourcreditspersemesteronapass/failbasis.BothofthesePrograms

requirethestudentstoobtaina711licenseandstudentslearncriminalprocedure,interviewing

skills,draftingskills,oraladvocacy,andnegotiatingskills.Theschool’scivilexternshipsallow

studentstoworkwithapublicinterestagencyorgovernmentorganizationtoearnfourcredits

onapass/failbasis.Theskillsthatstudentsacquiredifferbasedontheirspecificplacement,

buttheygenerallylearnskillsrelatedtocivilprocedure,draftingandrespondingtodiscovery

requests,conductinglegalresearch,andcourtroomandadministrativelitigation.Studentscan

alsoparticipateinajudicialexternshipforthreecreditsonapass/failbasis.Inthese

externshipsthestudentsgainexperiencewithlegalresearchandwriting,judicialproceedings,

casemanagement,andcasesettlement.Finally,theschoolofferssixdifferenttypesofad-hoc

externshipsthatstudentscanparticipateinandgainawholehostofdiverselegalskills.These

includetheHuskieAthleticExternship,InnocenceProjectexternship,JuvenileCourtExternship,

FederalDefenderExternship,Government/LegislativeExternship,andBankruptcyHelpDesk

Externship.

SouthernIllinoisUniversitySchoolofLaw:Studentscanparticipateina“PublicInterest

Externship”for1-6creditspersemesterora“JudicialExternship”for2-6creditspersemester.

Studentscanalsoreceiveexternshipcreditfromaprivatelawfirm,buttheschoolapproves

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theseplacementsonacase-by-casebasis.

UniversityofIllinoisCollegeofLaw:Theschoolhasanexternshipprogramwhere

studentsreceivecreditfor“probonoworkforanonprofitorganization,orjudicialor

governmentalagency.”Alicensedattorneymustsuperviseallworkandthecredithoursare

awardedonapass-failbasis.

AverageNumberofExternshipPlacementsEachSemester

Eachlawschoolplacesanaverageof61studentsinexternshipseachsemester.This

coversarangefrom28to87studentspersemesterperschool.Notethatthiswiderangein

thenumberofstudentsislikelyaresultofawiderangeinthetotalnumberofenrolled

studentsamongstthesevenlawschools.

AveragePercentageofStudentsEnrolledinExternshipsperYear

Onaverage,37.3percentofeachschool’sstudentsparticipateinanexternshipeach

year.Theschoolwiththelowestparticipationreportedthatanaverageof26percentofits

studentsdoanexternshipeachyear.Theschoolwiththehighestparticipationreportedthatan

averageof47.3percentofitsstudentsdoanexternshipeachyear.

PercentageofStudentsInterestedinExternships,butNotAccommodated

Allsevenlawschoolsreportedthateachandeverystudentwhoproperlyappliesfora

qualifyingexternshipisplacedinanexternship.

PercentageofStudentsThatCouldBePlacedinNon-ProfitsIfExternship/ClinicExperience

WereRequiredofAllStudents

Fiveofthelawschoolsreportthat100percentoftheirstudentscouldbe

accommodatedinnon-profitexternshipplacements.Onereportedthatatleast75percentof

itsstudentscouldbeaccommodated,andanotherstatedthatmakinganestimatewould

requirefurtherstudy.

PrivateFirmParticipationinExternshipPrograms

Onlyfourofthelawschoolsallowprivatelawfirmstoparticipateintheirexternship

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programs.Theremainingthreelimittheirexternshipprogramstogovernment,judicial,and

non-profitplacement.Whenaskedwhethertheywouldconsiderplacingtheirstudentsinfor-

profitfirmsifthestudentsonlyworkonprobonomatters,thesethreeschoolsrespondedas

follows:(1)onesaidthatitwouldconsiderallowingthis;(2)onesaidthatitwouldconsiderthis,

butitsfacultyhadnotyetdiscussedit;and(3)thethirdsimplystatedthatanychangetoits

academicpolicieswouldrequireafacultydiscussionandvote.

LoyolaUniversityChicagoSchoolofLaw:Theschoolhasaprogramtitled“Bridgeto

Practice–BuildingaCommunityofLegalProfessionals.”Itallows“studentstoworkin

approvedlawfirmsinChicagothatspecializeinIntellectualPropertyandwherethereisa

connectionwiththelawschool(alumnipresence,othercriteria).”

E. AttorneyMentoringPrograms

Thelawschoolstakevariousapproachestostudent-attorneymentoring.

Chicago-KentCollegeofLaw:Theschool’sAlumniOfficeanditsWomeninLawstudent

organizationrunamentoringprogramthatmatchesfemalealumniwithfemalelawstudents.

Theprogramcurrentlyhasabout50studentsinvolved.

DePaulUniversityCollegeofLaw:Whiletheschooldoesnothaveaformalmentoring

programforitsupper-levelstudents,itreportsthat“[b]eginninginthespringof2015,allfirst-

yearstudentswillbeassignedafacultyadvisor.”Theschool“intendsthisprogramtogo

beyondcourseselectionandacademicplanningtoencompassprofessionaldevelopment.”

LoyolaUniversityChicagoSchoolofLaw:Theschoolhasrecentlyimplementeda

“LeadershipCircle”that“allowsrecentgraduates,seasonedattorneys,andfaculty”toserveas

mentorstostudentswhoparticipateinexternships.

NorthernIllinoisUniversityCollegeofLaw:Animpressive80-85%offirst-yearstudents

participateintheNIULawSchoolMentoringProgramwheretheyarepairedwithlawyer

mentors.Mentorsaredirectedtoprovidethestudentswith“1)realisticadviceaboutthe

practiceoflaw;2)meaningfulcareeradvice;3)exposuretocourtandlawoffices;4)

socializationandnetworkingwiththelegalcommunity;and5)demonstratingprofessional

valuesandethics.”

SouthernIllinoisUniversitySchoolofLaw:Aspartofitsfirst-year“Legal

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Professionalism”course,theschooltakestheapproachofrequiringstudentsto“job-shadowan

attorneyduringthewinterbreakandwriteabouttheexperience.”

UniversityofIllinoisCollegeofLaw:Theschooloffersan“Alumni-StudentMentoring

Program.”Inconnects“studentswithalumniinone-on-one,studentdrivenrelationshipsin

orderforstudentstobenefitfromtheexperienceandknowledgeofIllinoisLawalumni.”While

theprogramiscurrentlyavailableto1Land2Lstudents,beginningintheFallof2016,itwillbe

availabletoallstudents.

F. BarExamReviewCourses/Programs

Onlytwoofthelawschoolsoffernocoursesorprogramsrelatedtobarexamreview.

Threeofferfor-creditbarreviewcourses,andoneoffersanoptional,non-creditcourse.

Chicago-KentCollegeofLaw:Whilenofor-creditcoursesareoffered,theschooldoes

providea“non-creditoptionalcourseeachSpringforgraduatingstudentsthatmeets7to8

timesandprovidesbasicintroductiontosubjectstestedonthebarandtestingtechniques.”

DePaulUniversityCollegeofLaw:Theschooloffersacomprehensive“BarPassage

Strategies”coursewherestudents“practicewritinganswersforeachbarexamcomponent...

andreceivefeedbackinwritingandinindividualconferences.”

NorthernIllinoisUniversityCollegeofLaw:Theschoolprovidesabarreviewprogram

thatincludesseveralcoursesthatstudentscantakethroughouttheentirethreeyearsoflaw

school.

SouthernIllinoisUniversitySchoolofLaw:Abarpreparationcoursetitled“Advanced

LegalAnalysis&Strategies”isavailabletostudents.Duringthesummerafterstudents

graduate,theschoolalsooffers“astructuredpreparationprogram,includingformalessay-

writingfeedbackandotherstudyandexam-takingskillsdevelopmentinstruction.”

G. OtherCurricularReforms

Finally,thesurveyinvitedthelawschoolstoincludeanyothercurricularreformsrelated

toskillstrainingandpracticereadiness.Theiranswerswereasfollows:

Chicago-KentCollegeofLaw:“WeareintheprocessofimplementinganewPraxis

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Certificateprogram.ThePraxisCertificateisdesignedforstudentswhoareinterestedinfully

embracinganexperientialcourseofstudy.Inadditiontocompleting24creditsinapproved

experientialcoursework,Praxisstudentslearnaboutsomeofthemostimportant“practice

competenciesofsuccessfulattorneys,charttheirprogresstowarddevelopingtheseskills,and

learnhowtopackageandmarkettheirexperiencetopotentialemployers.”

DePaulUniversityCollegeofLaw:“ThirdYearinPracticeProgram(3YP)isofferedfor

selectedstudents;studentswillcomplete24credithoursofexperientialcourses,includingan

intensiveexternshipofatleast5credithoursanda3YPseminar.”

LoyolaUniversityChicagoSchoolofLaw:“Thefacultyhasidentifiedseveralskillsareas

onwhichtofocusinpreparingstudentstopractice,includingfinancialliteracyand‘practical

professionalismskills’(communication,teamwork,givingpresentations,criticalthinking,etc.).

Severalnewcourseshavebeenrecentlyaddedtoaddressthoseskillsareas.ThePracticalSkills

BootCampfor3Lscoursehasbeenfilledtocapacityineverysemestersinceitwasfirstoffered

(Spring2012)anditwillcontinuetobeoffered.Morecourseswithapractice-readyfocushave

recentlybeenadded,includingtheArtofPresentation,Leadership,MarketingforLawyers,and

StartingandManagingaLawFirm.Severalpractice-areafocusedsectionsofAdvancedWriting

forLegalPracticehavealsobeenaddedtothecurriculum.”

NorthernIllinoisUniversityCollegeofLaw:“Thefacultyhascurrentlyadoptedreforms

ofthefirst-yearcurriculumandiscurrentlyconsideringexpansionoftheexperientiallearning

requirement.”

SouthernIllinoisUniversitySchoolofLaw:“Wearecurrentlyengagedina

comprehensivereviewofourcurriculum.Inaddition,ourcurriculumcommitteeisgathering

datatoevaluateaproposaltoestablishanExperientialLearningAcrosstheCurriculum

requirementthatbuildsonourWritingAcrosstheCurriculumrequirement.”

TheUniversityofIllinoisCollegeofLaw:“TheCollegeofLawcontinuouslyevaluatesits

curriculum,includingskillsbasedcourses,toensurethestudentsarereceivingasuperior

academicexperiencewhichtrainsthemforasuccessfulpracticeoflaw.Mostrecently,the

CollegeofLawhasfocuseditseffortsonlegalwritingskills,whichhasresultedinchangingthe

mannerinwhichthestudentsareevaluatedinLegalWritingandAnalysis,aswellasin

IntroductiontoAdvocacy.Previously,bothcourseswereevaluatedonapass/failbasis.

Beginningwiththe2014/2015academicperiod,thesecoursesarenowletter-ed.Wehavealso

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approvedrevisionstoourMootCourtProgramandupperlevellegalwritingofferings,effective

nextacademicyear.Additionally,theCollegehasjustaddedaFundamentalsofLegalPractice

coursetotherequiredfirst-yearcurriculum.Mostrecently,theCollegeofLawhaslaunched

theJeromeMirzaTrialAcademy,designedtoteachtrialadvocacyandprofessional

responsibilitytothenextgenerationoftriallawyers,andhasexpandedthenumberofskills

coursesavailabletostudentsinChampaignandviatheCollege'sChicagoProgram.”

