What’s Legal Education Got To Do With Access to Justice?

November 4, 2011

Sorry for the long gap since my last post. The real life of my own practice of law was about as busy last month as it’s ever been, and I just could not get back to this series of posts. So, for those you who were reading along, here is the Cliff Notes recap. My [...]

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Why Don’t American Law Schools Teach Law Students How to Practice Law?

September 29, 2011

So if as my last post, “Where Should Lawyers Learn How To Practice” suggests, we know how to teach law students to practice law, why aren’t American law schools doing it with every student on a routine basis? I believe there are two reasons: First, it is a more expensive delivery model than the standard [...]

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Where Should Lawyers Learn How to Practice?

September 28, 2011

Traditionally, young lawyers received training in the skills needed to practice law in law firms. But today, for most law graduates, that training is hard to come by. Many young lawyers just can’t find jobs. When they can, fewer and fewer firms have time to spend on training. Even at large firms, clients are refusing [...]

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Law School: Necessary, But Not Sufficient

September 27, 2011

Last June, in San Diego, I conducted my final in-person meeting as Chair of the ABA Delivery of Legal Services Committee. Committee member Luz Herrera, arranged to have our meeting hosted at the Thomas Jefferson Law School, where she is a member of the faculty. The Law School was a gracious host, and the Dean, [...]

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Delivery of Legal Services: An Unfinished Agenda

September 8, 2011

The close of the American Bar Association’s Annual Meeting in Toronto last month brought with it the end of my service as the Chair of the ABA’s Standing Committee on the Delivery of Legal Services. The Committee’s mandate is to “to improve access to lawyers and legal services for those of moderate incomes – those [...]

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There’s a Storm Front Coming – Is the Law Ready?

August 28, 2011

In the words of Billy Joel, “There’s a Storm Front Coming.” Actually, it’s already here. For many hours it’s been raining hard in the Northeastern United States. So far, here in northwest Vermont, we have seen no real wind, but the weather reports tell us high winds are on the way. All weekend, we’ve all [...]

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More on the ABA House of Delegates Rejection of the Uniform Collaborative Law Rules and Act

August 10, 2011

A.J. Grossman’s Comment on my last post, “ABA House of Delegates Rejects Uniform Collaborative Law Rules and Act, ” makes good points, and asks good questions.  Here is his comment, and my reply: “My firm practices collaborative law and we are disappointed at this result, but not too surprised. Our attorneys also hold LL.M. degress [...]

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ABA House of Delegates Rejects Uniform Collaborative Law Rules and Act

August 8, 2011

I am disappointed to report that today, the American Bar Association’s House of Delegates rejected Resolution 110B, which would have added ABA approval to the Uniform Collaborative Law Rules and Act. The vote was 294 No and 158 Yes. The House cut off debate on the subject after hearing fewer than 10 speakers. Opponents, led [...]

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Once Again, The Uniform Collaborative Law Rules and Act Provokes Controversy in the ABA House of Delegates

July 28, 2011

Traffic on the ABA House of Delegates Listserve indicates that, one again, the Uniform Collaborative Law Rules and Act may well prove to be the hot issue before the House of Delegates at the ABA’s Annual Meeting in Toronto. The House of Delegates is scheduled to meet August 8 and 9. As he did before, Larry Fox [...]

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Uniform Law Commission’s Adjourns its 120th Annual Meeting in Vail, Colorado

July 25, 2011

I wrote about the personal side of Conference membership in my July 10, 2011 post: “The Personal Side of Legislation, at Least as the Uniform Laws Commission Does It.” Tempting as it is to write more about the personal side of Commission membership (particularly about the seven memorial speeches marking the passing of former colleagues), [...]

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