Keywords

legal education, law faculty, career preparation, law practice, law school, attorneys

Abstract

Legal education has long been the subject of harsh, widespread criticism due to concerns about its ability to adequately prepare students for legal practice. Newer attorneys have reported feeling incapable of performing even the most basic functions of their job after graduation from law school (Merritt & Cornett, 2020). Despite this troubling reality, law schools largely continue to function as they always have (Cramton, 1981). To gain insight directly from important figures in legal academia, this study examined law faculty perceptions on legal education’s role in producing practice-ready graduates. A mixed-methods survey design incorporating both quantitative descriptive and qualitative elements was utilized. The survey was distributed to 114 law faculty members across 10 ABA-accredited law schools to obtain a purposive sample. Eleven completed responses were included in the final data analysis. Survey items distinguished between empirical (how things are) and normative (how things should be) categories. Quantitative descriptive results indicated strong normative agreement among participants that law schools should contribute to the development of practice-ready graduates. However, empirical assessments surrounding whether law schools currently achieve this goal were more varied, particularly in competencies typically associated with experiential learning, including client interaction and courtroom advocacy. Qualitative responses further revealed variation in how faculty define “practice-ready” and identified constraints that shape faculty behavior and beliefs. These findings contribute to the existing, but largely superficial, literature surrounding deficiencies in legal education. By centering faculty perspectives, this study offers key empirical insight into ongoing discussions of legal education reform.

Completion Date

2026

Semester

Spring

Committee Chair

Cox, Thomas

Degree

Master of Arts (M.A.)

College

College of Graduate Studies

Department

Interdisciplinary Studies

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Identifier

DP0053119

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