Duringthecourseofourhearingsweheardfromfulltimelawprofessorsaswellasa

numberofpart-timeandadjunctprofessors.Astheircommentsconfirmed,Illinoislawschools

haveundertakentoshifttheircurrentcurriculumtowardintegrationofpracticalskillwith

doctrinallearning.Theseprofessorsspokeeloquentlyofthechallengetobalanceeducating

studentstothinklikelawyersandteachingthemthepracticeskillsnecessaryfortheprofession

theywillenter.Clearlybothhaveaplaceineducationandprominenceinpractice.Illinoislaw

schoolsarerespondingandfacingthatchallengeinpositiveandprogressiveways.

IV.RECOMMENDATIONS

TheSpecialCommitteegratefullyacknowledgestheIllinoislawschoolsthataccepted

theinvitationtosharetheircurriculumandapplaudsthemformakingsomeremarkablesteps

towardintegratingpracticeskillsintotheircurriculumofferings.Still,thereismoretodo.

AnexperiencedattorneyincentralIllinoisdescribedmostnewgraduatesasvery

capableofbecomingprofessors;yet,notcapableofengagingaclientorwitness,and

conductingthemselvesinacourtroom.Traditionally,thestructureofcoursesatIllinoislaw

schoolsteachstudentshowtothinklikelawyers,inatheoreticalmanner,basedonserial

analysisofcaselaw.

Knowledgeofthelawisofcoursecriticaltoalegaleducation,particularlyknowledgeof

thesubstanceincoreandbar-testedcourses.Infact,weurgemoreemphasisonthoseclasses.

Yetknowledgeisonlypartofeducatingastudenttobealawyer.Thereisademandforthe

otherpiece,thepracticeskillsthathelptransformtheknowledgeoflawintothepracticeof

law.Post-graduationtrainingopportunitieshavediminished,thus,muchofthatdemandmust

bemetbytheprimaryeducatorswithinthetraditionalthreeyearsoflawschool.However,the

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practicingbar,includingthejudiciary,mustalsocontributetopracticeskilltrainingbyoffering

clerkships,externships,andmentoring.

WearemindfulofthenewABAstandardsimpactingaccreditationandthedifficulties

whichlawschoolsandindividualprofessorsfaceinintegratingpracticeskillsintotraditional

doctrinalcurriculum.Wealsoappreciatethatashiftfromtheirpastteachingexperienceand

theirtenuremayimpedetheevolution.Teachingpracticalskillsismorechallengingthanthe

traditionallectureformat.Individualizedevaluationofwrittenassignmentswithmeaningful

feedbacktothestudentistimeintensive.Underthecurrentsystem,professorshave

significantdemandsontheirtimetofulfillotherobligationstotheschool,includingscholarship

requirements,andoftenfacelargeclasses,whichmakeindividualattentionunwieldy.

WearealsoawareoftheannualU.S.News&WorldReportLawSchoolrankings,which

arebasedoncriteriaoftheirchoosing,andappreciatethattheIllinoislawschoolsarepartof

thatscrutinywhethertheychoosetoparticipateintheannualsurveyornot.Further,we

appreciatethesignificantfinancialobligationsincurredinpursuitofachievingandmaintaina

highrating.

Still,werespectthesignificantworkbymanyofourIllinoislawschoolstointegrate

practicaltrainingintotheircurriculumandofferthefollowingrecommendationstoenhance

thoseefforts:

1. Studentsmustcontinuetotakecoresubjectsandpracticeskillsmustbeintegrated

intomost,ifnotall,doctrinalcourses.

2. Greaterexperientiallearningoutsidetheclassroomandintheprivatesectormustbe

offered.

3. Thecurrentlawschoolgradingstructureshouldberevised.

4. Therolesofacademicandcareercounselorsshouldbeexpandedandmentorship

opportunitiesshouldbeincreased.

5. Thecurrentlawschooladmissioncriteriashouldbeenhanced.

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6. ThecurrentcriteriaandprocessforadmittancetotheIllinoisbarshouldbeexamined.

1.StudentsMustContinuetoTakeCoreSubjectsandPracticeSkillsMustBeIntegratedinto

Most,IfNotAll,DoctrinalCourses

GeneralPracticeSkills

Weappreciatethatgeneralskillstraininghasbecomealargerpartofmostlawschool

curriculum;howevermoreisneeded.TheISBAfirstdiscussedtheneedforareturntoteaching

coreclassesinthe2013Report,andwillnotrepeatthosecommentsandfindingshere.Suffice

ittosaythatstudentsmustmaintainfocusonthecoreareasoflegalknowledge,whichhelp

equipthemtopracticelaw.Further,thatclassworkshouldbeenhancedwithmultiple

opportunitiestomastereffectivewritingandpractice-readyskills.

Inordertoproducelawschoolgraduateswhoarepractice-ready,theirpractice-skills

educationmustbeginondayone.Theremustbeasignificantshiftthatplacesgreatemphasis

onout-of-the-classroomexperientiallearning,whilestilldevotingclassroomtimetocore

subjectsthatintegratesomeofthemostbasicpracticeskills.Themostimportantsingleskill

fornewgraduatestopossessistheabilitytowritewell,clearly,concisely,andpersuasively.

Thus,werecommendthatitbegivenstrongandconsistentemphasis.Thisisfollowedbythe

needforgreaterpractice-skillstrainingtoimprovetheabilitytoorallycommunicatewell,

regardlessofthecontextoraudience.Finallyapractice-readygraduatemustpossessbasic

practiceskillstobringvalueandprofitabilitytoapositioninthepracticeoflaw.

TheMostImportantPracticeSkillIstheAbilitytoWriteWell,Clearly,Concisely,and

Persuasively,andMustBeTaughtinEveryClass

Themostconsistentcomplaintaboutnewgraduatesistheirlackofgoodwritingskills.

Lawschoolmusthonethemintoskilledwriters.Todoso,werecommendmultiplewriting

assignmentsbeincludedineveryclass,particularlybeginninginfirst-yearclasses.Learningto

usecaselawineffectivepersuasivewritingshouldbeapartofeverydoctrinalcourseand

assignmentsshouldteachstudentshowtowriteclearly,concisely,andaccurately.Students

mustlearnhowtouseaseriesofcasestosupportoropposeanargument.Inthisvein,itis

criticalthatstudentslearnmorethanhowtoregurgitatethefactsandholdingsofaseriesof

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cases,theymustlearnhowtosynthesizethatcaselawintoacohesiveargumentuponwhich

theycanbase,anddefend,theiranswer.Writingassignmentsshouldteachthestudentto

identifythesalientfacts,frametheissue(s),answerthequestionposed,andsupportthat

answerwithanappropriateuseofcaselaw.Completedwritingassignmentsshouldbe

critiquedandthestudentgivenmeaningful,promptfeedback.Suchindividualevaluationand

feedback,thoughtimeconsuming,presentsavaluableopportunityforstudentstolearnand

ultimatelyimprovetheirwritingskill.

Therearemanywaystoevaluateandgivefeedbackotherthantheobviousreviewof

everyassignmentandanindividualizedconferencewithastudent.Althoughoptimum,the

realityoftimerestrictionsmakethisinfeasibleanddictatethatsomecreativealternativesbe

used.Forexample,aprofessorcouldselectafewexamplesofthebestandoftheworst

submissionsofaparticularassignment,andwithoutidentifyingthestudentauthorinclass,

explainthewellexecutedpointsofthebestexamplesandthedeficienciesoftheworst

examples.Thepointisthatthestudentscompletedadraftingexercise,sawagoodexample

andapoorexampleoftheassignedtask,andlearnedwhyonewasbetterthantheother.

Third-yearstudentswhoareproficientwriterscouldassistprofessorswithlargeclasses

toreviewandcritiquewritingassignmentsoffirst-yearstudents.ITTChicago-KentCollegeof

Lawhasengagedsuchamodel.Althoughastudentdidpointoutthathavingteaching

assistantsfurtherexacerbatesthedetachmentbetweenstudentandprofessor,itisapositive

steptowardindividualizedevaluationofstudentwork.Itwouldbeagoodexerciseforthe

third-yearstudentsaslearningtoreviewanother'sworkisavaluableskill.

Thisisalsoanareawherepracticingattorneys,asadjunctprofessors,couldcontribute

intheevaluationandfeedbackofwritingassignments.Forexample,attorneysconcentratingin

negligencecasescouldofferextraordinaryinsightcritiquingwritingassignmentsinatortsclass.

Wealsonotethatgiventheextremeemphasispractitionersplaceonwritingability,itmightbe

helpfultofutureemployersifstudentsweregivenaseparategradeonthewritingportionof

theclass.

Justasimportantasbeingeffectivewriters,newlawyersmustalsobegoodeditors.

Thisisanimportantpartofaself-evaluationandrevisionprocessthatstudentsmustlearn.As

first-yearstudentsexposedtointensivewritingassignmentsmatureintogoodwritersasupper

classmen,editingcanbetaughtbyallowingthird-yearstudentstocritiqueeachother'swork.

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Inadditiontolearninghowothersseetheirwriting,studentsmayalsolearnthatthereare

manydifferent,yeteffective,writingstyles.

Notallwritingassignmentshavetobeaformalbrieformemoranda.Infact,thereisa

needtomasteravarietyoflegalwritingincludingmore-routinedocuments,motions,orders,

andclientcorrespondence.Forexample,usingafactpatternfromacaseinclass,an

assignmentcouldrequirethestudenttoassumetheirclientisoneofthelitigantsanddrafta

lettertotheclientoutliningtheprosandconsofthecase.Toaccomplishthetask,thestudent

mustunderstandtheissuesinthecaseandtheprevailinglaw.Theexercisethenchallenges

theirabilitytoclearlyandaccuratelycommunicatetheissues,thelaw,andpotentialoutcomes

totheclient.

Inadditiontosimplygivingstudentstheopportunitytolearnwritingskills,practical

trainingusingthesubstanceofthecourseworkwouldalsogivestudentstheopportunityto

augmentmasteryofthecoursematerial.Periodicevaluationofworkproductthatengages

coursematerialwouldenablestudentstoaccesshowtheyaredoinginaparticularclassrather

thanassumingthattheyarelearningwhatisnecessarytoachieveadesiredgrade.On-going

submissionandcritiqueofworkproductisagoodgaugeofstudents’graspofcoursematerial.

Itisamoreaccuratereflectionofthestudent'sknowledgeandperformanceintheclassthana

singleexamattheendofthesemester.Itcanalsoassistprofessorsastheyaccesstheir

teachingtechniquestomeasurewhatstudentshavelearnedorfailedtolearninclass.

Newgraduatesmustbeabletodraft,oratleastbefamiliarwith,simplepleadings,

motions,andresponses,andunderstandhowthosepleadingsfitintothecase.Whenastudent

understandsthepointandpurposeofhisorherwritingassignment,vis-a-visthewholecase,

theyareinthebestpositiontounderstandhowandwhyclarity,accuracy,anddetailmatters.

Duringthehearings,weheardfromprofessorsandattorneysaboutalternativeapproachesto

teachingpractice-orientatedclassesthatintegratewriting.Oneofthebestexampleswas

teachingCivilProcedureasasemesterlongcivilsuit.Eachstepofthecaseandcorresponding

procedure(s)wasaccompaniedbydraftingadocumentorpleadinggermanetothatstageof

thecase.Studentswereexposedtocomplaints,answers,interrogatories,motions,and

responses,furthertheygainedanunderstandingofwherethatpleadingfitintothecase.

Studentssawthebasiccomponentsofacaseintheformofdocumentsandpleadings,

breathinglifeintothewordsofthecodeofcivilprocedure.

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Writingisaskillthatimproveswithpracticeandexperience.Byintegratingwriting

exerciseswithcritiqueandpromptfeedbackthroughouttheirlawschoolcareer,wegive

studentsthebestopportunitytomastertheartofwrittencommunication.

