10 Best Law Schools in America 2018

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The

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BOSTON COLLEGE Integrating Education LAW SCHOOL- with Innovation

Editorial

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he first thing we do, let’s kill all lawyers”, the famous remark mentioned in Shakespeare’s Henry VI mockingly represents the attitude of common people towards lawyers. The world today is very opinionated which means if anyone is facing a problem; they know how to approach it and find a solution. This might raise a question that, ‘when everybody can speak for themselves, do we need a lawyer’?

Lawyers: Aligned for Bringing Justice and Improved Future

The world that people live in is filled with actions and decisions which are deemed to be either right or wrong. These rights and wrongs are again categorized by both the law and the society. Lawyers actually are needed in every walk of life and everyone has a different legal situation. The reason why a lawyer is important is because law is a vast complex body which keeps changing, not even a lawyer has track of it. Laws set by the society and judiciary were put in place to protect people. However, these laws and guidelines can create confusions and dubious situations between people. Lawyers settle such disputes and serve anyone in need of legal assistance. When law treats everyone equally, it is a lawyer who helps bring justice to individuals.

Thinking it differently, we can say that not having a lawyer on one’s side can cost more damage. The reasons why people avoid approaching solicitors might be financial or the unwillingness to run back and forth due the number of dates given one after the other on a single case. In such cases a commoner chooses to settle it in less time by opting for other illegal methods. Lawyers are those social beings who are legally trained for any situations needing legal assistance. They understand the levers of power that society holds and ‘the rule of law’, which helps them hold the authorities, government and anyone in power guilty, if found. An attorney’s duty does not end with only crime, they shape the society and hence most of the attorneys are also specialized in other legal practise areas like property, tax, personal injury, real estate, business, family etc.

The safest and easiest way to ensure justice is seeking the help of a lawyer, who is absolutely vital in any sort of legal process. T R

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Pooja M. Bansal MANAGING EDITOR Rajarshi Chatterjee EXECUTIVE EDITOR Crescent CU CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ananda Das, Sayali Rane VISUALISER David King ART & DESIGN DIRECTOR Amol Kamble CO-DESIGNER Alex Noel PICTURE EDITOR Asha, Shweta ART EDITOR Priyanka Rajage BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Akansha garewal MARKETING MANAGER Steve Smith BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVES John, Samriddhi, Sandra, Helen CIRCULATION MANAGER Robert DATABASE MANAGEMENT Stella Andrew TECHNICAL HEAD Swapnil Patil TECHNOLOGY CONSULTANT Vivek Bangade TECHNICAL SPECIALISTS Amar, Pratiksha DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER Marry D’Souza ONLINE MARKETING STRATEGISTS Alina Sege, Shubham Mahadik, Vaibhav K SME-SMO EXECUTIVES Prashant Chevale, Uma Dhenge, Gemson, Irfan

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Cover Story

10 Boston College Law School Integrating Education with Innovation

Articles 20

Educator’s Insight Making the Case for Allowing Paid Externships at Your Law School

24 Technological Revolution Innovations and Advancements in Law: Towards a Legal Revolution

Expert’s Viewpoint

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The ABA and the Law School Accreditation Process: Perpetuating a Legacy of Exclusion

42 Career Talk A Law Degree and Downpour of Choices

Contents 22

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Florida A&M University College of Law

Howard University School of Law

An Exceptional Law College Elevating Diversity to the Next Level

Creating Accomplished Legal Professionals

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LMU-Duncan School of Law

Loyola University Chicago School of Law

A Perfect Blend of Traditional and Contemporary Education

An Institution Fostering Leaders with a Fidelity to Justice

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University at Buffalo School of Law

University of Miami School of Law

A History of Tradition, Preparing the Lawyers of the 21st Century

Fostering Unparalleled Legal Education

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The New Frontiers of Law

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aw affects everyone in one way or the other. Whether it is during getting a new job, buying a house, or claiming the insurance, law always has a vital role to play. It is because of this, that a career as a lawyer is an extraordinary calling. The quote, “He who said that ‘talk is cheap’, has never hired a lawyer”, speaks volumes about who a lawyer is and what they are capable of. Without doubt one can say that a lawyer intensely analyzes the written decisions of the past and guides towards current decisions.

Being a competitive and highly popular career path, students want nothing less than the best. This being the reason behind U.S.A being the most desirable study destination for future lawyers as it has some extraordinary offers for students. World class education, the increase in number of job prospects, exciting career path, and the promising and rewarding salaries are some of the perks of studying in the US. In this issue, “10 Best Law Schools in America 2018”, we have picked out few such institutions who are in the forefront. These institutes nurture their students with a devotion to justice and prepare them for the world stage.

To begin with the handpicked institutes, we have featured Boston College Law School (BC Law) as the cover. BC Law educates aspiring law students and shape them to be the leaders of tomorrow prepared to grapple the society’s issues.

The issue also features Duncan School of Law, Lincoln Memorial University, Florida A&M University College of Law, Howard University School of Law, Loyola University, University of Miami School of Law, and University at Buffalo Law School.

Also, this issue also articles penned educators including Ray English and Donald Lively. Hope this edition of ours will give a detailed insight about these elite institutions and the glorious future promised. T R

BOSTON COLLEGE LAW SCHOOL Integrating Education with Innovation

Cover Story

Boston College Law School aims at educating lawyers through theory and practice, shaping leaders prepared to grapple with society’s most important moral and ethical questions.

Boston College Law School (BC Law) is one amongst the six professional graduate schools at Boston College. Located approximately 1.5 miles from the main Boston College campus in Chestnut Hill, Boston College Law School is situated on a 40-acre wooded campus in Newton, Massachusetts. The School oers a full-time, three-year J.D. program, as well as a one-year LL.M. Master of Laws program primarily for international students.

A Culturally Vibrant Campus At BC Law, a commitment to diversity is more than an institutional mandate: it is a cherished part of their Jesuit heritage. A truly just community embraces and celebrates a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives, and recognizes the value that comes from listening to every voice. BC Law has an associate dean for diversity, inclusion, and outreach that assists with recruitment, runs programs and workshops for a diverse student body, and ensures that everyone on campus understands the importance of cultural competency. The school runs hundreds of other programs each year as well, bringing speakers to campus on a multitude of topics.

At BC Law, challenging academics come with unparalleled support and encouragement. Faculty, staff and alumni are dedicated to help students thrive, inside and out of the classroom. The professors, mentors offer academic advice with an open-door policy, hosting extra-curricular activities which help the students both personally and professionally. The strong alumni network of BC Law allows students to connect over shared interests and gain information regarding the placement opportunities. The vibrant campus of this institution allows students to study and socialize together by sharing notes, and form relationships that will last forever.

Such long lasting friendship has created a close-knit, inclusive community including more than 700 students, 13,000 alumni, and over 40 student organizations.

This renowned academy’s LAHANAS program celebrates the diversity of this institution. Welcoming students from all walks of life this program conducts annual retreats, workshops and social events that enhances and encourages the cultural competency and inclusion within all. The School is one of the only law schools in the country that has an associate dean position and an office for diversity and inclusion. The Law School is also

About the Dean of BC Law

part of a dynamic research university, with many services and programs available to diverse law students.

