On Friday, December 6 Thomas Jefferson School of Law and the Legal Writing Institute co-hosted Preparing Practice-Ready Students, a one-day conference for approximately 30 law school professors who teach legal writing and other courses focusing on practice skills.
“All who attended walked away with new strategies about how to better help students enter the changing world of legal practice,” said Professor Ilene Durst, who organized the conference.
Also in attendance were practicing lawyers, including TJSL’s alumni, The Director of the Center for Solo Practitioners Professor Lilys McCoy, and two of its members and several adjunct professors.
“The workshop was a great opportunity to learn about what’s going on in other law school classrooms around the region,” said attendee Professor Karen Harkins, Director of TJSL’s Academic Success program. “This year’s focus was on practice-ready students. I learned about how legal writing instructors are relying more on technology as part of their curriculum, in much the same way practitioners must rely on technology for their practice to function smoothly,” said Harkins. “I also heard about some of the potential negative effects of our technology-rich social structure, and what some instructors are doing to help combat the decline of professionalism in email communications. I enjoyed hearing about student emails and how one instructor uses past student examples as a way to explain how the tone and quality of email correspondence influences professional relationships.”
Conference organizer, Professor Durst said the event was a great success. “As one participant put it, TJSL provided “sunny skies, great views, good food, and thoughtful and informative presentations.”