Justasimportant,excellentwritersaremorelikelytoexcelonthewrittenportionof

thebarexam.Asdiscussedbelow,withtheincreaseintheminimumscoreforpassageofthe

Illinoisbarexamination,goodwritingskillsarenotonlyvaluedbythepracticingbar,theyare

paramounttobarexaminersandatremendousadvantagetothosesittingfortheIllinoisbar

exam.Poorwritersareatadistinctdisadvantage.

WenoteaveryrecentchangeisawritingprogramatNIUlawschool,whichbeganwith

thefall2015term.NIUimplementedanewchangetoitslegalwritingprogramtocounteract

thenotabledropinfirst-yearstudentattendanceontheduedatesforlegalwriting

assignments.Ratherthanassignlargerwritingprojectssuchastheappellatebriefduringthe

firstyear,studentswillnowhavelegalwritingpouroverintotheirsecondyearinorderto

promotebettertime-managementandchannelfocustowardpolishingwritingskills,rather

thancrammingthemintoanoverwhelmingworkloadduringonlythefirstyear.Lawstudents

acrossIllinoisschoolsmaintainedthatlargewritingprojectsduringthefirstyearoftendeterred

theirfocusonotherassignments,andmanydidlastminuteedits,orturnedworkinlate,

withoutfindingopportunitiesforguidanceduringtheprocesstounderstandwhytheirwork

mayrequirecorrections.Bythetimetheassignmentisgradedandsentback,thestudents

confesstobeingonlyinterestedintheirscores,ratherthanthecommentaryprovidedin

gradingthesubstanceoftheirwork.Itwastoolittletoolate.Tofurtheraddressthisissue,NIU

alsorequiredsmallerwritingassignmentsinfirst-yearfoundationalcoursessostudentsmay

receivefeedbackthroughoutthesemesterandhavemorepracticeintermsoflegalwritingand

analysis.Valparaiso’sPraxismodelsimilarlyassignsrelatedwritingprojectsandassignments

forcontinualevaluationthroughouteachfoundationalcourse.66

OralSkillsMustBeIntegratedintoasManyClassesasPossible

Experiencedattorneysplacedgreatvalueontheabilitytospeakwell.Thoughnotevery

studentwillarguebeforetheSupremeCourt,alllawyersneedeffectiveoralskillsintheir

66 Infra (Section on Praxis: The Valparaiso Model).

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practice.Lawyersspeakwithclients,interviewwitnesses,andtalktocourtpersonnel,co-

workers,officestaff,andopposingcounsel,invirtuallyeverytypeofpractice.Itiscriticalto

havetheabilitytocommunicateclearlyandeffectivelytoavarietyofaudiences.

Althoughwerecognizethatoralpresentationwillbepartofsimulationcourses,we

suggestthatsomeoralpresentationsbemadeinotherclassesaswell.Again,theintegrationof

oralpresentationsintoclasscurriculumwillbetimeconsuming,yettheendresultwillbeworth

theeffort.Weencouragetheexpansionofpractice-centeredcourseofferingsthatincludeoral

presentation.Studentsimulationclassworkmustbefollowedbyexperienceonbasicskills

suchasinterviewingclientsandwitnesses.Theymustlearnhowtocommunicatetheir

positionsnotjustwhenmakinganoralargumentinmootcourt,butintheeverydaycontextsof

practice.Finally,werecognizethattheseskillsarebestperfectedinapracticesetting,and

againencourageasmuchclinicandexternshipexperiencesaspossibletoexpandstudent

experience.

Althoughtheserecommendationstoenhanceskillsforgoodwrittenandoral

communicationhavebeendirectedtoin-housecurriculum,theSpecialCommitteealsostrongly

recommendsthatwrittenassignmentandoralpresentationberequiredforsuccessful

completionofexternships,clinics,andRule711experiences.

StudentsMustBeExposedtoGreaterOpportunityforSophisticatedIssueRecognitionand

EffectiveLegalResearch

Perhapsthemostbasicpracticeskillsareissuerecognitionandlegalresearch,andthese

areofcourseincludedineverylawschoolcurriculum.However,thetenorofcommentsfrom

thebarindicatesthatmoreisneeded.Lawyersspokeofthedisconnectbetweenrecognizing

issuesfromacannedfactpatterninclass,andthesametaskinpractice.Certainly,simpleand

straightforward,single-issuefactpatternsareappropriateforbeginningfirst-yearstudents,but

inmoreadvancedupper-levelcourses,issuesshouldbepresentedastheyoccurinpractice.

Factpatternsthatpresentmultiple,evenconflictingissueswouldmorecloselyresemblethe

issuesstudentwillfaceinclinicandexternsettings,andthoseofpost-graduationpractice.Just

asinpractice,theissuespresentedinthesefactpatternsmaynotlendthemselvestoaclear,

definitiveanswerintermsofanexaminationquestion.Yettheabilitytorecognizemultiple

issuesandpresentsupportformultiplepointsofviewiswhatlawyersdo.Suchanalysisisa

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closerreflectionofthepracticeoflawasstudentswillencounteritandshouldbepartof

classesbeyondthefirstyear.

StudentsMustLearntoFind,Understand,andApplyBasicStatutes,IncludingtheIllinoisCode

ofCivilProcedure,theIllinoisSupremeCourtRules,andtheIllinoisEvidenceCode

Practitionersrepeatedthecommentthatnewgraduatesstruggletofindandapply

routinestatutesandrules;theyparticularlyemphasizethelackofunderstandingofthe

applicationoftheCodeofCivilProcedureandIllinoisSupremeCourtRules.Againtherewasa

disconnectbetweenknowingthestatuteandnotknowinghowtoapplyitorunderstanding

howitcanimpactprocedure.Thepointisthatstudentsmustlearnhowtousecivilprocedure

and,moreimportantly,howtoapplyitinsupportoroppositiontoaparticularposition.The

sameistrueofIllinoisSupremeCourtRules.Factpatternsandexercisesshouldengagethe

rulestopromoteanawarenessofSupremeCourtrules;howtofindarule,whatitmeans,and

howitimpactseverydayprocedure.

Asimilarapproachwouldbeeffectivewithotherstatutesandcodesincludingthe

IllinoisEvidenceCode.Evidenceisoneofthemostimportantclassesstudentstake.Itisthe

keystoneinmanyareasofpractice.Discussionsaboutthistopicincludedperhapstheclearest

exampleofthedisconnectbetweenbookandpractice.Studentsandnewgraduatesknowthe

rulesofevidence,butlackanunderstandingofhowtousetherulesinthecontextofahearing.

Again,learningtherulesisimportant,butitisthepracticalexperienceofusingtherulesthat

bringsthemtolife.Assuch,evidenceclassesshouldincludeexercisestoteachthebasicsof

layingafoundationforadmissionoftangibleevidenceandmovingtoadmitordenythe

admissionofevidence.Theuseofrealcourttranscriptstoshowhowobjectionsaremade,

respondedto,andruledonwouldbeahelpfultool.Westronglyrecommendthatstudents

completeevidenceintheirsecondyeartoenablethemtoputtheirclassexperienceinto

practiceinanexternship,clinic,orRule711placement.Simulationofpracticaltraining

integratedintotheirclasswork,willenhancetheirclinicalexperiencesandenablethemtofully

understandtherule,itsunderpinnings,anditsapplication.Suchenhancedexperienceand

practicalknowledgeoftherulesofevidencewillbeextremelyvaluablepost-graduation–toa

potentialemployerandtothenewgraduate.

TheSpecialCommitteeappreciatesthedesirabilityofteachingtheFederalRulesof

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EvidenceandProcedure,butsuggeststhatwherethemajorityofgraduateswillpracticein

Illinois,thatemphasisbeplacedonthoserulesaswell.

StudentsMustUnderstandtheChronologyofaBasicCivilCase

Again,thisgeneratedmuchdiscussion.Therewasuniversalagreementthat

understandingcaseflowandhowindividualpartsoftheprocessfittogetherisextremely

important.Thiswasparticularlytrueofapplicantsforlitigationpositions.Wewerevery

impressedwiththeapproachofteachingIllinoisCivilProcedureasasemesterlongexercisein

litigation.Suchanapproachexposesstudentstotheanatomyofacivilcaseandexploresa

varietyofpossiblepermutationsthroughouttheprocessfromclientinterviewtonoticeof

appeal.Eachstepisillustratedbythecodeandpunctuatedbydraftingandreviewingpleadings

thatwouldbeappropriatetothatstepinthelitigation.Thisteachesthechronologyofacivil

case,exposesthestudenttothecodeincontext,anddiminishesthedisconnectbetweenthe

wordsandapplication.Italsoallowsstudentstopracticewritingskillsbydraftingorreviewing

pleadingsforthemultiplestagesoflitigation.Itisagreatbalancebetweenteachingdoctrinal

materialandpracticeskills.Thoughdiscussedinthecontextofcivilprocedure,adoptionofthis

approachwouldalsoenhanceunderstandingcriminalprocedureandagainstrikeabalance

betweenthecaselawandpracticeskills.OtherclassessuchasWills&Trusts,Corporations,or

RealEstatecouldbeaugmentedwithanoverviewofafile.Forexample,followaprobatecase

frominitialclientinterview,todraftingandsigningofawillorotherdocument,toamendments

orotherchanges,tothedeathanddispositionunderthewillandpotentiallitigation.

AlternativeDisputeResolutionShouldBeIntegratedintoMultipleDoctrinalClasses

Mostattorneysagreedthatabasicunderstandingofalternativedisputeresolutionand

whenitcanorshouldbeexploredasanalternativetotraditionallitigationisimportant,

particularlywiththegrowinguseofnon-litigationdisputeresolution.Weacknowledgethe

varietyofcoursesofferedandagreethatsimulationandobservationofADRinpracticeis

invaluable.Asnotedabove,manycontractsinlaborandemploymentlawandinavarietyof

transactionsincludemandatoryarbitrationclauses.Assuch,werecommendtheintegrationof

ADRintothesekindsofclasses.Again,usingthecoursematerialasthefactpatternfor

arbitrationinContracts,CommercialTransactions,orLaborLawclasswouldbothintegrateARD

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skillsinasimulatedpracticesettingandreinforcethecoursematerial.Mediationisalsoa

popularmethodforresolvingdisputesbetweenparties;manyjudgesaremandatingmediation

orotherARDbeforeacasewillbesetforahearingortrial.Werecommendintegrating

understandingoftheuseofmediationinFamilyLawandTorts,particularlyinnegligencecases.

Theseareareasoflitigationwheremanyformsofmediationarestronglyurgedifnotmandated

andunderstandingwhenandhowtouse,aswellashowtoprepareaclientforamediation

sessionwouldbeavaluablepracticeskill.

Therewasparticularinterestinstudentshavingexposuretonegotiation.Again,

integratingexercisestopromotenegotiationskillsintodoctrinalcourseswouldintroducea

practiceskillandreinforcecourseworkandcaselaw.Forexample,afterdiscussionofthe

facts,law,andoutcomeofatextbookcase,posethequestiontostudentsofhowtheywould

havetreatedthiscaseiftheirclientwantedtonegotiateasettlementratherthanlitigatethe

case.Negotiationisaspecializedandveryvaluableskill,usefulinmanyareasofpractice.We

recommendthatstudentsbeencouragedtoenrollinanADRclassandthattheconceptsand

skillsassociatedwithADRbeintegratedintodoctrinalclassesasmuchaspossible.

ProfessionalismandtheBusinessofthePracticeofLaw:StudentsMustLearnWhatItMeans

toBeaLawyer

Studentsmustlearnhowtobealawyer.Moststudentsoptingforlawschooldosowith

theintenttobecomealawyer,notsimplyastudentofthelaw.Ournewgraduatesarenotjust

scholars,nordowewishthemtobecomemeretechnicians.Wewantthemtobelawyers.

