Law Commons^™

Leaky Boundaries And The Decline Of The Autonomous Law School Library, James G. Milles

James G. Milles

Academic law librarians have long insisted on the value of autonomy from the university library system, usually basing their arguments on strict adherence to ABA standards. However, law librarians have failed to construct an explicit and consistent definition of autonomy. Lacking such a definition, they have tended to rely on an outmoded Langdellian view of the law as a closed system. This view has long been discredited, as approaches such as law and economics and sociolegal research have become mainstream, and courts increasingly resort to nonlegal sources of information. Blind attachment to autonomy as a goal rather than a means …

Legal Education In Crisis, And Why Law Libraries Are Doomed, James G. Milles

James G. Milles

The dual crises facing legal education - the economic crisis affecting both the job market and the pool of law school applicants, and the crisis of confidence in the ability of law schools and the ABA accreditation process to meet the needs of lawyers or society at large - have undermined the case for not only the autonomy, but the very existence, of law school libraries as we have known them. Legal education in the United States is about to undergo a long-term contraction, and law libraries will be among the first to go. A few law schools may abandon …

Elucidating The Elephant: Interdisciplinary Law School Classes, Kim Diana Connolly

Kim Diana Connolly

This Essay explores the use of interdisciplinary law school classes as a fundamental way to connect law students with future colleagues who are receiving different professional training, as well as with concepts related to but outside of traditional doctrinal law. While these classes offer rich learning opportunities, their design and implementation present a host of different issues. Part I of this Essay briefly explores the history and range of interdisciplinary class opportunities, looking both outside and within the law school context. Part II provides an overview of the benefits and barriers to successful interdisciplinary law school courses. Part III offers …

Legal Research Instruction And Law Librarianship In China: An Updated View Of Current Practices And A Comparison With The U.S. Legal Education System, Ning Han, Liying Yu, Anne Mostad-Jensen

Ning Han

This article follows up on Liying Yu’s 2008 survey exploring the state of legal research instruction in Chinese law schools. The updated survey revisits the state of legal research instruction in China, explores several aspects not previously addressed, and discusses broader issues relevant to law librarianship in China such as management models, funding, staffing, and law librarian faculty status.

Colloguium For Legal Education Then And Now: Changing Patterns In Legal Training And In The Relationship Of Law Schools To The World Around Them , Bob Gordon, James May, Jack Schlegel, Joan Williams

James May

No abstract provided.

Technology And The Classroom: Bringing Twenty-First Century Technologies To The Law Library, Darin K. Fox

Darin K. Fox

No abstract provided.

Law School Based Incubators And Access To Justice, Patricia Salkin, Ellen Suni, Niels Schaumann, Mary Lu Bilek

Niels Schaumann

At the end of February 2015, law professors, law deans, incubator staff and attorneys, and self-selected others gathered at California Western School of Law for the Second Annual Conference on Law School Incubators and Residency Programs. The incubators that are the subject of this article tend to focus on transition to law practice and access to justice, and some are also working to incorporate technology for the practice of law as a means of enhancing access to justice. As more law schools decide to host, sponsor or offer an incubator, and following our panel discussion at the February 2015 incubator …

Writing The Law Developing The ‘Citizen Lawyer’ Identity Through Legislative, Statutory, And Rule Drafting Courses, Ann L. Schiavone

Ann Schiavone

Assessing Academic Law Libraries' Performance And Implementing Change: The Reorganization Of A Law Library, Linda Kawaguchi

Linda Kawaguchi