preLaw - Back To School 2008 - (Page 13) was right on the money,” Smolla said. “There’s more to the job than just thinking like a lawyer. There’s counseling and advocacy. There’s taking a problem that a client has and helping them work their way through it. Our goal is to help students develop those skills.” One of the core changes will move students completely into simulated and real-client experiences. Other law schools have made incremental changes along these lines but currently retain the classroom/ lecture model. Washington and Lee will also require students to take a year-long program that examines the ethical and professional challenges lawyers face. “I think the change is dramatic, and the new way of teaching is dramatic,” Smolla said. Smolla said the faculty unanimously agreed to this new plan. “Traditional teachers were willing to change and refit this mold,” he said. “It’s also the case that as we hire new faculty members we will be very attentive to having a significant mix of people that we know will be good at teaching in this mode.” Washington and Lee plans on making creative use of practicing lawyers and judges by partnering with them or having them present courses themselves to meet the staffing challenges. For example, a Virginia Supreme Court justice will join the program offering an appellate justice course. He’ll take what he used to do as a seminar and turn it into a mini-course. The timetable is 25 percent of the cur- riculum to be implemented this school year, 75 percent next year and a fully functional new third year in three years. Smolla said they are pushing to achieve that timeline for first years to have two years of clinical experience. The rollout has to be done stage by stage because there are a lot of courses to design and students to enroll. Though it will take some time to build up the curriculum, it will be extraordinary when it is done, he said. “I am proud that Washington and Lee continues to be at the forefront of legal education reform,” he said. “Twenty years ago, we blazed a new trail for the first year of law school by introducing smaller classes and an intensive writing component, which most of the top law schools in the country emulated.” Hamline University School of Law Legal education that puts YOU at the center Becoming a lawyer is a highly personal decision. Hamline allows you to shape your legal education to meet your goals. You can choose from among: • Nationally recognized Centers of Excellence • 12 focus areas • Multiple clinical and internship opportunities • Full-time weekday or part-time weekend options Whatever you choose, a Hamline legal education will prepare you to make a difference in your community and the world. www.hamline.edu/law (800) 388-3688 Back to School 2008 13 http://www.hamline.edu/law
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