Thus,focusonandappreciationoftherigorsofthepracticeshouldbeanoverviewinmost,if

notall,ofthecoreclasses.Thoseinapositiontohireviewthenewestlawyerswithskepticism;

theyquestiontheirwillingnesstodowhatittakestobealawyer.Infact,theyquestion

whethernewgraduatesknowwhatittakestobealawyer.Yetitisimportanttothepracticing

barthatanewlawyersappreciatehowmuchworkisinvolvedinhandlingaclient'sfile,andthat

theworkdayoftendoesnotendat5:00p.m.Suchaconceptshouldbeacomponentofcore

classesandwouldbeconsistentwithrequiringstudentstocompletewritingassignmentsand

prepareoralpresentationsregularly–withdeadlinesjustastheywouldbeexpectedtodoin

practice.

Professionalismandcivilityshouldbeintegratedintoeachclass.Theyarethe

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cornerstonesofwhoweare,whatwedo,andtheroleweplayinacivilizedsociety.Another

recommendationisthatschoolsoffer,ifnotmandate,thatstudentstakeaclassinpersonaland

professionalfinances.Theyneedtolearnhowtomanagetheirdebt,work,time,income,and

personalfinances,aswellashowtofinanceapractice,openandmaintainescrowaccountsand

trustaccounts,andmanagefiduciaryobligations.Ethicsguidesthepracticeatalltimesandit

shouldnotberelegatedtoisolatedclassworkbutshouldbepresentinthedailyroundofalaw

studentandintegratedintoclassworkwhenappropriate.

StudentsMustDevelopaStrongWorkEthic

Thoughmoreacharacteristicthanaskill,employersstressedtheirdesirefornewhires

withastrongworkethic.Weagree.Newgraduatesmustbewillingtoarrivingontime,

appropriatelydressed,andpreparedtocompletetheday'stasks–aslongasthattakes.They

mustappreciatethattheprofessiontheyhavechosenisserviceorientated.Weworkfora

clientevenifthatclientisthegovernment.Aclientexpectsustodothebestwecanandtoput

inthetimeandefforttoachievethatend.Classworkmustinstillappreciationfor

commitments,deadlines,obligations,andtheconsequencesforfailuretocomply.Theseskills

areimportant.Asdiscussedabove,withanincreaseinassignmentsdueperiodically,students

canlearntoappreciatedeadlines.

Thecurrentgradingstructureofonefinalexaminationbeingthesolemeasureof

performanceinaclassmaynotaccuratelyreflectastudent'sworkandmoreimportantly,it

mayenablethedevelopmentofpoorworkethic.Asnotedbelow,werecommendacritical

reviewofthecurrentgradingprocedure,andsuggestanapproachthatwouldinclude

rewardingpositiveperformanceonperiodicwritingassignments,oralpresentations,andclass

simulationsorexercisesasapartofthesemestergradeforthecourse.Suchanapproach

wouldhelptodiscourage“skating”throughthesemesterbyintroducinga“pay-off”for

consistentandpresumably-improvingworkthroughoutthesemester.Thisongoingevaluation,

orgrading,wouldalsohelpstudentsrecognizewhentheyarenotgraspingthematerial,teach

themhowtofindoutwhattheydonotknow,andfosterconfidenceintheirproblemsolving

andperseverancetofindoutwhattheydonotknowandlearnit.

Morethanonce,attorneysandprofessorsattributethelackofagoodaworkethicand

lackoftimemanagementtothecurrentstructureoflawschoolthatincludesfewdeadlinesand

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measureofperformanceattheendofthesemester.Aswillbediscussedbelow–thisstructure

shouldbereevaluated.

StudentsMustLearnProblemSolvingSkills

Toomanystudentsgraduatefromlawschool“withrawknowledgeandnoideawhatto

dowithit.”Suchskillsareourhallmark;itiswhatseparatesusfromtechnicianswhojustfill

outforms.Post-graduation,manynewlawyersunderstandthattheyknowtheydonotknow

whattodowithaproblem,butneverlearnedhowtofindoutwhattheydonotknow.We

mustteachstudentshowtofindanswersworkingasagrouporindividually.Itisapartof

lawyeringtheymustlearn.

Wesuggestforumsthatfosterself-initiative,teachstudentshowtofindthelegal

answer,witheffectiveresearchandteachthemwhattodowiththatinformationastheysolve

theproblem.Theseskillsmustnotonlybetaughtonce–itistherepetitionofproblemsolving

thatbuildsconfidenceandenhancesself-initiative.Thuswerecommendthatscenariosbe

repeatedthroughoutmultipleclasses.

StudentsMustHaveBasicBusinessSkillsandanUnderstandingoftheBusinessofthePractice

ofLaw

Thepracticingbar–aswellasnewgraduates–agreethatbusinessskillsshouldbe

taughtinlawschool.Particularlywiththegrowingnumberofnewgraduatesinco-opsandsolo

practice,theyneedtounderstandhowtooperateapractice,includingbasicssuchasreadinga

balancesheetandunderstandingabusinessplan.Learninghowtobillandcollectafeeis

somethingthatmanynewgraduatessaidtheywereillequippedtodo.Eventhosewhochoose

publicsectoremploymentshouldhaveabasicunderstandingoftherelationshipbetween

expensesandrevenuetounderstandtheallocationofbudgetdollarstotheoperationofa

publicsectoroffice.

Newlawyerscandidlyadmittedthattheydidnotappreciateissuesthatcouldrunafoul

oftheCodeofProfessionalConductandinvoketheADRC.Wewouldrecommend

considerationofteachingbusinesspracticeswithaconcurrentoverviewoftheCodeof

ProfessionalConduct.Businesspracticeclasses,particularlyaclassthatcoversclientissues

suchasmaintainingappropriatecontactandinformationflow,andfinancialissuessuchas

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settingfees,retaineragreements,billingpractices,andtrustaccounts,arelikelytobetakenby

third-yearstudentsandwouldbeagoodopportunityforreviewoftheCodeofProfessional

Conductasanadjuncttothesubjectmatterofthebusinessofthepracticeoflaw.Itisthe

failuretomaintainclientcontactandfinancialviolationsthataremostlikelytoresultina

disciplinecase.

Althoughwenotedmanyofferingsofbusiness-relatedcourses,thisappearstobe

inconsistentwiththecommentsfromhearingswheresomanypracticinglawyersandnew

graduatesfelttheywerenotpreparedtoaddressthebusinessofoperatingapracticenorthe

financialaspectsofexpenses,billing,andcollectingfees.Perhapsitisalackofunderstanding

oftheneedorabeliefthatnewassociatesinafirmdonothavetobeconcernedwiththe

financesofoperatingthebusinessandthatapublicsectorassociatehasnoconcernforprofit

andloss.Regardless,werecommendthatstudentsbeexposedtothebusinessofoperatinga

practiceandbeencouragedtoenroll.

StudentsMustHaveOrganizationalSkills

Whilewewouldliketoassumethatstudentswhohaveachievedtheacademiclevel

commensuratewithadmittanceintolawschoolhavebasicorganizationalskills,theobservation

ofthebaristhattheydonot.Sufficetosaythatthesuggestionsforexpandedwriting

assignments,oralpresentations,andpracticalexerciseswillinducegreaterorganizationskills

andfosteranappreciationforitsimportance.Further,weencourageemphasisonthe

importanceoforganizationalskillsinethics,professionalism,andlawpracticeoperation.

2. GreaterExperientialLearningOutsidetheClassroomandinthePrivateSectorMustBe

Offered

PrivateSectorExternshipsforCreditShouldBePermitted

WiththeadoptionofthenewestABAStandards,theSpecialCommitteerecognizesthat

enrollingmorestudentsintoexternprogramsforcreditmayputadditionalburdenonschools

andthesupervisingprofessors.ThisiscompoundedbythepresentABAregulationthatlimits

externshipsforcredittopositionswherethestudentmanynotbepaid.Ontheotherhand,

thoseintheprivatesectormustcomplywiththeprevailinglaborlawswhichpreventfor-profit

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firmsfromreceivingthebenefitofastudent'sworkwithoutcompensation.Yetifthestudentis

compensatedheorshecannotreceivecredit.

Whilewestronglyrecommendthatstudentsbuildpracticeskillsthroughexperiential

learninginapracticesetting,virtuallyallinpracticeexternshipsarelimitedtothepublicsector.

Somestudentshaveinterestsbeyondclinicsandthepublicsector.Thetimehascometo

expandthisexceptionallearningtoolintotheprivatesector.

AtransactionalattorneypracticingnearRockfordspokeaboutherexperienceinlaw

school,explainingthatbecauseofherprioreducationandbackgroundsheknewshewantedto

dotransactionalwork.Shefranklytoldthegroupthatshewouldnothavewantedan

externshipinaprosecutor'sorpublicdefender'soffice,butifonehadbeenofferedwitha

privatefirmwhereshecouldhavedonetransactionalwork,shewouldhavejumpedatthe

chance.Thepointisthatstudentswhohavefocusedgoalsintheprivatesectorwouldoptfor

privatesectorexternshipsifoffered.

Apracticingattorneyfromalargedownstatelawfirmthattakesonanumberofpaid

internsnotedthat“internsarenotwidgets.Theyareunique;eachhasindividualinnateskills,

interests,andgoals.”Hestressedtheimportanceofmatchingeachinternwithasupervising

attorneythatwillfunctionasthe“bestfit”forboththeattorneyandtheintern.Weagree.This

strategyreinforcestheneedforprivateexternshipplacementsthatofferawidevarietyof

privatepracticeplacements.Lawstudentsshouldhavetheoptionofbeingmatchedtotheir

desiredpracticeareasaccordingtotheirindividualskills,goals,andinterests.Further,he

notedthattheirinternswerenottheretosimplybetaughtwhattodoandhowtodoit,but

morecritically,theyweretaughtwhywhattheydomatters,thusprovidingthestudentwith

theabilitytoseeaprocedureorprocessinthecontextofarealcase,inaprivatepractice

setting.Theimportanceofthisskillwashighlightedabove,butisnotedagaintoreinforcethat

whentheseskillsaretaughtinthecontextofastudent'sindividualinterestsandgoals,the

experienceissignificantlyenhanced.Asonnewgraduateexplainedhisexperience“thelaw

cametolifeformewhenIdidmyexternship.”

AlternativesShouldBeExploredtoAccommodateBoththeABAProhibitionofCompensation

andCredit,andthePrevailingLaborLaws

ThispastJune,theABASectionofLegalEducationandAdmissiontotheBarproposeda

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changeinthecurrentaccreditationstandards,whichwouldeliminatethecurrentbanon

studentsreceivingacademiccreditforpaidexternships.Undertheproposal,eachlawschool

coulddecidewhetherastudentshouldreceiveacademiccreditforapaidexternshiporfield

placement.Itdoeshoweverrequiretheschoolstodemonstratethatithasretainedsufficient

controlovertheplacementandthestudentexperiencetomeetthestandards.Weapplaud

thisactionandawaitfurtheractionbytheSection.However,untilsuchtimeastheABA

standardsareamended,wemustexploreotheravenuestoaddresstheneedforprivatesector

externships.

TheSpecialCommitteeheardfrommanyprivatesectorattorneysthattheywouldlike

totakeanexternintotheirfirmandunderstandthattheymustpaytheextern.Studentscannot

receivecreditiftheyarepaid.Theoptimumisthatstudentsarepaid–perhapsataratesetby

theSupremeCourt–andreceivecredit.Werecommendinvestigationofalternativesthat

couldaccommodatethisdilemma.Onesuggestionfromacollarcountyattorneyisthat

studentsreceiveagrantfromtheirschoolthatwouldcompensatethemfortheirworkatthe

privatefirm.Thegrantfundwouldbesupportedbycontributionsfromthepracticinglawyers

intheareawhereexternsareplaced;thiswouldensurethatanindividualfirmisnotreceiving

benefitwithoutthestudentbeingcompensated.

