Legal Marketing & PR

A Quality Law Degree In Two Years? Come On.

By lawjobspipeline

The ABA lifted a requirement that law degrees be over six semesters right back in 2004 - a major deal that lead to the odd legal institution instituting their two-year law degrees. But now, a more esteemed name in legal education, NorthWestern University has entered the fray with it’s two-year degree.  It’s made people sit up.

The two-year option is part of a broader reform of the law school curriculum, including the addition of new courses to be required of both two-year and three-year students. The curriculum was designed based on focus groups with many law firms and other entities that employ lawyers. The university specifically asked the employers whether they would have any hesitations about hiring law grads who complete the program at a speedier pace, and that the employers didn?t care at all ? and some said that they were excited about hiring such graduates.

Inside Higher Ed reported:

While Northwestern?s two-year option is the most dramatic reform being announced today, there are other curricular changes as well. Northwestern is adding three new required courses (to the nine currently required, largely following a traditional law curriculum), starting with the two-year program and eventually being required of everyone. The new requirements are:

• Quantitative analysis (accounting, finance and statistics).
• Dynamics of legal behavior (teamwork, leadership and project management).
• Strategic decision making.

Full post as published by Lawyer Marketing Blog on June 22, 2008 (boomark / email).