Legal Education

Aspiring lawyers face bleak future as cost-conscious firms cut back training contracts

By Pui-Guan Man | May 30, 2013

If any doubts remained about the size of the challenge facing aspiring lawyers in today's market, then it was starkly illustrated by the news that the number of training contracts on offer at law firms across England and Wales has fallen to the lowest level for well over a decade. The Law Society's annual statistics report for 2012, released earlier this month, revealed that the number of training contracts registered in the 12-month period to July 2012 dropped to 4,869, down 10.5% from the previous year's equivalent total of 5,441. The figures are now at their lowest since training contract details were first recorded in 1998-99, when 4,827 were logged, with numbers almost 25% down on the pre-recession high of 6,303 in 2007-08.

1 minute read

Kent Council to launch trainee lawyer programme

By Alex Newman | May 23, 2013

Kent County Council's legal team is to launch its own trainee programme, with the move coming as the local authority eyes a series of white label and cross-selling initiatives.

1 minute read

Training contracts fall 10% to lowest level since 1999, Law Society reports

By Pui-Guan Man | May 21, 2013

The number of training contracts offered at law firms in England and Wales fell 10% in 2011-12 to the lowest level since 1999, according to new research by the Law Society. The society's annual report shows that the number of training contracts registered in the 12 months leading to 31 July 2012 dropped to 4,869, down 10.5% from the previous year's equivalent total of 5,411.

1 minute read

Cambridge retains crown as students rank top law faculties

By Alex Newman | May 16, 2013

The University of Cambridge has retained its spot as the top-ranked university law faculty, according to a major study carried out by Legal Week's research arm into the perceptions of more than 3,000 law students at some of the UK's leading institutions. Legal Week Intelligence's 2013 Law Student Report found more students at Cambridge graded their university as 'excellent' than at any other institution, with the faculty coming top for the quality of its teaching, value for money and teaching facilities – three of the four categories students were asked to rate.

1 minute read

What they don't teach you at law school

By Legal Week | May 16, 2013

So you've completed got your law degree – but there's more to building a successful career than technical knowledge, as Dominic Bacon reports...

1 minute read

Uphill battles - the future is not looking bright for today's law students

By Georgina Stanley | May 16, 2013

Employment prospects may be dwindling as law firms continue to scale back trainee intakes and slash associate ranks through redundancy consultations, but this seems to have done little to dent law students' confidence in their higher education. This year's Law Student Report shows 10 UK institutions receiving an average overall score of good/excellent from their own students when questioned on a range of factors including employability, value for money and quality of teaching, with 17 law faculties rated above average.

1 minute read

International Edition

Uphill battles - the future is not looking bright for today's law students

By Georgina Stanley | May 16, 2013

Employment prospects may be dwindling as law firms continue to scale back trainee intakes and slash associate ranks through redundancy consultations, but this seems to have done little to dent law students' confidence in their higher education. This year's Law Student Report shows 10 UK institutions receiving an average overall score of good/excellent from their own students when questioned on a range of factors including employability, value for money and quality of teaching, with 17 law faculties rated above average.

1 minute read

Cashing in on cachet – why a little prestige in your firm can go a long way

By Charlotte Edmond | May 9, 2013

Apple has it by the bucket load. High-end fashion houses such as Gucci and Prada have it. Ferrari, Aston Martin and Jaguar all have it. But do Clifford Chance and Allen & Overy? According to more than 3,000 students, the answer is a resounding yes. What we're talking about is prestige – which, according to this year's annual Legal Week Intelligence Law Student Report, is one of the biggest factors in attracting would-be solicitors to apply to any given firm.

1 minute read

International Edition

Cashing in on cachet – why a little prestige in your firm can go a long way

By Charlotte Edmond | May 9, 2013

Apple has it by the bucket load. High-end fashion houses such as Gucci and Prada have it. Ferrari, Aston Martin and Jaguar all have it. But do Clifford Chance and Allen & Overy? According to more than 3,000 students, the answer is a resounding yes. What we're talking about is prestige – which, according to this year's annual Legal Week Intelligence Law Student Report, is one of the biggest factors in attracting would-be solicitors to apply to any given firm.