Anotheralternativesuggestedisthatthestudentinaprivatesectorsettingwouldwork

exclusivelyonthefirm'sprobonocases.Althoughthestudentcouldobserveandparticipatein

othercases,noworkproductcouldbesubmittedtothefirm.Alloftheworkproductshared

withthefirmwouldbelimitedtotheprobonocases.Boththesupervisingattorneycould

reportthoseprobonohourstotheARDCandthestudentcouldreportthosehourstotheir

schoolasispartoftheSIUlawschoolprogram.

TheSIUCarbondaleSchoolofLawrequiresstudentstofulfillthirty-fivehoursofpro

bonoworkoverthecourseoftheirthree-yearenrollmentperiod.Theprobonoworkmaybe

doneataplacewherestudentsalreadycompletedanexternshipiftheydesiretocontinue

workinginthesamesetting.Weapplaudthisandrecommendexpansionofthisconceptto

openyetanotheravenueofhands-onexperienceunderthesupervisionofalicensedattorney.

Itwillalso,earlyon,instillthesenseofobligationtogivebackandofcommitmenttolegal

justicethroughprobonowork.

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TheIllinoisSupremeCourtShouldExpandRule711toIncludeWorkinthePrivateSector

First,weapplaudtherecentexpansionsofSupremeCourtRule711towidenthe

experienceofRule711students.WerecommendfurtherexpansionofSupremeCourtRule711

toincludetheprivatesector.Currently,Rule711onlyallowsastudenttoprovideservices

throughalegalaidbureau,legalassistanceprogram,anorganizationorcliniccharteredbythe

StateofIllinoisorapprovedbyalawschool,theofficeofthepublicdefender,oranofficeofthe

state.Alloftheseoptionsareinthepublicsector.ConsistentwiththecurrentABAstance,

whilestudentsmaybecompensatedbyanorganizationforworkdonepursuanttoaRule711

license,ifthestudentiscompensated,theycannotreceivecredit.Againcivilpractitioners

throughoutthestatevoicedawillingnesstohaveexterns,whooptimallywouldbepaidand

receivecreditfortheworkdonewitha711license.Moreimportantly,theseprivate

practitionersvoicedawillingnesstosupervise,teach,andtrainthosestudents.Thisisa

resourcethatshouldbetapped.Westronglyurgereconsiderationofthecurrentparametersof

Rule711orthecreationofanewsimilarruleextendinglimitedlicensesintheprivatesector.

CriteriaforPrivatePracticeExternshipsMustBeClearandEnforceable

Notallattorneysareinherentlygoodteachers.TheSpecialCommitteerecognizesthat

criteriaforsupervisingattorneysandrequirementsforsuccessfulcompletionofanexternship

forcreditintheprivatesectorwouldbedesirableandshouldbemandatory.Clearexpectations

andrequirementswouldadvisethesupervisingattorneyofhisorherofobligationsandassure

theschoolthatcriteriaforfullcreditisbeingmet.Wesuggestthatauniversalcatalogof

potentialexperiences,opportunities,andpracticeskillsbecompiledasthemodelforindividual

privatesectorexternships.Anindividualplacementwouldincludeasmanyrequiredcriteriaas

wouldbefeasibledependingonthetypeofpracticesettingandanticipatedwork.Forexample,

aplacementwithafirmdoingappealswouldnotlikelyincludetrialexperience,butwould

exposethestudenttoafullrecordonappeal,togetherwithextensiveresearch,writing,and

editing,aswellasoralargument.

InconjunctionwiththeCourtandlawschools,theIllinoisStateBarAssociationcould

createaCLEprogramtoteachprospectiveprivatepractitionersthenuancesofsupervising

externs,compliancewithRule711,andmeetingcriteriaforanindividuallawschool'sprogram.

TheSpecialCommitteestronglyrecommendsthattheseandotheralternativesbepursued.

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PrivateSectorExternshipsWithoutCreditAreDifficultandShouldNotBetheOnly

OpportunitytoGainExternshipExperienceinthePrivateSector

Thereisofcoursetheoptionofworkingataprivatefirmofthestudent'schoosingfor

pay,butwithoutcredit.However,mostlawstudentshavetoacarryafullloadofclassesfor

creditandparticipateinsomeextracurricularactivity.Privateattorneyswhosuperviseexterns

intheirofficeobservedthatmanystudentsdidnothaveenoughhoursintheweektospend

thetimenecessarytodevelopthepracticalskillsthatcouldbelearned.AcentralIllinois

attorneywhohashadexternsforyears,explainedthatathisfirm,externsmustcommittobe

atthefirmatleast3-4hoursperdayforfourdaysperweek.Hebelievesthatthisisthebest

wayforthemtolearnbecauseitallowsthemtofollowcasesandseeamorerealisticviewofa

busyprivatepractice.Someofhisformerexternsattendedthehearingandtoldthespecial

committeethattheirtimeatthefirmwasthemostvaluablelearningexperiencetheyhad

duringlawschool.Thedrawbackwasthattheydidnotreceiveschoolcreditforthis

extraordinaryexperienceandtomaintainfulltimestatus,hadtotake12-15hoursofother,

for-creditclasseswhileputtingin12-16hoursperweekatthefirm.Itwasachallenging

semester.Studentswillingtodedicatethosekindsofhoursshouldreceivecreditfortheir

experience.

3.TheCurrentLawSchoolGradingStructureShouldBeRevised

AnAlternativetoGradingonaCurveShouldBeIntroduced

Werecommendthatschoolsreevaluatetheirgradingmodel.TheSpecialCommittee

suggestsanalternativetogradingonacurve.Wesuggestobjectivestandardsthatsetforththe

totalmaterialtobecoveredandmasteredinaparticularclass.Currently,studentsarenot

gradedonhowmuchofthatmaterialtheylearned,butrathertheyaregradedonlyonwhether

theylearnedmoreorlessthantheotherstudentsintheclass.Ifstudentsweregradedon

masteringthematerial,ratherthanscoringhigherthanothersintheclass,classrankswould

becomefarlessrelevant.Underthissystem,thehighestgrade,anA,wouldsignifythatthe

studentmasteredtheexpectedbodyoflaw;ascomparedtoacurvedgradewhereanA

indicatesonlythatthestudentwasamongthebestinthegroup;agroupthatmaynothave

learnedtherequiredmaterialatall.Underthissystem,theoptimumgoalisthatallstudents

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wouldachievethehighestgradesbecauseallmasteredthebodyoftherequiredmaterialand

accomplishedexcellenceinthepracticeaspectsofthecoursework.

Curvegrading,byitsnature,doesnotfosterprofessionalism,civility,orteamwork

exercises.Itteachesstudentsthattheworseafellowstudentdoes,thebetterthe“curve”will

beforthem.Whilelawyersare,bythenatureofourprofession,adversarialandcompetitive,

curvedgradingprovidesanover-emphasisonsuchcompetitivenessandencouragesalackof

professionalism.ThePreambletotheABAModelRulesalsochargesallattorneyswitha

“specialresponsibilityforthequalityofjustice,”meaningthat“alawyershouldusethelaw’s

proceduresonlyforlegitimatepurposesandnottoharassorintimidateothers.”67Addingto

theloftyPreamblestatements,ABAModelRule3.4generallyimposesonanattorneya“dutyof

fairnesstoanopposingpartyandcounsel.”

Yet,curvedgradingfostersanoppositeapproachamongstudents.Theformatteaches

studentstoremainexclusive,reluctanttoshareknowledge,ortohelpafellowstudentbecause

advancinganotherstudentmaydiminishyourpositiononthecurve.Withanalternative

approach,unnecessarycompetitionbetweenstudentswoulddecreaseandlearningtobuild

desirableprofessionalrelationshipswouldincrease.Studenttutorsselectedbecauseoftheir

highmarkinaclasswouldthenbeselectedbecausetheymasteredthematerial,notbecause

theywerebetterthantherestoftheclass.

Suchanobjectmeasureofstudentprogresswouldalsohelpstudentsprepareforthe

barexambyidentifyingweaknessinsubstantiveareasthatwillbetestedonthebar.Inother

words,studentswhoreceivea“B”inaclassbelievetheyhavelearnedasufficientlevelof

materialtoaddressthesubjectmatteronthebarexam.Howeveriftheclassdidn'treally

masterthematerial,thena“B”meansverylittle.

Wesuggestthatexternshipandclinicparticipationforcreditbegradedonapass/fail

basisorwherealettergradeisassigned,withaformatsimilartothatdescribedabove.A

passinggradewouldindicatethatthestudentmetthecriteriaandexpectationsofthe

particularprogramandalettergradewouldindicateinmoredetailwhetherthestudentmet

someoralloftheprogramexpectations.Theinputfromthesitesupervisingattorneyshould

beconsideredaswellasaportfoliooftheworkproduct(withconfidentialmaterialdeleted)

67 See Preamble and Scope to Model Rules at ¶ 1.

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completedbythestudent.Thiscouldincludenotonlythefinalproduct,butalsointermediate

draftsandedits.Suchaportfoliowoulddemonstratetothelawschoolandpotential

employersexactlywhatthestudentdidandwhatskillsthestudentlearnedfromhisorher

externshipexperience.Eitherformatcanprovideathroughcritiqueofthestudent'swork,and

alsoprovideevaluationoftheindividualexternshipprogramtogetherwiththequantityand

qualityofworktheparticipantscomplete.Suchinformationwillgiveprofessorssupervising

students,staff,andsitesupervisorsthebestopportunitytomatchstudentstoanappropriate

externshipandensurethattheexternshipcontinuestomeettheexpectationsoftheschool.As

notedabove,itwouldalsoprovidegreatfeedbackforprivatesectorplacementaswell.

4.TheRolesofAcademicandCareerCounselorsShouldBeExpandedandMentorship

OpportunitiesShouldBeIncreased

TheRoleofAcademicandCareerOpportunityAdvisorsShouldBeExpanded

Theroleofacademicandcareeropportunityadvisorsmustadapttoreflectthechanging

demandsofprospectiveemployers,thecurrentmarketplace,andtheeconomicrealityof

enteringthepracticeoflawin2015.Whenstudentsseekadviceontheircourseselectionand

experientialopportunities,theremustbeopportunityforfrankindividualadviceonthevalueof

suchoptionstoabalancededucation,passingthebar,andbuildingmarketableskillsforpost-

graduationpractice.

Thereseemstobeatensionintheadviceofadvisors,aconflictbetweenbuildinga

resumeandbuildingpracticalskills.Studentshavebeenconditionedthattoimpresspotential

employers,theymusthaveexemplaryresumesfeaturingahighGPA,completionofpaper

coursesandseminars,andparticipationinmootcourt,lawreview,andstudentclubs.

Meanwhile,externships,clinics,andbuildingpracticalskillsreceivedlessemphasis.However,

lawyerswerecriticalofstudent'sresumesthatlistedmanyinterestingcoursesyetlacked

externshiporpracticalexperience.Theyviewsuchstudentsaslessvaluabletothefirmand

thuslesslikelytobehired.Agreeingwiththesecomments,numerousyounglawyerstoldthe

specialcommitteeaboutthepapercoursesandseminarstheytooktoboosttheirgradepoint

averageandclassrank,andthatinretrospect,theyregretthattheydidnotdoanexternshipor

participateinaclinicwheretheywouldhavehadlearnedsomepracticalskills.Theynow

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appreciatethatwhilethepapercoursewasinteresting,thepracticalskillswouldbefarmore

usefultothemasanewlawyer.Advisorsmustkeepinstepwiththesedevelopmentsandso

advisestudents.

