The devastating impact of the health situation is no surprise to anyone. Almost every industry is confronting an existential crisis, especially the education sector. The transition from physical classrooms to eLearning has been overwhelming for the students. While some are having trouble with comprehension, others with lack self-discipline. Above all, the lockdown and lack of physical activity have affected student’s retaining power, explicitly the ones completing legal education.
In law schools, there are tools, resources, and market appetite that better serve students. But now, legal education is likely to morph from real-time learning to an eLearning model in the new paradigm. Indeed, learning might be less interactive, but legal education will be more affordable and accessible on the brighter side. Students and faculty members can attend and give lectures from anywhere in the world.
Simultaneously, the automated digital tools enable professors to tailor their teaching style instead of adopting a one-size-fits-all approach. Likewise, law schools can adopt a results-driven and data-enabled teaching style. Precisely, the health situation will implement new models of delivery and acquiring legal education. If this sounds intriguing, keep reading. Here are five expected transformations in legal education.
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More Scalable & Tech-Enabled Learning
Educators think of health situation as an opportunity to upscale legal education. As a result, law schools are switching to eLearning models; meaning, students can become lawyers by studying from home. Firstly, they have to complete an online pre law degree and then pick a specialization to progress in their law career. Secondly, students can take advantage of micro-credentialing and personalized adaptive learning. After all, teachers implement an individualized learning approach on digital forums.
With no geographical boundaries, students can learn from professors worldwide, offering an opportunity for better-rounded education. Additionally, they can also network beyond traditional law schools and become more culturally aware. In addition to improving education standards, such transformations can make law education more competency-based.
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Greater Emphasis on Output
The law schools have always focused more on input such as citations, library, and faculty pedigrees. Similarly, the students only knew how to identify problems. While these factors are essential for legal education, professors are now training students to think like lawyers. And this concept goes beyond critical thinking or legal basics. Future lawyers should learn how to evaluate risks holistically rather than looking through a narrow legal lens.
Likewise, teachers are also putting more focus on satisfying clients’ objectives so that students can create the best legal products. They are training students to think from the client’s perspective while devising solutions. In short, thinking like a lawyer is all about driving responsive, cost-effective, and impactful solutions for the clients.
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Introduces New diplomas & Short Courses
Besides the conventional degree programs, legal education will transition to short-term diplomas and short courses. This new schooling can instill agility and augmented skills among legal professionals in the digital age. Most programs will have curriculum tailored to students’ competencies and job roles. For instance, if you are working as a criminal lawyer, the courses will cover recent changes in criminal law and safety protocols.
It offers an opportunity to people who don’t want to pursue a law degree. With some law exposure and in-depth knowledge of the legal area, they can take legal projects and assessments. A few decades ago, medicine underwent this transition, enabling physicians to function at the top of their licenses. Soon, you will notice lawyers doing the same.
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Incorporate Practical & People Skills
Previously, legal education has been only about learning the law, but not anymore. Now, it will equip students with a combination of people and practical skills. With eLearning, they would better understand the speed, complexity, and digital businesses’ mindset. Thus, helping students become more agile problem solvers. Similarly, the upcoming lawyers will have a global perspective with more cultural awareness because of their interactions with people worldwide.
Moreover, legal education is likely to make students more accountable, necessary for contemporary legal careers. With augmented and virtual reality, the teachers expose students to challenging legal situations and actively monitor progress. In turn, students learn to apply their theoretical knowledge and develop the best possible solution for the client. Also, such practices prepare them for real-world legal challenges.
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Offers Better Flexibility
The transformation of legal education offers more flexibility to work part-time and gain market experience. In the post-health situation world, everyone will rely more heavily on technology, and this is the place where the next generation of legal professionals will thrive. Students can work as associates or assistants in law firms virtually. Also, well-established lawyers can offer legal consultancy services online or open a virtual law firm.
However, for this, the lawyers have to become tech-savvy to work with multiple software programs. Educators are introducing programs that help students brush up on their tech skills. Besides online assessments, the curriculums will cover training programs to help students learn about law-related software and tools.
Final Thoughts
The global health situation had a ripple effect on the entire education sector, and now, legal education is at a crossroads. Law schools are trying to embrace the change by switching to eLearning, but that is not enough. The entire legal education will have to transform to keep pace with evolving business climate that transforms the legal function. Hence, educators must create new models, diplomas, and courses to expand upcoming lawyer’s skill sets.