Brilliant Academic and Infrastructural Facilities BC Law welcomes students with a wealth of professional and cultural opportunities. The campus is a quiet retreat, with beautiful grounds and modern classrooms. Students also take advantage of the University’s Chestnut Hill campus and facilities just a mile away. BC Law’s focus is on providing the

A vocal advocate for change in legal educa on, Dean, Vincent Rougeau has led a reorganiza on in leadership structure at the law school that supports a more holis c approach to student services, expands the school’s na onal and interna onal recruitment of a diverse student body through the Associate Dean for External Rela ons, Diversity and Inclusion, and enhances the school’s commitment to experien al learning and global engagement. Dean Rougeau serves as a member of the Execu ve Commi ee of the American Associa on of Law Schools, and on the Council of the Boston Bar Associa on.

His teaching interests are in contract and real estate law, as well as in law and religion. Before entering the academy, he prac ced law at the Washington, DC office of Morrison & Foerster from 19881991.

building blocks for any successful legal career, from research and writing skills, to rock-solid case law training, to courtroom experiences, and a focus on experiential learning. The school is well known for its strength in its innovation and business curriculum, tax, immigration, public policy, and criminal and civil litigation. The Rappaport Center for Law and Public Policy provides a fellowship program, a dynamic speaker series, and a distinguished visiting professor position each semester, while the Center for Experiential Learning provides some of the most wide-ranging and exciting externships, clinical programs, advocacy programs, and skills-based courses in the country. The School’s new LEAPS (Leaders Entering and Advancing Public Service) program provides a wealth of experiences, both academic and extra-curricular, to enhance students’ commitment to leadership and public service.

Scholarship and Financial Assistance The school not only provides quality education, but also assists students with financial support. Students can apply for financial assistance through a variety of scholarships, loans, stipends, and work-study opportunities. Loan repayment assistance programs also help make their education more affordable.

BC Law is ranked consistently among the top schools in

terms of value provided—U.S. News has ranked the school the #1 private law school whose graduates’ salaries most outweigh debt. The institute’s graduates’ 2016 median private sector starting salary was $160,000, over 50% higher than the national average.

The majority—88%—of the students receive financial assistance, and 94% of the college’s incoming students received scholarships in FY 2018.

The Gateway to World Stage BC Law offers a number of opportunities for students to study and work abroad, including the School’s flagship Semester-in-Practice: Dublin/International program, in which students are placed in Dublin in private businesses, law firms, and public organizations and participate in a weekly seminar. The program also offers externships throughout Europe, where students use videoconferencing to participate in the seminar. The School also offers two dual degree JD/LLM offerings, with the Sorbonne Law School and with Bucerius Law School in Germany. Finally, the school offers the following international exchange programs: ● Bucerius Law School Program (Hamburg, Germany): This first private law school in Germany offers a program in International and Comparative

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Business Law during the fall semester. The program is taught in English to a group of 90 students from all over the world. In addition, students whose knowledge of German is sufficient can take courses in the school’s regular curriculum. A preliminary course list can be found on Bucerius’ website. BC Law also offers a joint JD/LLM program with Bucerius. ● Paris HEAD Exchange: Students participate in an exchange program with HEAD law school in Paris, France, where they can take courses and have the option to work at the placements with businesses and law firms, and even participate in a reflective seminar. The Program provides students with critical insight into comparative legal institutions, and prepares them with the academic knowledge and practical skills of international law practice. Students develop further understandings of the similarities and differences between European and American law and institutions. The courses, seminar and externship experience combined with the daily aspects of life in a European environment broadens students’ legal education and global know-how. ● Trinity College School of Law: Established in 1740, Trinity is Ireland’s oldest and most internationally renowned law school. Trinity offers a broad range of law courses, from its advanced graduate offerings across law subjects in the international, EU and Irish law spheres. The students at BC can opt for any course offered here. ● Renmin University Law School: Renmin University Law School was the first law school founded after the formation of the People’s Republic of China. It is consistently ranked as one of the top law schools in the country.

Students are able to take graduate level courses in either the English language program on Chinese Law or, if the student is fluent in Mandarin, in the regular graduate-level law courses taught in Chinese.

WORDS OF TRUST “I wanted to go to a law school that had a sense of community and could ignite my passion for justice. BC had the academic rigor but it also had heart. I visited in late April when everyone was cramming for nals, yet they were genuinely cheering for each other.” – James Bor ‘17, Law Clerk, MA Supreme Judicial Court “BC Law has the reputation of being a friendly place. The mentality at BC tends to be, “we’re all in this together” rather than all in competition. Classmates help one another, creating a positive and effective learning environment.” – Erika Craven ‘20, Summer Law Clerk, Richard & Sencabaugh, LLP “Much of my clerkship involved applying the skills that BC Law taught me. First thing on the job, I created a how-to guide like the one in my advanced legal research course. I still use a template from Legal Writing & Research.” – Alejandra Salinas ‘15, Associate, Susman Godfrey LLP; former clerk for U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit

Career Opportunities and Exposures The Law School has a tremendously successful career services operation, and consistently places among the top 20 law schools in the percentage of students who land real, JD-required or advantage positions. The Career Services Office runs hundreds of programs for students each year, from resume workshops to networking events to interviews with employers. The process begins almost immediately, with mandatory meetings with career advisors, and students have access to hundreds of potential summer positions from big law firms to corporations to public service and nonprofits.

The Success Roadmap Consistently placed within the top 20 schools in the country, BC Law has a glorious history of its JD required/JD Advantage employment rates (i.e. real law jobs). That rate for the Class of 2017 was 86.1%, with a 90.8% overall employment rate. This school is currently ranked the #27 Best Law Schools by US News and World Report. Above the Law has ranked the school #20 in Top Law Schools, while ‘Princeton Review’ has ranked it #9 for both “Best Classroom Experience" and "Best Professors.”

Among the many other acclamations, Super Lawyers magazine has ranked the school #1 in New England for the number of “SuperLawyers” it has produced. U.S. News and World Report have ranked it as the #1 private law school where starting salaries for graduates outweigh debt.

National Jurist/PreLaw Magazine has crowned the college as one of the top schools for public interest law.

However, the most notable accomplishment was when 124 students of the academic year 2017-18 worked in 104 different externship locations across the U.S., Europe, and Asia. T R

Check should be drawn in favor of :

555 Metro Place North, Suite 100, Dublin, OH 43017, United States Phone - (614)-602-1754,(302)-319-9947

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Name of the Institution

URL

Boston College Law School

bc.edu

885 Centre Street, Newton, MA 02459, USA

Duncan School of Law, Lincoln Memorial University

lmunet.edu

601 W. Summit Hill Drive Knoxville, Tennessee 37902, USA

Florida A&M University College of Law

law.famu.edu

201 Beggs Avenue Orlando, Florida 32801, USA

Howard University School of Law

law.howard.edu

2900 Van Ness St NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA

Indiana University Maurer School of Law

law.indiana.edu

211 S Indiana Avenue, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA

Loyola University

luc.edu

25 E Pearson Street, Chicago, IL 60611, USA

Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law

law.asu.edu

111 E Taylor Street, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USA

Thurgood Marshall School of Law

tsulaw.edu

3100 Cleburne Street, Houston, TX 77004, USA

University at Buffalo Law School

law.buffalo.edu

211 Putnam Way, Buffalo, NY 14260, USA

University of Miami School of Law

law.miami.edu

1311 Miller Road, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA

Location of the Institution

Making the Case for

ALLOWING PAID EXTERNSHIPS at Your Law School

About the Author Prior to joining Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University as the Assistant Dean of Student Career Services, Ray English used to serve as the Associate Director of Career Services at Georgia State University College of Law. Holding a Bachelor’s degree in Science from The Ohio State University and Juris Doctor from Howard University School of Law, Ray served as a Staff Judge Advocate in the U.S Air force. After leaving army he later served as an Assistant Professor of Law at Appalachian School of Law wherein he used to teach criminal law and litigation skills. He has been selected to serve on the National Association of Law Placement Board of Directors on the NALP Nominating Committee.