1 minute read

Hong Kong aims to simplify local qualification system amid fierce competition for places

By Elizabeth Broomhall in Hong Kong | May 9, 2013

The Law Society of Hong Kong is considering an overhaul of the exam system for graduates and foreign lawyers seeking to become locally qualified, with a consultation on the subject set to be issued this month. The plans for reform, which were first announced in July last year, include the proposal to scrap the existing assessment procedures at three Hong Kong universities – the University of Hong Kong (HKU), City University and Chinese University – to create one common law exam. Hong Kong law graduates currently have to complete the Postgraduate Certificate of Laws (PCLL) before being awarded a training contract. The one-year course is offered by the three universities, each of which have a limit on the number of students they can take.

1 minute read

New York Law Journal

The Importance of Civics Education in the Legal Field

By Gail Ehrlich, Co-Chair, Committee on Law, Youth and Citizenship | January 11, 2024

Gail Ehrlich, co-chair of the Committee on Law, Youth and Citizenship, writes: Recognizing that civics education is crucial to the rule of law and the preservation of our democracy—that a lack of a civically educated and involved citizenry is a threat to judicial independence, separation of powers and constitutional principles—we felt obliged, as the largest voluntary state association of lawyers in the nation, to face the crisis head on.

3 minute read

Law.com

LSAC President Kellye Testy to Become Executive Director of AALS

By Christine Charnosky | January 11, 2024

"I am deeply honored to have been chosen as Judy Areen's successor and am committed to advancing excellence in legal education at a time of heightened challenges and changes in law and higher education," Kelleye Testy said in a statement.

5 minute read

The Recorder

Former Dean, Emeritus Professor Paul Brest Steps In as Interim Dean of Stanford Law

By Christine Charnosky | January 10, 2024

"I am deeply appreciative that Paul has agreed to step into the role while our search wraps up," said Jenny Martinez, Stanford University provost. "Paul is well known to our community for his distinguished legal scholarship, his extensive knowledge of SLS and his commitment to Stanford as a university citizen."

3 minute read

New York Law Journal

St. John's Law Names First Black Dean To Succeed Longtime Dean Michael Simons

By Christine Charnosky | January 10, 2024

"I'm honored to serve as the next dean of St. John's Law," Jelani Jefferson Exum said in a statement. "The Law School's tremendous legacy of strengthening the legal profession and serving the community by providing a mission-focused education is inspiring."

4 minute read

Law.com

Women in Academic Leadership Still Face Systemic Barriers

By Christine Charnosky | January 9, 2024

"The legal academy was not built for anyone other than white males," Nicola Boothe, dean of the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law, said during the AALS session. "So there are always going to be opportunities for us to feel that we do not belong in this space."

6 minute read

Law.com

NCBE to Collaborate With AccessLex in Developing Study Aids for NextGen Bar

By Christine Charnosky | January 9, 2024

"Official NCBE study aids are essential to examinees, law schools and bar exam preparation programs, and this agreement ensures that NCBE will continue to provide high-quality sample questions as we launch the NextGen bar exam," Judith A. Gundersen, president and CEO of NCBE, said in a statement.

5 minute read

Legaltech News

Vanderbilt Law AI Lab Co-Founders Discuss Gen AI's A2J Impact: 'It's Up to Us'

By Cassandre Coyer | January 5, 2024

Legaltech News caught up with Mark Williams and Caitlin Moon, founding co-directors of Vanderbilt Law's new AI Law Lab to discuss what the law school plans to accomplish going forward—from new coursework to partnerships with legal aid organizations.

8 minute read

Law.com

ABA Proposal to Accreditate Fully Online Law Schools Draws Overwhelming Support

By Christine Charnosky | January 4, 2024

By the end of the year, nearly 30 comments—42 pages worth—had been uploaded to the ABA's website, with all but two commenters expressing support for the proposal.

4 minute read

Law.com

Incoming AALS President Melanie Wilson Aims to Instill 'Courage in Action'

By Christine Charnosky | January 3, 2024

"I think when we do the work that needs to be done for legal education, we have to have courage," incoming AALS President Melanie Wilson said. "We have to act with courage."

3 minute read

New Jersey Law Journal

Jewish Law Student Claims Antisemitism at Rutgers

By Charles Toutant | January 2, 2024

Rutgers and the law school have policies "that a student's right of free expression does not extend to actions or behaviors that harass, threaten violence, or intimidate classmates," the suit states.

4 minute read