Not Everyone Works for Biglaw: A Response to Neil J. Dilloff

Abstract:     
In a law review article entitled "The Changing Cultures and Economics of Large Law Firm Practice and Their Impact on Legal Education," DLA Piper partner Neil J. Dilloff details recent changes in the way that BigLaw does business. He then suggests a number of improvements in legal education ostensibly compelled by the new economic realities of large firm practice.

While many of Attorney Dilloff's suggestions make very good sense, several problems exist. In this short essay, we take the position that law schools should not pattern current reforms solely on the needs of BigLaw. Instead, we suggest that reforming legal education requires law schools to rethink the tradition of merely teaching students to think like lawyers. Rather than upholding the status quo of a generally liberal arts pursuit to the study of law, law school curricula, particularly in upper-division classes, should focus on producing lawyers ready and able to practice in a variety of contexts.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 10

Keywords: legal education, legal practice

Accepted Paper Series