Ray English Dean Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University

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Educator’s Insight

In 2016, the ABA eliminated the longstanding ban on law students getting paid and earning academic credit for externships, despite significant opposition by the Clinical Legal Education Association and the Society of American Law Teachers.

Traditionally, law schools limited externships almost exclusively to government and public interest entities, which were unpaid. The underlying concern with allowing externs to get paid was that the use of externs by for-profit entities, for pay, would in some way diminish the externship experience. Nevertheless, the new policy gave individual law schools the ability to allow students to receive pay for academic externships; however, few schools have embraced the change. This article will make the case for permitting paid externships by providing methods for safeguarding the educational mission of externships and demonstrating how these types of externships can enrich the educational experience, and expand future employment opportunities and outlooks for students.

The ABA defines field placements as “a course that provides substantial lawyering experience that (1) is reasonably similar to the experience of a lawyer advising or representing a client or engaging in other lawyering tasks in a setting outside a law clinic under the supervision of a

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licensed attorney or an individual otherwise qualified to supervise…”

The general pushback on providing credit for paid externships with forprofit entities is the idea that a student is just getting paid to work, and getting academic credit as well is simply a bonus. There are three basic ways to combat this concern.

First, the ABA rules already prohibit a student from doing a second externship at the same place, unless the work is substantially different.

Second, ensure that an externship with a for-profit entity is held to the same standards and requirements of an externship with a non-profit entity.

Most schools require classes, journal entries, evaluations, and more for externships. Finally, limit the number of externship credits a student can acquire from an externship with a for-profit entity. These actions would greatly reduce the risk of abuse of these types’ externships by students and for-profit entities, while maintaining the integrity of externships.

Externships with for-profit entities significantly broaden externship opportunities for law students.

Traditionally, externships are with government and public interest employers, and although there are many practice areas that involve these types of entities, there are many practice areas these traditional externships don’t involve. For

example, government and public interest employers don’t generally do work in the areas of trust and estates, compliance, or transactional/business law. By allowing for-profit entities the ability take on law students in externships, law students have a better opportunity to garner “substantial lawyering experience” in areas of law historically unavailable via an externship.

Logically, the ability to gain substantial lawyering experience in a particular area of law enhances a student’s post-graduate employment opportunities in that area, as well as generally. First, an externship with a potential employer while in law school creates an instant pathway to potential post-graduate employment with that employer. Moreover, the experience gained by the student, via the externship, also provides the student a competitive advantage, if or when that student applies for postgraduate employment for similar positions.

By not allowing students to pursue paid externships with for-profit entities, law schools are significantly limiting experiential learning opportunities for their students.

Furthermore, schools are also missing out on greatly expanding and enhancing post-graduate employment opportunities for their students. T R

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Florida A&M University College of Law: An Exceptional Law College Elevating Diversity to the Next Level

To serve as a beacon of hope and catalyst for change by providing access to excellent educational training and opportunities to generations of students seeking to serve the needs of traditionally underserved people and communities locally, nationally and internationally.

Located in downtown Orlando, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) College of Law is recognized for its diversity. Drawing its strength from the multicultural community, the College of Law embraces its population of students, faculty and staff who vary in age, gender, race, ethnicity, geographic background and collegiate experience. For its extraordinary efforts towards establishing a diverse educational institution, it has won numerous recognitions from various renowned media publications. The reestablished FAMU College of Law reaffirms the college’s historical legacy of excellence and responsibility to serve as a transformative force for the public good. While continuing its historic mission of educating African-Americans, the FAMU College of Law embraces persons of all racial, ethnic, and national groups as members of the university community. In short, the institute claims, “We are dedicated to developing legal professionals and community leaders committed to equitable justice and the rule of law.” The institute sincerely maintains its core values which includes distinction in teaching, scholarship and service, excellence with caring, experiential learning, professionalism and diversity.

A Location to Boast About With a dynamic skyline outside its back door and two courthouses outside its front, FAMU College of Law is ideally located in downtown Orlando. The location of the College affords students easy access to major employers, affordable housing and a variety of cultural venues. Downtown Orlando is booming with growth and the FAMU College of Law is poised to benefit from the development of new business and educational ventures.

A Campus that Encourages Learning With its 160,400-square-feet facility, the College promotes a sound learning environment for the growth and development of its students, faculty and staff. The students have access to the FAMU Law student lounge and an outside patio area. The College organizes special events which are frequently hosted in its ceremonial moot courtroom. The Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, the Fifth District Court of Appeal, and the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeal has held arguments in its distinguished courtroom. The law school campus houses practice courtrooms, space for student organizations and meetings, and a dedicated clinical program area. Campus technology supports wireless learning, including legal webinars and lectures.

The classrooms are videoconference capable and conducive to broadcasting.

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About the Torchbearer of the Institute LeRoy Pernell currently serves the law school as Interim Dean and Professor of Law. Previously serving as Dean from January 2008 through June 2015, he is credited with providing the stability that led to the law school acquiring full accreditation from the American Bar Association in 2009 and reaccreditation in 2014. Dean Pernell is well known for his scholarship in the area of criminal procedure.

Pernell recently joined the Amicus brief on the prevailing position before the United States Supreme Court in Collins v. Virginia, which shined a light on the protected right to privacy under the Fourth Amendment. He was also selected to join the inaugural class of CLEO EDGE Honorees for his outstanding contributions in the field of Education. The Council on Legal Education Opportunity, Inc. (CLEO), the longest-serving national organization committed to increasing diversity in the legal profession via legal education, is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year by honoring individuals and organizations that have contributed to Education, Diversity, and Greater Equality in the legal profession. He was selected from over 200 nominees to receive one of only 50 awards in the Education category.

The Curriculum that Turns a Student into a Professional FAMU College of Law offers flexible academic tracks, including a Full-Time Day Program, which appeals to recent college graduates as it requires three years of study.

In addition, it offers a Part-Time Evening Program, which caters to working professionals or individuals seeking the slower pace of four years of study.

Complementing its standard curriculum, FAMU College of Law offers international legal opportunities that permit its students to expand their knowledge by exploring the law abroad and through other law schools. Most importantly, the College is equipped with highly experienced faculty in the sectors of Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Human Rights, Immigration Law, International Law and Tax Law among many others.

Communications; along with governmental agencies such as the Office of the State Attorney, Office of the Public Defender, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Judge Advocate Generals Corps (JAG) in the armed forces.

