Washington Lawyer - September 2019 - 17

"We moved into clinical education very seriously very early," says Treanor.
"There are two things we're seeing: Clinical education is a very powerful
way to learn. We also realized that clinics teach you broader skills than
simply thinking like a lawyer. You're learning how to work in a team. You're
learning time management. You're learning strategic thinking. All of those
things are what a clinical education provides."
Meanwhile, innovative, open-access platforms such as InsideSherpa are
giving students the option of working virtually with law firms to gain greater
understanding of how they operate. Selected applicants might be asked
to prepare reports, draft correspondence, update due diligence reports, and
conduct legal research - all virtually.
These transactional experiences where students are assigned cases and
work with clients are not only effective, they are necessary, say practitioners.
Representing clients in real cases, guided by faculty, gives students the
essential practical experience to broaden their education and be ready for
practice straight out of law school.
Even so, students also need to recognize that what is possible in law
school legal clinics may not be practical in a small firm or solo practice.
"In a clinic setting, students can work up a case, spending hours and hours
researching a tiny point," says Gowen. "In the real world, you can't do that.
That's what students need to learn. How do they marry their knowledge
of technology with a lawyer's ethical obligations and being a good
advocate for their clients?"

If their curriculums can be a guide, law schools are moving deliberately in
the direction of preparing students to handle the practical elements of
their future careers, along with the massive advancement of technology,
while maintaining a deep understanding of legal theory.
Experts say an interesting outcome of this curriculum evolution, maybe
even an unexpected one, is that it has fostered a level of parity between
Big Law firms and the little guys, creating even more competition in the
marketplace.
"With law schools giving students the training in technology and practice
management, the playing field has been leveled for small firms," says
Spekter. "Technology can be a determining factor in deciding which
attorney can do the work at hand. It may be the unforeseen consequence
of better preparing law students for the real world."
For Olah, who starts work at an intellectual property firm in the fall, he may
not need to apply his practice management skills right away, but he'll be
ready when called. "I think it just makes me a better lawyer," he says.
Sarah Kellogg is a regular contributor to Washington Lawyer.

Illustrations, iStock; Camille Nelson, Jeff Watts/American University Washington College of Law;
Bill Treanor, courtesy of Georgetown University Law Center; Christopher A. Bracey, courtesy of The
George Washington University School of Law

Quarles & Brady LLP Hires Veteran
Former Federal Prosecutor
We are pleased to announce that Luke Cass has joined the firm's
White Collar and Internal Investigations Practice as a partner in
our Washington, D.C. office.
Luke Cass, an award-winning federal prosecutor for nearly 11 years, is widely respected among Department of Justice leaders.
He earned impressive trial and governmental investigations experience as a former Senior Trial Attorney at Main Justice's elite
Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney prosecuting financial fraud and public corruption. He has litigated significant
complex white collar crimes at the grand jury, trial, and appellate stages. Luke is a valuable addition to a premier group of
attorneys with an exceptional reputation for their deep experience in white collar defense, corporate investigations, and
government enforcement matters. Quarles & Brady looks forward to the future successes of our Washington, D.C. office's
growing white collar practice.

quarles.com

SEPTEMBER 2019

WASHINGTON LAWYER

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Washington Lawyer - September 2019

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