Advisorsshouldalsoincludefrankdiscussionaboutthebestcoursesforanindividual

studenttoprepareforthebarexam.ParticularlyasthepassagescorefortheIllinoisbar

examinationrises,advisorsshoulddiscusscoursesthatcanassistastudentinpotentiallyweak

substantiveareas.Regardlessofproficiencyinsubstantiveareas,studentswhohavedifficulty

writingshouldbestronglyadvisedtotakeeveryexperientiallearningopportunitytoimprove

theirwritingability.

Studentsmusthavesoundguidanceastheyundertaketoimprovepracticalskills,

includingresearch,writing,improvingcommunicationskills,workingwithrealclientsand

experiencedattorneys,andexperiencingthepracticeoflaw.Thesearethekindsofissuesthat

shouldbediscussedbetweenstudentsandadvisors.Alumniengagedinprivatepracticecould

beavaluablebarometerforthecurrentneedsandwantsofthehiringbar.Apresentationby

practicingalumniaboutthecurrentmarketplaceandwhattheyandtheircolleaguesarelooking

forinnewgraduatesmightbeveryusefultosecondandthird-yearstudentsastheycharttheir

academicandexperientiallearningchoices.

MentorshipShouldBeExpanded,Individualized,andRewarded

TheSpecialCommitteeheardcommentsthatwhileattorney-to-studentmentor

programswerewellintentioned,theyareinadequate.Havingamentortoassistwithcourse

choices,decisionsofexternshipsorclinicparticipation,andopportunitiestoclerkoutsideof

schoolisinvaluabletoalawstudent,particularlystudentswhodonothaveafamilymemberor

friendintheprofession.However,manystudentsandnewgraduatescomplainedthat,while

theirschoolhadanattorney-to-studentmentorprogram,theattorneystowhomtheywere

assignedwerebusyandplanstokeepintouchgavewaytobusyschedules.TheSpecial

Committeeappreciatesthatmentoringisatimeconsumingcommitment.Wesuggestthata

minimalamountofCLEcreditscouldbeofferedasappreciationtoattorneyswhotakeanactive

roleinmentoringlawstudents.SpeakersandpresentersatCLEcoursesareofferedenhanced

CLEcreditsfortheirefforts.Mentoringisinmanywaysaone-on-oneCLEcourseandshouldbe

rewardedaswell.

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Wealsosuggestthatthementor-studentpairingsshareacommoninterest.For

exampleteamingastudentinterestedintransactionalworkwithamentorengagedinthatfield

wouldlikelyimprovetherelationshipandfostergreaterinterest.

Additionally,theexpansionofprivatepracticeexternprogramscouldprovidea

springboardformentoringrelationshipsbetweenexperiencedlawyersandlawstudents.The

participatingstudentmaynotonlyhavetoopportunitytolearnpracticeskills,buttheymay

alsoreceivethebenefitofadviceandmentoring.

Finally,student-to-studentmentorprogramshavethepotentialtobeveryeffectiveand

shouldbegivenprominence.Generally,third-yearstudentshaveenoughexperiencewith

curriculumandexperientiallearningtobeanassettofirst-yearstudents.Sucharelationship

hasthepotentialtoboostenthusiasmandfosteranappreciationofthevalueofpractical

learningbothinsideandoutsidetheclassroom.Further,thebenefitsofsharedinterestscan

enhancetherelationship.Justaswithattorney-to-studentmentorship,agoodmentor

relationshiptakestimeandcommitment.Wherethestudentmentormeetsthecriteriafor

meetingsandexpectationsforguidanceandadvice,thereshouldbeanopportunityfor

mentorstoearnaone-hourcreditforhisorherparticipation.

5.TheCurrentLawSchoolAdmissionCriteriaShouldBeEnhanced

EvaluationofWritingPerformanceShouldBePartoftheApplicationProcess

Thecommitteehasrecommendedsolutionstoimprovethewritingskillsoflawstudents

duringtheirlawschoolcareer,butsuggeststhattheissueshouldalsobeaddressedatitscore:

duringtheadmissionsprocess.Schoolsshouldevaluatethewritingskillsofapplicantsand

identifystudentwithgoodwriting–inotherwords,identifythosemostlikelytodowellin

school,passthebar,andsuccessfullyenterthepractice.

Ironically,educatorsalsonotethedecliningbasicwritingabilityofstudentsenteringlaw

schoolasagrowingproblem.Onedownstateprofessorcandidlyadmittedthatstudentsare

comingintograduate-leveleducationwithalowlevelofwritingskills.Theyarguethatlaw

schoolcannotbeexpectedtoteachinthreeyearswhathasnotbeenmasteredinthepast16

yearsofeducation.Yetthisistheskilltheprofessionexpectsofthosewhograduatefromlaw

school.Thisraisesthequestionofhowstudentswithsuchpoorwritingskillsmeetthecriteria

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foradmissionintolawschool.Anumberoffactorshavebeensuggested,includingwhethera

schoolispublicorprivate,itsadmissionsstandards,thedecliningnumberandacademiclevelof

applicants,andsomeargue,aninaccuratescreeningofastudent’sactualwritingabilityorskill

uponadmission.

Overall,theresearchsuggeststhatthemedianLawSchoolAdmissionsTest(“LSAT”)

scoreofadmittedlawstudentstodayisa143.OneassociateprofessoratanIllinoislawschool

whowasformerlypartoftheadmissionsofficeexplainedthatstudentswhotestinthismedian

rangewilllikelynotwritewell,andwillstruggletopassthebar.Additionally,thisprofessor

opinedthattheoften-overlookedwritingportionoftheLSATdeservesfarmoreattention.He

suggeststhatsinceitiswrittenunderthepressureandtimeconstraintofatest,itwill

accuratelyexhibitacandidate'sabilitytowriteanalytically,toidentifyanissue,anddraftan

answer–allwritingskillswhichlawschoolrequires.Thus,werecommendalargerwriting

portionontheLSATthatisbothscoredandcarefullyreviewedduringtheadmissionsprocess.

Werecognizethatsucharecommendationisbeyondourpurviewandauthority,butwenone

thelesspointtothevalueinscreeningwritingskillsaspartoftheadmissionprocess.

Astudent'spersonalstatementisalsonotareliablemeasure.Whenstudentsare

writinginlawschool,theyareaskedtocompleteadefinedprojectwithinspecificparameters,

orunderthepressureofanin-classexam.Therequirementofapersonalstatementmay

providesomeinsightintotheindividualandhisorherlifeexperiences,butitislikelynotan

accuratereflectionofaprospectivelawstudent’sactualwritingability.Justasimportant,a

paperapplicationalsodoesnotaffordanyexaminationofastudent'sinterpersonalor

communicationskills.Perhapsitistimetobringbacktheinterview.

Anotheralternativeisanewtwistonamultiple-choicetestdesignedtoteaseout

whethertheapplicanthastheabilitiesandskillsalawyerwillneedinpractice.Thistest,which

KaplaniscurrentlyworkingwithValparaisoUniversityLawSchooltoadminister,seeksto

provideanaccuratescreeningofaprospect’swritingcapabilityviaacost-efficientandeasily

gradedmultiple-choiceexam.68

68 The make-up of the test is complicated. However, the test is designed to accurately reveal the personal skills of prospective law students, as well as their writing capabilities.

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StudentsinthePipeline:Pre-AdmissionProgram

Thefollowingrecommendationoutlinesaprograminwhich,forasmallfeepaidtothe

school,alawschoolcouldallowanundergraduatestudenttoattendthelawschoolforaweek,

sitinonclasses,anddraftapersonalstatementdescribingtheexperience.Thatwritingsample

wouldbetterreflectthewritingskillsofthepotentialapplicant.Weappreciatetheremaybe

costsassociatedwithsuchaprogram–astudentwouldneedguidancefromstaffandfaculty

concerningchoicesfortheirweekattendanceandanyfeewould,hopefully,recompensesuch

costs.

Inthis“pre-lawadmissionsprogram,”astudentwouldattendafulltwodaysoffirst-

yearcourses(includinglegalwritingandresearch).Then,thestudentcouldoptintoonetotwo

daysofsecond-yearcourses.Afterobservingeachcourse,thestudentwouldberequired,

withinthatweek,towriteanessayexplainingtheirexperienceandwhytheyareavaluable

candidateforlawschooladmittance.Thatessaywouldthenserveastheirpersonalstatement

forallIllinoisschools.Thisprogramwouldgiveschoolstheopportunitytoobservethework

productofaprospectivestudentthatisunrehearsed,doneinashortperiodoftime,andunder

thedirectionandformatproposedbythehostschool.Additionally,thestudentsbenefitby

experiencingalawschoolclassfirsthand–toseeiflawschoolisreallytheircalling.

SupplementAdmissionCriteriawithPost-AdmissionProgramming

Finally,followingadmission,lawschoolsshouldrequireparticipationinaone-to-two

week“bootcamp”programstaffedbytheISBAasaintroductorycrashcourseonlegalwriting,

tobecompletedjustpriortofirstyearorientation.Thismirrorsacoursecurrentlyrequiredat

SIUforincomingfirst-yearstudents.69Thiscoursewouldprioritizelegalwritingfornew

studentsandassistlegalwritingprofessorsintheireffortstoassessanddevelopastudent's

writingskills.

6.TheCurrentCriteriaandProcessforAdmittancetotheIllinoisBarShouldBeExamined

Currently,admittancetotheIllinoisbarrequirescompletionofadegreeinlawfromalaw

69 The SIU Carbondale School of Law offers similar boot camp crash courses to prepare students upon admission.

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schoolaccreditedbytheABA,passingtheacademicandprofessionalresponsibility

examinationswithascoreassetbytheBoardofBarExaminers,andacertificationofgood

moralcharacterandgeneralfitnesstopracticelaw.Uponapplicationandcompletionofthe

requirements,alawgraduateisadmittedtothepracticeoflawandgivenalicensetopractice

lawintheStateofIllinois.

Illinoisstudentstaketheacademicbarexaminationaftergraduation.Manystatesarere-

examiningwhenandevenifstudentsshouldtakeabarexamcoveringmultistatetopicsandin-

statetopics.Arizonasuggeststhatstudentstakeabarexamaftertwoyearsofschooling.New

Yorkisalsoconsideringthebaraftertwoyearsandiftheypass,thatexternshipsbethesole

focusofstudentcurriculuminthethirdyear.

AformerUCLAprofessorwhonowteachesbarexaminationpreparatorycoursesinIllinois

andservesasanassociateprofessorpointedoutthatthelegalprofessionistheonlyprofession

wherestudentsarenottestedthroughouttheirgraduate-levellearningexperiencetomeasure

incrementalprogressandensurethattheymeettherequisitestandardstopracticeintheir

respectivefields.Thebaradmittanceprocessdoesnotmonitorprogressuntilallacademic

educationiscompleteandthestudenthaseitherpassedorfailedtheadmissionprocess.Ifthe

studentfails,heorshehasnorecourseandmustsupplementanydeficiencyoutsidethe

parametersofschool.

Medicalschools,dentalschools,veterinaryschools,andsimilarprofessionaltraining

programsnotonlyrequirehands-onlearning,theytestsubstantivelearningpracticalskills

throughouttheirgraduateleveleducation.Forexample,medicalstudentsmustpasstheir

boardsduringtheirtrainingandareexposedtohandsonexperiencewithrealpatientsearlyon

intheireducation.Requiringboardpassagestronglyencourageseachschooltoteachmaterial

thatisuniversallydeemedmostimportantandtestedonboards.