Among the notable alumni are Alcee Hastings, Class of 1963, Member of U. S. House of Representatives and former federal judge; Ese Ighedosa, Class of 2013, Attorney for the National Football League’s (NFL) Legal and Business Affairs Division; Kelly Ingram, Class of 2008, Brevard County Judge; Arthenia Joyner, Class of 1968, Former Whip and Minority Leader Pro Tempore in the Florida Senate Democratic Caucus and Former Member of Florida House of Representatives and Carlos Woody, Class of 2005, Deputy General Counsel for the Orlando Utilities Commission.

Most interestingly, the tuition for Florida residents is less than $15,000.00 per year, among the lowest in Florida. It also provides financial aid including institutional grants and federal loans programs to help eligible students fulfill the financial obligations attendant with a legal education.

“Words of Trust” “The Foundations Boot Camp (New Student Orientation) was one of my most memorable experiences at FAMU College of Law. Without it, I would have been a fish out of water.”

Brandon Acevedo will be a second-year law student during the 2018-2019 academic year.

An Alumni Base that Makes the Institute Proud FAMU College of Law has an alumni base of more than 1,500 renowned lawyers who serve their respective communities across the country at prominent law firms including Holland & Knight, LLP, Morgan & Morgan, P.A., and Greenberg Traurig, LLP; major corporations such as Lockheed Martin Corporation, and Verizon

“The faculty and staff make me feel as if I am at home and that I belong here. The intimate classroom environment was another reason I chose FAMU Law. I actually feel as if I’m being taught personally and not just a number in a big classroom.”

Dyzhane Bellamy will be a second-year law student during the 2018-2019 academic year. T R

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Technological Revolution

Innovations and Advancements in Law:

Towards a

Legal

Revolution

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echnological advancements have transformed the way we perform our day-to-day activities. These advancements help us in doing things better and faster, while spending less money. They have revolutionized the way we work and are bringing in even more changes each passing day. Modern computer technologies have made things easier for us. We have witnessed how technologies like automation and AI have impacted various businesses.

The legal sector has been highly affected by the advent of smartphones, tablets, Wi-Fi and cloud computing. When we

look back a few years, we can realize that there has been a considerable change in legal practices and the approaches of the legal sector. Recent research states that technology has refurbished the management of law firms and corporate legal departments, relationships with clients, and practice of law.

The Ground breaking Impact of Social Media Professionals in the legal sector are exploring high-tech tools and innovative procedures to enhance their performance and properly manage their careers. There are many lawyers and attorneys who are skeptic about embracing social media because of concerns related to privacy of client information. But still, there are many attorneys and paralegals who are increasingly using social media to expand their networks, develop new business opportunities, and interact with clients.

Legal Professionals of the 21st Century Legal professionals of this modern era are surrounded by smartphones, tablets, computers, and cloud-based tools.

They carry all the necessary information/data like files, documents, scanned images, and legal dictionaries, in their electronic devices and data drives. This portability helps lawyers to access data anywhere and anytime. They can work from remote places and also interact with their clients from home, while travelling, or from other public places.

Modern technology has also enhanced communication of lawyers with their clients. Communication and response times have been shortened with tools like e-mail, texting, and videoconferencing. With the advent of these modern tools, many clients also expect immediate responses to their messages. With the cutting-edge technology in their reach, the lawyers of this modern era can use them strategically and judiciously to provide the best-possible client service.

Law firms are nowadays implementing various technologies to enhance their operations and activities, reduce expenses, and improve customer service. Many legal firms are providing services online. They are also incorporating technologies like cloud computing for knowledge management, storing documents, powerful searches, budgeting, planning, time management, docket management, and invoicing. E-billing is also becoming popular among clients; they are now demanding for e-bills from the lawyers/firms. Moreover, e-discovery has also emerged as an opportunity and a challenge for firms and legal departments, as there is a drastic increase in the

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volume of electronic data that is needed to be managed and stored.

of the latest soft wares, tools and systems to perform their tasks, interact with the clients, and deal with the cases.

Towards the Future

Legal professionals will have to be well acquainted with the latest developments and constantly evaluate how to properly utilize the latest devices to perform the work more efficiently and deliver quality service to the clients. They will also have to gain experience and be prepared for working in high-demand areas like litigation and e-discovery. Professionals will have to learn, explore, and experiment with technology in order to contend and excel in this age of cut-throat competition.

Modern innovations in technology are emerging every year, and firms are implementing them to their advantage. Clients also demand quality service from their lawyers and expect them to use technology efficiently. They want value, speed, and innovation from the lawyers. In the days to come, future automation will be used to perform tasks that are time consuming, expensive, and currently performed by humans. Moreover, further automation will help law firms to be more innovative in providing service to their clients.

Lawyers will be able to concentrate on providing their expert legal advice and services to their clients, instead of being involved in time consuming administrative activities.

The advancements and technological developments have reshaped the criteria law firms use to hire legal professionals. Some of the most techno-savvy candidates, particularly in the field of litigation and e-discovery have a competitive edge in the job market these days. Lawyers and other legal professionals should have the proper knowledge

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Technological competence has now become a matter of utmost importance. It should now be at the forefront of the professionals’ minds. Lawyers have to be tech-savvy as it is becoming increasingly difficult to practice law without proper knowledge and understanding of technology.

Lawyers have to be innovative and should accept and adopt the latest developments in this fast changing legal sector.

They should always be alert and aware of the opportunities that technology may bring with it for the present and the future. T R

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Howard University School of Law : Creating Accomplished Legal Professionals

The school aims to educate and enable students to develop their highest capabilities and skills as lawyers.

Howard University School of Law was founded upon the principles of justice, fairness and diversity in the legal profession. In 1931, the Law School was accredited by the American Bar Association. The School of Law admitted its first class in 1869. An HBCU, the first 10 graduates from Howard Law included the nation’s first black woman law student, who became the fourth woman admitted to practice law in the United States. Howard University School of Law has retained a very special position for which it was expressly created: to offer educational advantages without regard to race, creed, color or sex.

Howard University School of Law has produced more than 4,000 ‘social engineers’ and was ranked among the top 20 public service schools by the National Jurist Magazine in 2012. Howard University’s 13 schools and colleges prepare its students to advance social justice and the preservation of human liberty. The University’s library system contains more than 1.8 million volumes, including the Channing Pollock Collection. The Moorland-Spingarn Research Center (MSRC) is recognized as one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive repositories for the documentation of the history and culture of people of African descent in Africa, the Americas and other parts of the world. The law school is located on Howard University’s West campus, where it sits on 22-acres, surrounded by the Cleveland Park neighborhood, with convenient access to the Van Ness/UDC Metro station.

Promoting Cultural Diversity along with Educational and Research Excellence Founded in 1869, Howard University School of Law celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2019. Like Howard University itself, the School of Law employs cultural diversity, research intensity and dedicated faculty to produce compassionate graduates empowered to develop solutions to human problems in the United States and throughout the world. The Law

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About the Dean Danielle Holley-Walker is the Dean and Professor of Law at Howard University School of Law. She earned her B.A. from Yale University and her J.D. from Harvard University. After law school, she clerked for Chief Judge Carl E. Stewart of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. She also practiced civil litigation at Fulbright & Jaworski, LLP in Houston, Texas. Prior to joining the Howard faculty, Holley-Walker was the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of South Carolina.

School calls this producing “social engineers,” Charles Hamilton Houston’s term for “highly skilled, perceptive, sensitive lawyers” who know how to use the law to “solve the problems of local communities” and to “better the conditions of the underprivileged.”

