When in School, Be a Student
There is a lot of discussion within the legal community about how law schools can (or should) prepare students for the business of practicing law. It is common to hear complaints about how young graduates do not understand how to run a practice, and that the law school faculty and administrators should better prepare them for the real world. I respectfully disagree.
There are so few times in our lives when we can truly immerse ourselves in the science of our profession. The years in law school expose us to intellectual experiences that may never be found in a private practice. The law school faculty is best equipped to challenge the law student’s mind in the most thought-provoking and critical ways. In law school, we learn how to write clearly, concisely, and persuasively. Law schools offer opportunities to study and understand fundamental legal rights that serve as the foundation for most legal disputes that arise within the practice. Learning about and discussing, in a critical and theoretical manner, constitutional rights or contract rights or procedural options instills a preliminary basis for everything we do as lawyers.
The best way to run a well-respected law practice is to demonstrate strong skills as a lawyer. You can’t do that unless you have obtained a good education – one that offers the type of critical legal analysis and knowledge that is acquired in school.
Don’t get me wrong. There are many pieces that need to fit together properly to run a successful law practice. I submit that a solid legal education is the first and arguably largest piece in the cog. A commitment to an ethical method of practice with a high level of integrity will naturally lead to the acquisition of the other pieces necessary to operate the machine we call a law practice.