TheIllinoisSupremeCourt,throughitsrules,governstheprocessandcriteriaforadmission

totheIllinoisbar.ItisafterallthemembersoftheSupremeCourtthatsignthelicense

authorizingtherecipienttopracticelawintheStateofIllinois.Theyhavetheauthoritytoset

parametersastheyseefittogovernadmissiontopracticeinourstatethroughtheirrules.We

recommendthattheCourtconsiderrequiringexperientiallearningbeyondtheminimalABA

standardasacriterionforlicensinginIllinois.Suchastepwouldbeaclearmessagethatthe

Courtunderstandsthedilemmafacingnewlawyersandisreadytoaddresstheneedfor

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practice-readyskillstraining.

V.RECENTUPDATES

A. TheBarExam

InJuly2012,theNationalConferenceofBarExaminersevaluatedtheextenttowhich

thebarexamteststheskillsnecessaryforanewlylicensedattorney.70Amongother

components,thestudyincludedphoneinterviewswithpractitionersacrossthecountryfrom

variousareasofpracticeandvariouslevelsofexperience.71Thecommentsfromthephone

interviewsoftheNCBEJobAnalysisprovidedmanyofthenationalanecdotesregardingskills

deficienciesinrecentgraduatesdiscussedthroughoutthisReport.Basedonthefindingsofthe

JobAnalysis,changesareunderwayfortheMultistateBarExamination(MBE).Onechange

alreadyineffectistheadditionofCivilProcedure,whichwastestedinFebruary2015.72The

resultsdemonstratethatwrittencommunication,oralcommunication,andprofessionalism,

amongotherskills,areconsideredsignificantnationallybypractitionersandarethus,identified

bytheNCBEasareastoincludeinthebarexam.73

Aswedocumented,thereisgreatconcernaboutthewritingskillsoflawschool

graduates.TheIllinoisSupremeCourthasrespondedtothegrowingconcernovernew

graduateswritingskillsbyraisingthebarpassagescore.74TheIllinoisSupremeCourtmetwith

theBoardofAdmissionstotheBarandthedeansfromIllinoislawschoolstodiscusstheissues

andagreedtoraisetheminimumpassingscoreto266outof400.75Therationalebehindthe

70 Susan M. Case, The Testing Column The NCBE Job Analysis: A Study of the New Licensed Lawyer, THE BAR EXAMINER 52, 52 (2013). The study, known as a job analysis was conducted by Applied Measurement Professionals Inc. Id. 71 Id. at 52. 72Id. at 53(noting the NCBE was in the process of adding Civil Procedure prior to the job analysis).73Id. at 53, 55 (“[T]he goal is to include [the skills necessary for newly licensed attorneys] in the licensing exam . . . Modifying our tests to assess certain skill areas rated as highly significant (e.g., oral communication) may be difficult—or, in some cases, impossible—but other skill areas are worthy of our effort to incorporate them into what is assessed in the bar exam.”).74 Steve Miller, Exam Raising The Bar For Aspiring Lawyers In Illinois, CHICAGO CBS LOCAL (Apr. 4, 2013, 1:17 PM), http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2013/04/04/exam-raising-the-bar-for-aspiring-lawers-in-illinois/ (reporting in April 2013 that the supreme court set the minimum pass score for July 2015 at 272). 75 ILLINOIS STATE BAR ASS’N., Revised Schedule and Increases to Passing Score for Bar Exam Announced, ILLINOIS LAWYER NOW (Mar. 27, 2015), http://iln.isba.org/blog/2015/03/27/revised-schedule-and-increases-passing-score-bar-exam-announced.

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changeistodecreaseinstanceswhereindividualspassthebarwithagoodcumulativescore,

yetscoredpoorlyontheessayportion.Recentgraduates’successontheMBEisattributableto

howwelltheprepcourses,suchasBarBri,preparestudentstotaketheMBE.Thegoalisthata

higherminimumpassingscorewillrequireindividualstodowellonboththeMBEandthe

writingsectioninordertopass.

WhiletheIllinoisSupremeCourt'sactionhasbroughttheissueofwritingskillstothe

forefront,weencouragethemtogofurtherandaddresswritingcurriculuminlawschoolsand

urgedramaticchange.

B. ABAChanges

InJanuary2014,theABATaskForceontheFutureofLegalEducation(ABATaskForce)

issueditsfinalReportandRecommendations.76Asevidencedbytheobservationssharedby

Illinoispractitionersandpractitionersacrossthecountry,theABATasktheForceconcluded

thatdespitetheirlegaleducations,manygraduatesarenotequippedwiththepracticalskills

necessaryforthepracticeoflawwhentheygraduate.77Asaresult,oneofthe

recommendationsbytheABATaskForceisthatlawschoolsdeveloplegalskillsand

competenciesintheirstudents.TheReportandRecommendationsstates:“[T]hecorepurpose

commontoalllawschoolsistoprepareindividualstoprovidelegalandrelatedservicesina

professionallyresponsiblefashion....Thebalancebetweendoctrinalinstructionandfocused

preparationforthedeliveryoflegalservicesneedstoshiftstillfurthertowarddevelopingthe

competenciesandprofessionalismrequiredofpeoplewhowilldeliverservicestoclients.”78

WhiletheABATaskForceacknowledgesthatmanyschoolshavebeguntoaddressthecallfor76 AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION TASK FORCE ON THE FUTURE OF LEGAL EDUCATION, REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS (Jan. 2014), available at http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/professional_responsibility/report_and_recommendations_of_aba_task_force.authcheckdam.pdf. See also Jay Conison, The Report and Recommendations of the ABA Task Force on the Future of Legal Education: Its Significance for Bar Admissions and Regulation of Entry into the Legal Profession, THE BAR EXAMINER 12, 12 (Dec. 2014), available at http://www.ncbex.org/assets/media_files/Bar-Examiner/articles/2014/830414-conison.pdf (noting that the ABA Board of Governors approved the Report in February 2014). 77AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION TASK FORCE ON THE FUTURE OF LEGAL EDUCATION, supra note 76, at 26 (“Much of what the [ABA] Task Force heard from recent graduates reflects a conviction that they received insufficient development of core competencies that make one an effective lawyer . . . .”); Conison, supra note 93 at 15 (“Many if not most law schools today do not sufficiently develop core competencies that make one an effective lawyer, particularly those relating to representation of and service to clients.”). 78Id. at 3.

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morepractice-basedlearning,itcallsforstillmorechangetopreparelawstudentsforthe

practiceoflawupongraduation.79

InAugust2014,theABAtookastepcloser“towarddevelopingthecompetenciesand

professionalismrequired”80forthepracticeoflawwhentheABASectionofLegalEducation

andAdmissionstotheBarreviseditslawschoolaccreditationstandards.81Notableamongthe

changesmadeandadoptedbytheABAarechangestoChapter3–ProgramofLegalEducation.

TheABASectionofLegalEducationandAdmissionstotheBarexplainsthatthegoalofthe

changestoChapter3isto“reduc[e]...relianceoninputmeasures”andincrease“outcome

measures.”82WhiletherevisedstandardsthroughouttheStandardsforApprovalofLawSchool

includemanyimportantchanges,particularlythoseintheProgramofLegalEducation,there

areafewthatrequirespecificattentionhere.83Specifically,Standard301,Objectivesof

ProgramofLegalEducation,wasrevisedtoincludetherequirementthat“[a]lawschoolshall

establishandpublishlearningoutcomesdesignedtoachieve”theobjectivethatlawschools

preparelawstudents“upongraduation,”for“effective,ethical,andresponsibleparticipationas

membersofthelegalprofession.”84Thisrevisedstandardcallsforpreparednessto

“participate”inthebar“upongraduation”—notafter2-3yearsofexperienceashas

traditionallybeenthecase.85Secondly,therevisedstandardincludes“ethical”preparedness,

whichdemonstratesthattheABA,likeIllinoispractitioners,expectsandvaluesethicsand

professionalisminlawschoolgraduates,andthateducationinethicsisrequiredduringlaw

79Id. The ABA task force also provides specific recommendations to achieve the goal of producing law graduates with core competencies, including suggestions of changes to the ABA’s accreditation standards. Id. at 31. 80Id. at 3.81 See AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION SECTION OF LEGAL EDUCATION AND ADMISSIONS TO THE BAR, Transition to and Implementation of the New Standards and Rules of Procedure for Approval of Law Schools 1 (Aug. 13, 2014), http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/legal_education_and_admissions_to_the_bar/governancedocuments/2014_august_transition_and_implementation_of_new_aba_standards_and_rules.authcheckdam.pdf. 82AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION SECTION OF LEGAL EDUCATION ADMISSIONS TO THE BAR, Explanation of Changes ch. 3, http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/legal_education_and_admissions_to_the_bar/council_reports_and_resolutions/201408_explanation_changes.authcheckdam.pdf (last visited May 6, 2015). 83 Other notable changes to Chapter 3 not mentioned here include: Standard 306 on Distance Education; Standard 309 on Academic Advising and Support; and, Standard 314 on Assessment of Student Learning, which requires feedback to students, essential for quality learning. AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION SECTION OF LEGAL EDUCATION ADMISSIONS TO THE BAR, Revised Standards for Approval of Law Schools (Aug. 2014), http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/legal_education_and_admissions_to_the_bar/council_reports_and_resolutions/201406_revised_standards_redline.authcheckdam.pdf (strikethrough version). 84Id. at Standard 301(a), Standard 301(b). 85 See Id. at Standard 301(a), Standard 301(b).

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schooltopreparestudentsforpractice.86Inaddition,therevisionalsosuggeststhatmore

educationinethicsduringlawschoolisrequiredthanisthecurrentpractice.

AnothernotablerevisionistoSection302,LearningOutcomes,whichnowstates:

Alawschoolshallestablishlearningoutcomesthatshall,ataminimum,includecompetency in the following: (a) Knowledge and understanding of substantiveand procedural law; (b) Legal analysis and reasoning, legal research, problemsolving,andwrittenandoralcommunicationinthelegalcontext;(c)Exerciseofproperprofessional andethical responsibilities to clients and the legal system;and(d)Otherprofessionalskillsneededforcompetentandethicalparticipationasamemberofthelegalprofession.87

Interestingly,thesestandardsnowspecificallyrequirelawschoolstodevelopcompetenciesin

manyoftheskills,suchasprocedurallaw,writtenandoralcommunication,andproblem-

solving,thatIllinoispractitionersidentifiedasskillsthatareneededinnewgraduates.The

standardalsorequireslearningoutcomes,whichmeansthatupongraduation,lawstudents

shouldbeabletodemonstrateatleastminimumcompetencyintheaboveskillsareas.

Finally,anothernotablechangeistherequirementofsixcredithoursofexperiential

learningunderStandard303,Curriculum.88Thisadditionalrequirementdemonstratesashift

withintheABA,albeitasmallone,towardtheideathat“lawschoolsaretoprepareindividuals

todothings,ratherthanjustknowthings.”89Thischangealsoreflectstheconsensusamong

Illinoislegalemployersthatthecriticalhiringfactorofanewgraduateismostfrequently

clinical,externship,orinternshipexperience,astherevisedrequirementencouragessuch

learning.

AstheReportandRecommendationsoftheABATaskForceandtheRevisedStandards

forApprovalforLawSchoolsdemonstrate,practitionersacrossthecountryvalueexperiential

learningandarecallingforalegaleducationcurriculumthatdevelopsthecorecompetencies

outlinedandtheskillsdetailedinthisReport.Achievingthesecorecompetenciesbythetime

lawstudentsgraduatewillnecessarilyrequiremoreofashiftinlegaleducationtointegrate

ethicstrainingandpracticalapplicationintodoctrinalcoursesandsubstantial,ifnottotal,law

studentparticipationinexperientiallearningcourses,specificallyinclinics,externships,and

86See Id. at Standard 301(a).87Id. at Standard 302.88See Id. at Standard 303(a)(3).89 Conison, supra note 93 at 18.