Exceptional Infrastructure The school’s law library, opened in 2001, houses the Juan Williams Collection of Thurgood Marshall Materials. The new Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center is poised to connect the 21st Century Civil Rights Movement to the community, maximize its impact and ensure its legacy.

The law school’s clinics, established in 1969, supervise students who submit U.S. Supreme Court amicus

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briefs, free the wrongly-convicted from prison, fight for fair housing, protect intellectual property, reunify families, represent defrauded investors and mediate employee disputes at the World Bank.

Today, Howard Law students fill the halls, the classes and their hearts, reminded each day of their special charge to care for, nurture and direct the next generation of social engineers.

Career Opportunities and Financial Support The school provides financial aid for the betterment of the students. Fifty percent of each incoming class at the Howard University School of Law receives scholarship assistance. The school also provides a wide variety of career opportunities to the

students. In the year, 2017, 86 out of 103 graduates were employed. Out of them, 30 are working as associates at a large firm (101+ attorneys), 10 working in Public Interest Positions, 13 are holding Government/ Public Sector Positions, four graduates each are working in federal and state/local clerkships, and nine of them are working in the business and industry sectors.

The school had a lot of success with employer partnerships this year. On the public service side, Howard Law successfully teamed up with the Legal Aid Society of New York (LAS) to create a spring break pro bono program. On the private sector side, Adobe brought on two of the school’s students (one JD/MBA and a 1L) to work in their in-house program, which will be a feeder for entry-level positions. T R

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LMU-Duncan School of Law A Perfect Blend of Traditional and Contemporary Education

Our mission is to provide solid, competent, and practice-focused legal education to students of widely disparate socio-economic backgrounds with the goal that those students successfully pass the Bar and return to and serve those communities from which they originate.

Located in Knoxville, Tennessee, Lincoln Memorial University’s Duncan School of Law (LMU Law) offers legal educational opportunities for the people of the underserved regions of the United States. Situated in an 1848 structure on the National Register of Historic Places in the downtown, the school opened in 2009. Traditional opportunities such as moot court, mock trial, school-sponsored events, and a variety of student organizations are designed to contribute to the cultural and professional development of its students. LMU Law includes a diverse student body, made up of individuals from over twenty states and ten foreign countries, with an unprecedented level of commitment to community service.

By design, the Law school is small and focuses on developing its students into future leaders and advocates for their communities. LMU Law prides itself on its academic success and bar passage programs. It also offers a wide variety of classes designed to prepare its students for success in the profession. LMU Law’s faculty and staff strive to form personal relationships with each of its students. Groups such as the Student Bar Association, Black Law Students Association, Hispanic Law Students Association, Immigration Law Society, and Women of the Law are among some twenty student organizations intended to enhance the student experience.

Distinct facilities and Course the Institute Offers Having been granted provisional approval by the American Bar Association in December 2014, LMU Law has consistently been chosen as the Best Value Law School by eminent magazines. As a reward for graduation, each student receives cost-free enrollment in the school’s summer extended bar prep classes.

At LMU Law, the teaching model uses interactive software to help students interpret, analyze, and apply legal concepts.

Since lawyers spend much of their time finding information, LMU Law’s curriculum emphasizes mastering the art of legal research in the 21st century. Just as mechanics need their tools, law students and lawyers require a mix of core competencies.

These include the ability to read large volumes of material, identify and analyze relevant pieces of information, conduct

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About the Knowledgeable Dean of LMU Law The Dean of LMU Law is Gary Wade, who joined the Law school in September 2015. Judge Wade retired after nine years on the Tennessee Supreme Court, where he served a term as the Chief Justice. Prior to his tenure on the Tennessee Supreme Court, Judge Wade spent 19 years on the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals, the last eight as Presiding Judge.

During his tenure, Judge Wade has placed special emphasis on legal writing and enhanced the academic success program with additional resources and personnel. Additionally, he has increased the profile of LMU Law in Knoxville by partnering with the East Tennessee Historical Society. In furtherance of the University’s mission, Judge Wade helped secure funding for the relocation of Legal Aid of East Tennessee (LAET) to the campus. LAET provides free legal services to citizens of 26 counties in East Tennessee and offers opportunities for its students to volunteer services. thorough legal research, produce high-quality written work, and present effective oral arguments on issues of law.

Unlike most law schools, the school’s librarians do not sit at circulation desks. They are positioned throughout the law school and are constantly available to support students and faculty. LMU Law is confident that offering unique combinations of technology, intimacy, and academic rigor will help its alumni become leaders in law, business, public interest advocacy, government, and anywhere else they pursue.

Scholarships LMU-Law Offers LMU Law is generous with its scholarship offerings; this makes it a student’s favorite institution to pursue a legal education. In 2017 LMU Law placed second among the private law schools in the United States in terms of value.

97% of students who started in fall 2017 received either merit- or need-based scholarship awards.

Opportunities and Exposures From 2013 to 2016, LMU Law graduates had the highest overall employment rate of any law school in Tennessee.

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=Matching students in externship program with firms considering new hires.

By offering classes in law office management, the school provides instruction to those who desire to set up a solo practice.

“Words of trust” “I’m an older student with a family so the thought of going back to school scared me to death. The professors at LMU go out of their way to help you in any way that they can.

They know our names and ask about our lives. They genuinely care about us and want us to succeed. If you are considering Law school, it would be a mistake not to put LMU Duncan School of Law at the top of your list.”—Shonda Duncan (Class of 2018) “My experience at LMU Law has exceeded all of my expectations. As a non-traditional student with two young daughters I often doubted my ability to complete the required credits in three years; however, I received so much support and encouragement from faculty, staff, and recent graduates that those doubts eased with time. As graduation is nearing, I hope to be able to offer support and encouragement to others like me who choose to attend LMU Law.”—Tegan Couch (Class of 2018) T R

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The ABA and the Law School Accreditation Process: Perpetuating a Legacy of Exclusion About the Author Donald Lively is a Co-founder of Florida Coastal School of Law, the crea on of which reflected his interest in helping to diversify the na on’s least diverse profession and making legal educa on more relevant to contemporary law prac ce. Previously he was a tenured law professor at University of Toledo. He has authored numerous books and ar cles and established legal services programs to serve underserved communi es.

Lack of diversity in the legal profession is a sad but long-standing norm. Exclusion on the basis of group status prior to the Civil War was achieved by the formalities of slavery in the South and prohibitive laws in the North.

Opportunities for African-Americans were seriously constrained through the middle part of the 20th Century due to official segregation and intimidation. Affirmative action programs in the late 20th Century aimed to open doors for more minorities but encountered legal headwinds. Today, the legal profession remains the nation's least diverse profession. African-Americans and Hispanics respectively constitute 13.4% and 18.7% of the nation’s population but only 4.6% and 3.8% of the legal profession.

Responsibility for this condition rests in large part with legal education. Pronouncements of the value of diversity and criticism of society’s management of racial realities are widespread in the field. The American Bar Association (ABA) itself states that one of its four goals is “to eliminate bias and enhance diversity.” Legal education’s and the accreditation process’ priorities and actions, however, speak louder than words and actually impair diversity.

