Law schools move toward specialised training

Traditionally, legal education has consisted of a general professional degree in law without majors or concentrations. The assumption is that law firms will teach associates the specifics of legal practice, including practical legal skills like drafting deal documents and analytical frameworks that come with working with real clients. Things are changing, however, and clients are demanding higher cost efficiency. Routine legal work is increasingly outsourced and clients are unwilling to be billed by new associates that are learning on the job, which means that there is high demand for law graduates that can start the job knowing more than just how to ‘think like a lawyer’. In light of these changes, law schools are increasingly offering specialised training in particular areas of practice. New York University School of Law, for example, is in the process of changing its third-year curriculum to allow for increased specialization, offering advanced study in areas like tax or corporate law.

Law schools move toward specialised training dealbook.nytimes.com Tue, Oct 30, 2012