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internships.Illinoislawschoolcurriculummustalsoadapttomeetthenewrealitiesandneeds

ofIllinoispractitionersasdiscussedabove.90

C. PraxisModels

Theresoundingvoiceofthepracticingbaristhatthemostmarketableandbest-

equippednewgraduatesarethosewithpracticalskills.ProgramssuchasthePraxismodelat

ValparaisoUniversityCollegeofLawpromotepracticalskillsandwasrecentlyimplementedasa

newcurriculummodel.91Itisbasedonarotationthatmovesstudentsthroughthe

foundationalcoursesinsevenweekincrements,withopportunityforevaluationandfeedback

throughouttheterm.Thecurriculumhasthreegoals;teachtheknowledgenecessarytopass

theMultistateBarExam(MBE),providebasicpracticeskills,andgiveconcretefeedbackto

studentsthroughouttheircoursework.ThePraxisModelallowsstudentstotakecourses

whicharetestedonthebarexam.Valparaisoobservedwhatmanyalreadyknewintuitively,

thatthebarpassageratewashigheramongstudentswhohadtakenbarcoursesduringlaw

schoolandthusitisacomponentoftheirprogram.Thereisfrequentandconstructive

feedbackineverycoursearea,andintegrationofbasicskillsineachcoursesuchasworking

withanactualcontractinacontractscourseordraftingcomplaintsandinterrogatoriesinacivil

procedurecourse.TheValparaisoprofessorwhoaddressedthetaskforcespokeaboutthe

logisticsofimplementingtheprogramandcandidlytoldthetaskforcethatthePraxismodel

requiresasubstantialamountoftimeandresources.92WeapplaudValparaisoforthis

undertakingandlookforwardsimilarsuccessfromChicago-KentCollegeofLawandits

introductionofPraxis.

D. Debt

Asmentionedabove,manyrecentgraduatesworkaprimarylegaljobandasecondjob

90 See supra Sec. I, Sec. II.C. 91See supra note _ (briefly describing the new model of Indiana University School of Law’s legal education program). 92 2014 Chicago Hearing.

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intheeveningstopaytheirdebt.93Ironically,theseattorneysareleftcaughtbetween

satisfyinganewemployerandearningsupplementalincometosustaintheirfinancial

obligations.Indeed,nationally,duetotheirinabilitytosecurefull-timelegalemployment,many

newlylicensedattorneysworkpart-timelegalpositionswhilealsoworkingotherjobs.In

January2014,Forbesreported:“Nationwide,EMSI[EconomicModelingSpecialists,Intl.]

estimatesjobsforthosewhodrawmiscellaneousincomeaslawyers(incomethatisn’tderived

fromtheirprimaryjob)havegrown25%since2009andhavemorethandoubledsince2001.

Medianearningsfortheseworkersare$35.62anhour,nearly$20lessthansalariedlawyers.”94

Further,evenforthosewhodofindfull-timelegalemployment,theirstartingsalaryaloneis

insufficienttoservicebothlawschooldebtandmaintainsustainableliving.TheNALPreported

thatatsmallfirms(2-10attorneys),whichcomprise42%oflawfirmjobs,theaveragestarting

salaryin2013was$53,000andthestartingsalaryattheaveragepublicinterestjobrequiring

barpassagein2013was$45,889.95TheABAreportedthatin2012theaverageamount

borrowedbyalawgraduateatapublicschoolwas$84,600and$122,158ataprivateschool.96

Duetothediscrepancybetweenstartingsalariesandlawschooldebt,manynewattorneystake

onasecondjobtomeettheirdebtobligations.Themagnitudeofdebtanditsimpactcontinues

toloomlargeonyoungerlawyerseventhosewithareasonablesalary.Becauseoftheir

substantiallawschooldebt,studentsmustbeequippedupongraduationwiththepractical

skillsthatmakethemvaluabletoprospectiveemployers.

93 A new practitioner from the DuPage area also spoke to the Special Committee about making it a priority to graduate in 2.5 years instead of three in order to avoid more debt. 94 Joshua Wright, The Job Market For Lawyers: Side Work On The Rise Amid Continuing Glut Of New Graduates, FORBES (Jan. 10, 2014, 11:20 AM), http://www.forbes.com/sites/emsi/2014/01/10/the-job-market-for-lawyers-side-work-on-the-rise-amid-continuing-glut-of-new-graduates/2/. 95 NALP, Employment for the Class of 2013-Selected Findings, 3 (2014), http://www.nalp.org/uploads/Classof2013SelectedFindings.pdf (also reporting the overall median starting salary at $62, 467); NALP, Class of 2013 Summary Report (July 2014), http://www.nalp.org/uploads/NatlSummaryChartClassof2013.pdf. 96 Am. Bar Ass’n, Average Amount Borrowed, 2011-2012, http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/legal_education_and_admissions_to_the_bar/statistics/avg_amnt_brwd.authcheckdam.pdf (last visited January 6, 2015). This debt amount is for law school alone and does not include undergraduate debt. See Robert Farrington, Law School and Student Loan Debt: Be Careful, FORBES (Dec. 18, 2014, 8:46 AM), http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertfarrington/2014/12/18/law-school-and-student-loan-debt-be-careful/.

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E. LawyersAssistanceProgram

Recently,theLawyersAssistanceProgram(LAP)sawadramaticincreaseinreports

concerningmentalhealthissuesinattorneysprimarilybecauseofhighdebtloadsandthe

inabilitytocopewiththesubstantialburdensuchdebtloadspose.Notonlyarenewattorneys

moreinclinedtoliveataparent’shome,orcopewithaverylowbudgetforbasicneeds,but

theyarealsosufferingfrommentalillnessasaresultofthenewnormofhigherdebtupon

graduation.

TheLAPReportfor2014-15evidencesacontinuationofthesefrighteningtrends.97For

example,thenumberoflawstudentsseekingLAPassistancehasrisenandlawstudentsnow

accountfor17.4%ofthoseseekinghelpfromLAP.98Also,LAPnotesthat“[t]henumberof[its]

clientsundertheageof30hasbeensteadilyincreasingfrom8%fouryearsagoto22.5%[in

2014-15].”99Interestingly,thenexthighestgroupis30-39yearoldsat24.9%.100Finally,LAP

notesthat“[d]epressionisstillthemostsignificantissuethattheIllinoislegalcommunityfaces.

Oftenthedepressionstartsoutasstressandanxietyinlawschoolandleftuntreated,becomes

depression.”101

VI.CONCLUSION

WhilemanygraduatesofIllinois’lawschoolsareenteringpracticewiththerequisite

skillsandtransitioningwelltothepracticeoflaw,manyothernewlawyersarestruggling.They

aresaddledwithenormousstudentdebt,unpreparedtopracticelaw,withoutpracticalskills,

and,formany,withoutpracticalexperience.Theyfindthemselvesshunnedfromprivate

practicefirmswhoareunwillingorunabletobearthecostthetrainingthemandcompeting

againsthighoddstogetajobinthepublicsector–whichthoughlowpayingwillofferthemthe

goldenopportunitytoacquiretheskillsmostemployerswant.Manymovetoruralareaswhere

thelikelihoodofemploymentishigherandtheycanbegintobuildthepracticeskillstheydidn't

97 Lawyers Assistance Program, 2014-2015 Annual Report. 98 Id. at 8. 99 Id. at 7. 100 Id. 101Id.

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learninschool.Buttheshort-termemploymentandmigrationtowardlargersalaryhas

inflictedanothersetofproblems,particularlyinruralareas.Thosefortunateenoughtohave

anylawrelatedposition,stillfaceworkingasecondjobandtoughcareerchoicesandpersonal

sacrifices.Theunemployedstruggle;applyingforjobsasparalegalsorclerksjusttobepartofa

lawofficetolearnpracticeskills.Stillothershangoutasolopracticeshingleandhopethatthey

canlearnonthejob.

Experiencedattorneys,theseniormembersofthebar,sharedtheirobservations,

recollections,andfrustrationswiththestatusofthepracticeoflaw.Theylamentedthechange

inthepracticeoflawfromtheprofessiontheyenteredtothebusinessithasbecome.Theysee

studentdebtasthebiggestimpedimentpreventingyounglawyersfromstayingindownstate

practicesandrealizethattheycannotpaysalariesnecessaryforanewlawyertopayhisorher

studentdebtandlive,andcannotcompetewiththesalariesofferedinthemetroareas.One

attorneyfromasmallcollarcountyfirmcandidlyadmittedthatshenowinquiresaboutthe

amountofstudentdebtaprospectiveemployeehas,and“Idothemath.”Sheweighswhether

thefirmcanpaythemenoughtoservicethedebtandliveandifnot,realizesthatthiswill

probablynotbealong-termrelationship.Thenextquestionis,canIaffordtohire,paya

salary,andtrainthiscandidatefor12to18monthswhenalong-termcommitmentappears

unlikely?Therefraincontinues,theycometogainexperience,andtolearnhowtopractice

law,butdonotstay.

Clientsarenolongerwillingtopayforyoungunskilledassociatestoworkontheircases.

Thusthecostoftrainingrecentgraduatesfallsonprivatefirmsorpublicsectorofficeswillingto

hirenewgraduateswithoutskill.Thetrainingneededmustremediatepoorwritingskillsand

teachbasicpracticeskillsandsolidcommunicationsskillsandaddressprofessionalism,

lawyeringskills,andthebusinessofthepracticeoflaw.

Understandthatnewlawyersareourgreatestresource–theyareourfuture.Wemust

assisttherecentlygraduatednewlawyersinaharshmarket,andmakechangestodaythatwill

changethefutureforthenextclassofgraduatesandnewadmittees.Rememberwewouldnot

beheretodayifmuchhadnotbeengiventous–itisnowtimeforustostepupandensure

thatmuchisgiventothosethatfollowus.

Addressingpractice-readyskillsinnewgraduatesisnotasimpleproblem.Thesolution

willbedifficultandrequirethecompromiseofconflictinginterestsandthemodificationof

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rulesandstandardsbygroupslargerthantheISBA.TheSpecialCommitteeproposesanew

perspectiveonlawschoolcurriculum,whichwouldprovideabetterinvestmentonthecostof

legaleducationforstudents,providemoreandbetterpracticeskillsfornewgraduates,and

reducesthecostofpost-graduationtrainingforemployers.Thesolutionwillnotbe

implementedeasily.Butthechangesarenecessary.Lawschooleducationmustadapttothe

changesinthemarketplaceandthedemandsofthepracticesnewgraduateswilljoin.That

said,theSpecialCommitteeemphasizesthatthisReportisnotintendedtobeanattackonthe

educationprovidedbyIllinois’greatlawschools.Rather,itisanefforttopresentthe

observationsofthepracticingbarandstartadialoguewithstakeholdersthatisaimedat

addressingpractice-readyskillsinnewgraduates.TheISBAmustengageinthesolution.

Thebenchandbarsharewiththelegalacademytheresponsibilityofensuringthatnew

lawyerscanmeettheobligationsoftheirprofessionalcalling.Thatrequiresthatthe

relationshipbetweenthemberevisited,andstraightforwardcommunicationsbegun.The

SpecialCommitteerecommendsthattheISBAinitiatethisprocessbyextendinganinvitationto

representativesofIllinoislawschoolstoengageinaseriesofformaldiscussionsontheissues

andrecommendationssetoutinthisReport.Thesediscussionswillprovideanopportunityto

findcommongroundinpreparingthelegalprofessionalsofthefuture.