From 2011 through 2014, African-American law school enrollments dropped slightly from 10,352 to 10,245. What is especially notable about these numbers is that they registered at a time when matriculates overall were declining and law schools, to maintain their enrollments, admitted more persons with lower incoming quality indicators. Persons in this subgroup come disproportionately from historically disadvantaged groups (i.e., African-Americans and Hispanics). It thus is not that these individuals are unqualified. In normal times, they are excluded because policymaking tends to be the function of persons whose experience is more likely to reflect elitist orientations and experiences than immersion in environments of disadvantage.

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Expert’s Viewpoint

Donald Lively Co-founder Florida Coastal School of Law

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Much of legal education is organized and driven by a set of priorities inimical to diversity. First and foremost is a focus upon rankings that, for many institutions, have become an obsession.

Law schools that prioritize rankings invariably trade off diversity. Although these same institutions would be swift to deny this reality, the truth is they have made a choice that directly implicates them in the profession’s homogeneity.Because persons of color (with the exception of Asian Americans) perform more poorly on the Law School Admission Test, and rankings in significant part are based upon a student body’s LSAT profile, the fixation has profound exclusionary consequences.

The accrediting agency for American law schools is the ABA. Notwithstanding its accreditation standards that exhort law schools to provide opportunity for members of historically disadvantaged groups, the handful of law schools prioritizing diversity over rankings increasingly have been targeted by the ABA for sanctions up to and including revocation of accreditation.

The experience of Arizona Summit Law School (Summit) is a case in point. In 2016, Summit was placed on probation in large part because the ABA contended its admission standards and academic attrition were too low. The school’s bar passage rates also had dropped, although it remained in compliance with the relevant accreditation standard requiring a minimum passage rate of 75%.

Despite a history of excellence in bar passage and aggressive response to ABA concerns, Summit was placed on probation and disaccredited after two years. This decision overlooked the fact that, because of the matriculation

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period for a legal education, it would take three years for change to be reflected upon outcomes.

Notably, schools with lesser admission requirements and weaker outcomes (sometimes over a longer period of time) were lightly sanctioned or not sanctioned. The animus directed toward Summit is difficult to understand as anything other than the function of a bias against for-profit law schools, probably driven in part by some media reports that were grounded in data which was easily debunked.

Missing in the narrative is that Summit and its companion schools were founded and developed by persons who left traditional legal education frustrated by its contentment with rhetoric rather than achievement with respect to diversifying the legal profession. Countering sentiments that for profit status means an inferior value proposition are the facts that it has a strong ultimate bar pass rate and the best student loan default rate (1.5%) in the state. Assumptions grounded in stereotypes that for profit means predatory are rebutted by the reality that $26 million dollars were invested in Summit, yet the investors have realized no return on their investment.

Incidentally, it is doubtful that the nation’s few for-profit law schools would exist if legal education’s rhetoric was matched by its priorities and actions.

(A primary example of the ABA’s prioritization of elitism over diversity the ABA’s emphasis upon first-time bar passage rates., which reflects its blindness to disadvantage and what it takes (e.g., more time to pass the bar examination) for persons in catch up mode. Accreditors are smart persons, so it is unlikely they are oblivious to the impact of their choice. Persons

from disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to pass the bar examination the first time, but the vast majority eventually will be successful. Proof lies in Summit’s compliance with bar pass standards. Perhaps more impressive are outcomes at privately owned Florida Coastal School of Law (Coastal) which, with a 62% first time bar pass rate this year and a median LSAT score of 144 approached the University of Florida’s bar passage rate of 67.9% with a median LSAT score of 157. The wages of Coastal’s success in enabling students, especially minorities, to outperform their incoming indicators has been probation).

The ABA’s actions are a classic case of regulatory abuse, which now is being challenged in the federal court system and likely has the unspoken support of other law schools. Litigation outcomes can be difficult to predict. The ABA probably hopes to have the cases dismissed on grounds that courts should defer to its accreditation expertise. Failing that, it could face two significant challenges. First, as membership in the organization has plunged, its funding has declined to the point that it could be difficult to finance costly litigation or bear a heavy damages award. Second, discovery could uncover multiple abuses and due process violations that might undermine its credibility and viability as an accrediting agency.

If this result ensued, the undoing of schools like Summit would be a Pyrrhic victory. Putting the ABA out of the accreditation business, or at least reforming it, not only would do a big favor for legal education. It also would remove this century’s primary obstacle to diversifying the legal profession. T R

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Loyola University Chicago School of Law: An Institution Fostering Leaders with a Fidelity to Justice

To educate diverse and talent students to be responsible leaders in a rapidly changing, interdependent world; to prepare graduates who will be ethical advocates for justice and the rule of law; and to contribute to a deeper understanding of law and legal institutions through a commitment to research, scholarship and public service.

Situated at the heart of Chicago’s famous Magnificent Mile, Loyola University Chicago School of Law is one of the leading law schools of the city. Known for some of the leading law firms, research, non-profit and cultural institutions, government agencies and corporations, this city is the ideal location for up-and-coming lawyers. Loyola University Chicago School of Law has seized this opportunity and occupies the position of leadership among American law schools. From prestigious interdisciplinary Centers of Excellence in Advocacy, Children’s Law, and Health Law, to innovative new academic programs and teaching methods, Loyola has unparalleled offers for law students.

Globally Renowned Academia Putting aside the ‘specific major’, one of the most vital features influencing the students while choosing the universities is its reputation. A leading center of law, commerce, and government, Chicago offers unlimited opportunities for you to advance your professional goals. Chicago is home to many of the nation’s top trial and transactional lawyers, and the city’s juvenile law system is one of the largest in the country, making it the suitable city for law students. The law facility of this university is designed in such a way that it sustains the sense of collaboration and community. Being a part of Jesuit educational heritage the university welcomes students and faculty of all faith and traditions. The cutting-edge curriculum of this institute encourages active, collaborative study. This excellent legal educator has made learning the law work for everyone. Apart from challenging classroom learning, the students can take advantage of multiple hands-on experiences in the school’s clinics and through externships. The six clinical programs, new practice offerings of Loyola reflects the school’s social justice mission which is to provide students with vital practical experience under close faculty supervision, and help participants develop an understanding of professionalism and ethics. Alongside, students have many opportunities to connect with Loyola’s strong alumni network of more than 12,000 JD graduates, many of whom practice in Chicago. Students who graduate from this institute are prepared for the future and equipped with skills that will help them succeed in practice.

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The Astute Educator and Trailblazer of Loyola Michael Kaufman, Dean of Loyola University Chicago School of Law, is a beloved professor and dedicated leader who has been committed to Loyola students since day one. He has also published dozens of books and countless law review articles in the areas of his expertise, including education law and policy, securities regulation and litigation, civil procedure and jurisprudence. Kaufman also delivers bar examination review lectures in the areas of civil procedure, federal jurisdiction, agency and business organizations.

Multiple Options Academic excellence, service to others and a focus on values and ethics are the foundation of this law school. Loyola prepares students for successful careers as legal professionals, offering both graduate degree programs and programs for non-lawyers. .

The acclaimed curriculum of Loyola University Chicago School of Law includes: Juris Doctor (Full- time and Parttime) Ÿ Master of Jurisprudence Ÿ Master of Law Ÿ Dual Degree Programs Ÿ

Through support from the University, Loyola awards a number of merit scholarships to highly qualified applicants who are selected by the admission committee. The institution also offers need-based scholarships to incoming students considering their financial need. Several other special

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interest scholarships and fellowships are also granted to the students.

Loyola’s Office of Career Services helps law students and alumni to assess career goals exploring the varied applications of legal education, and making transitions from school to a professional career.

The graduates of this institute work in law firms, business, government and public interest, the judiciary, and academia. Loyola offers a full range of career services, including a yearround, on-campus employer interview and recruitment program; online access to postings of employment opportunities for legal and public service/ pro bono positions; seminars by practicing attorneys, alumni, and faculty; résumé preparation, review, and critique; interviewing techniques and strategies; one-on-one counselling; job search strategies; lawyer-to-lawyer mentoring program; and programs on career choices in the public, private, and alternative sectors.

“Words of Trust” “Loyola faculty and administrators are incredibly welcoming and supportive.

The professors are enthusiastic and willing to answer questions in class and during office hours, and the administration is accessible and helpful in providing guidance. While law school is a constant struggle to find the 25th hour in the day, it makes it a lot easier to know that there are people who believe in you and have your back.” -Ben Horwitz (JD ’18) “I love the fact that everyone at Loyola is so supportive and wants me to do well. The professors are extremely approachable and well-connected. In fact, I’ve received emails from faculty members who’ve offered to put me in contact with practitioners in the community or forwarded information about health care-related programs I might want to attend, just because they know I’m passionate about this area of study.” -Pilar Mendez, 2L T R

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University at Buffalo School of Law: A History of Tradition, Preparing the Lawyers of the 21st Century

The institute aims to transform students into highly skilled legal professionals

Founded in 1887, the University at Buffalo School of Law (UB School of Law) is a professional school. It is the only law school within the State University of New York (SUNY). The University is located on an international border and situated on the flagship campus of a premier public university. It provides many programs and services to support its diverse student body, and is amongst the most internationalized schools in the United States. The School of Law shares this commitment, and welcomes students from wide-ranging backgrounds to its vibrant and collegial community. This makes the law school stronger and showcases it through a multicultural lens.

A Quick Glance at the Academic Programs The school draws on over one hundred and thirty years of experience and innovation in legal education, making it one of the oldest law schools in the State of New York. The school has a long history of pro bono service. This provides the students with a compassionate view of the world, regardless of their future areas of practice. The various programs offered by the School of Law are: JD program: This flexible program offers students a broad range of interdisciplinary options in areas that include criminal law, cross-border legal studies, intellectual property and privacy, international law, environmental law, family law, and finance and development.

Dual-Degree programs: These programs permit students to earn credit toward a Master’s or PhD degree with one of the University’s many other graduate and professional schools while pursuing their JD. LLM programs: UB offers four LLM programs for students who already hold a first degree in law, including the General LLM, the Criminal Law LLM, the Cross-Border Legal Studies LLM, and the Environmental Law LLM. These programs offer special courses designed to introduce international students to American law and to prepare them for the New York State Bar exam.

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About the Dean Aviva Abramovsky is the school's 19th permanent Dean. She is the first woman to hold the position and was appointed in July 2017. An expert in insurance law, commercial law, regulation of financial entities, and legal ethics, she has written many articles and legal treatises, including authoring McKinney’s Uniform Commercial Code forms for New York.

In the last year, she has focused on building relationships, including establishing a partnership with SUNY’s Rockefeller Institute of Government, a public policy think tank, to create a new Center for Law & Policy Solutions. She has also overseen the expansion of the law school’s clinical legal education program. This program includes the recent addition of a veteran’s legal practicum, and the Puerto Rico Recovery Assistance Legal Clinic, established in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.

Advanced Standing JD program: A Two-Year JD program for Internationally Trained Lawyers which allows professionals who already have a first degree in law from outside the United States to earn a JD in two years.

Career Opportunities and World Exposure for the Students The law school offers various career opportunities and world exposure that aid students in harnessing the skills for relevant field work.

Advocacy Institute: The law students have the opportunity to develop and practice their skills in the courtroom, with the utmost guidance of distinguished members of the local bar and bench.

Clinical Programs: Students serve clients and conduct research and fieldwork in areas such as animal law, civil liberties and transparency, community justice, environmental law,

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family violence and women’s rights, health justice, law and social work, and mediation.

entering class received merit scholarship assistance, ranging from $2,000 to full tuition.

New York City Program in Finance and Law: The semester-long program in Manhattan provides students with an introduction to New York City’s financial markets and a gateway to its highly competitive financial-sector job market.

“Words of Trust” Nothing can describe a school better than its students’ testimonials.

Externships and judicial clerkships: Students work in a variety of government and non-profit organizations and receive academic credit for doing the same.

“We had guest lecturers every day, talking about everything from bitcoins to the trading floor to stocks. I learned so much from experts in the field, most of them UB alums. It was a great experience.” – Melissa K. ’19, JD student and participant in the law school’s New York City Program in Finance and Law.

Financial and Scholarship Aids UB School of Law does not award scholarships that depend on academic performance in law school. All of its merit scholarships last throughout the academic program provided the student remains in good academic standing.

Nearly eighty percent of the fall 2017

“I’ve become much more confident in my own abilities through the clinic. We are the lawyers on the case. The professor helps when we get stuck, but we’re doing the work.” - Jessica G. ’19, JD student and participant in the Civil Liberties and Transparency Clinic. T R

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A

Law Degree and

Downpour “

of Choices

Y

ou can do anything with a law degree!” Any aspiring student planning to graduate in law has most likely come across a variant of this legendary phrase, promising a full case of career prospects upon completion of this degree. This is a fact that several law professionals and recruiters would attest. But it is not quite glorious as they promise neither is it very bleak.

Be it a student who is trying to choose a college major after completing their secondary-school, or is a fresh graduate from a law school, ‘what next?’ is a question that wonders all equally. Below mentioned points is a mere attempt to answer such an exclusive question. In spite of exploring the career graph of a lawyer, it answers questions about the possibilities and the opportunities lying ahead for those pursuing legal studies and also for those who have already graduated.

The Classic Choices in Legal Sector Generally, law graduates begin their legal careers in junior positions, in spite of whether or not they have completed their graduation. Whereas there is wide selection of careers in law that one can pursue once they have gained enough expertise. The typical junior roles can vary with the increase in experience and the amount of direct involvement

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Career Talk

they have with law proceedings. Some of the junior legal jobs include court legal advisor, calendaring clerk, legal transcriptionist, mailroom clerk, court clerk, file clerk, legislative assistant, document coder, junior barrister’s clerk, and paralegal or hybrid paralegal.

Alternatively, students can benefit from the comparatively new field of legal apprenticeships that involves enterprise coaching at a law firm instead of studying in a university. Typically, however, legal career hopefuls complete graduation in law and undertake “articling”, a placement with a law firm, operating as trainee attorney, judicial clerk or associate, articled clerk.

The Career Outlook of a US Attorney In the US, law graduates (students who have completed the postgraduate-level Juris Doctorate) can start procedures to achieve admittance to the bar, which can permit them to become active attorneys. Students wishing to pursue a legal career in federal courts or the Supreme Court of the US will have to pass the admission necessities, as well as pay fee and take a spoken or written oath. Once the procedure is completed the attorneys can proceed from state supreme courts to the federal courts.

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Other legal jobs within US embody outside counsel at law firms, in-house counsel within a company’s legal department, prosecutors within the district attorney, litigator attorneys, defense attorneys, workers attorneys, litigators who advise clients in and out of court, trial attorneys, legal proceeding attorneys who argue the law and corporate attorneys who rarely got to court.

Further legal careers in US also include serving at Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps as a military lawyer or as a patent lawyer. However, to serve in this position one needs to attain special permission from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Once the permission is granted they can also serve as an examiner or designer, agent, and clerk within the Intellectual Property Law. Alternate Law Careers Alternative legal careers embrace roles that are benefitted from the information and skills gained by the students from the law school. The careers include teaching law, becoming a tutor at legal trainee program, turning into a legal career advisor/consultant at law school, turning into a seamless Continuing Legal Education (CLE) specialist, writing for law journals and magazines, operating within the administration department of a law school, recruiting as a head-hunter for legal jobs, legal analyst, applying to the Law Commission’s recruitment campaign for a research assistant position, and legal clearance officer.

Further law-related jobs involve a variety of careers that need collaboration with lawyers. Such legal careers are operating as a pre-trial services officer; as associate asylum officer or customs officer; working in prisons; operating as a legislative associate; operating within the trust department of banks; becoming a civil/immigration rights analyst, lobbyist, conflicts analyst or public interest advocate; turning into a compliance officer, a victim compensation officer, or law-makers affairs specialist; operating in government, civil authority or political positions; and turning into a diplomat or going into negotiation.

People with legal expertise are in demand in most walks of life and the career opportunities lying ahead of them do not end here. Legal jobs in courtrooms, law firms, businesses, and other non-law careers, etc. the list goes on.

There is no denying to the fact that a career as a lawyer is exciting but it is equally challenging. T R

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University of Miami School of Law: Fostering Unparalleled Legal Education Situated in the magnetic coastal city of exotic beauty and world-class ambience, University of Miami School of Law is set on to fulfill the legal profession’s historic duty to promote the interests of justice. It is “a multicultural mecca reflecting an array of colorful influences and its unparalleled setting” make it an extraordinary place to learn, believes the Dean. “Miami Law vividly reflects the one-of-a-kind metro area it calls home.”Miami Law’s student activities include more than 55 other diverse student organizations. Some of the organizations include: diverse groups (Black, Hispanic and Asian/Pacific American law student organizations; OUTLaw; Miami Law Women); legal thought or political groups (Federalist Society, Democratic Law Students Association, Republican Law Student Association); legal practice area groups (International Law Society, Entertainment and Sports Law Society, Intellectual Property Law Society); and

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We foster intellectual discipline, creativity, and critical skills, which will prepare our graduates for the highest standards of professional competence in the practice of law.

advocacy groups (Student Advocates for Veterans, Child Advocacy Family Law).

Unique Courses & Academic Programs Miami Law provides a solid foundation in all the traditional subjects’ basics, to understanding and practicing the law. Miami Law’s course offerings in inter-American, international, arbitration, and transnational law are outstanding.

Taught by experts from around the world, Miami Law offers a plethora of innovative compressed courses. It has expanded interdisciplinary programs and collaborative joint degrees with other departments within the University and offers an array of joint degrees: • General LL.M. Program: J.D./ LL.M. in U.S. & Transnational Law for Foreign-Trained Lawyers • Specialized LL.M. Programs: • J.D./LL.M. in Entertainment, Arts & Sports

• J.D./LL.M. in International Arbitration • J.D./LL.M. in Estate Planning • J.D./LL.M. in Maritime Law • J.D./LL.M. in Real Estate Development • J.D./LL.M. in Tax or Taxation of Cross-Border Investment • J.D./M.A. in Latin American Studies • J.D./M.A. in Arts Presenting & Live Entertainment Management • J.D./M.S.Ed. in Science in Education in Law, Community and Social Change • J.D./Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Policy • J.D./Masters in Music Business and Entertainment Industries • J.D./Masters in Communications • J.D./M.P.A. in Law and Public Administration • J.D./M.D. program in Law and Medicine • As well as triple degree offerings for undergraduate business majors – J.D./M.B.A./ LL.M. in Taxation, September | 2018

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A Sought After Leader and Educator Patricia D. White came on board as the Dean in 2009. She is the University Of Miami School Of Law's eleventh dean. Her legal career spans over four decades as an attorney and educator. She was the first woman law school dean in Arizona, and the longest serving one in the history of Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. Dean White has continued her longstanding commitment to students, the transformation of legal education and public service. She transformed Miami Law’s student services program, adding the unique Student Development Program, and the the AskUs Fellows initiative, and expanding the Academic Achievement Program and the Office of Professionalism to name a few. She established the ‘Law Without Walls program’, linking students and faculty from over 30 academic institutions around the world to examine issues and develop new solutions in legal education and practice. In addition, Dean White was selected to serve on the Commission on the Future of Legal Education founded by ABA President Hilarie Bass, J.D. ‘81, in 2017.

Estate Planning, or Real Estate/Property Development – which can be earned in just four years.

Miami Law is at the forefront in training legal professionals for this rapidly changing world. It is accredited by the ABA, is a member of the AALS, and has a chapter of the prestigious scholastic society, the Order of the Coif. The Legal Services Innovation Index ranked the University of Miami Law in the top four for law schools delivering innovation and technology programs in 2017.

An Extravagant Campus Offering Increased International Exchange Offerings — Miami has added several new study abroad options in Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, China, Colombia, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Israel, Spain, Switzerland and Vietnam.

More Innovative Programs and Conferences — Miami Law boasts of its Law Without Walls™, interdisciplinary Hospital Course, and Black Lives Matter course offerings that provide a T H E

N O W L E DEducation.

G E RInnovation.

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multidisciplinary perspective to complex issues. Miami’s LL.M. in International Arbitration is headed by one of the world's most powerful international arbitrators, Jan Paulsson Campus & Location — Miami Law is on the 260-acre main campus of one of the largest private research universities in the United States. The law school is situated in Coral Gables, next door to Miami, a burgeoning international center for trade and finance and the nation’s gateway to the Americas.

Scholarships &Fellowships Miami Law Offers All academic scholarships for incoming students are awarded by the Office of Admissions. Scholarships are highly competitive and are granted to students on a rolling basis. Each year the School of Law awards renewable Dean’s Scholarships to entering law students who have strong academic records and possess other outstanding qualifications for the study of law The Harvey T. Reid Scholarship program and the Soia Mentschikoff Scholarship awards provide full law tuition. These prestigious scholarships

are awarded to the outstanding members of the entering class who possess exemplary academic records, demonstrate leadership qualities, and exhibit the potential for making substantial contributions to the legal profession and society. For LL.M. study, some scholarships are available to outstanding applicants on the basis of skills and achievements.

Applications for admissions and scholarships are considered on a rolling basis by each LL.M. program director.

“Words of Trust” “The UM faculty provides mentorship and training from the world's leading minds in various areas of International Law. Professors like Jan Paulsson and Albert Jan van den Berg gave me the solid grounding required for the fast moving world of arbitration today. All of this in a beautiful environment that constantly teaches you to think globally.”Diogo Pereira, J.D. ‘10 Private Sector Development, World Bank Group, Washington, D.C T R

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