Document Type
Essay
Publication Date
2023
Publication
Minnesota Law Review
Volume
107
Abbreviation
Minn. L. Rev.
First Page
2663
Abstract
This essay contends that law schools must reconsider how they educate future lawyers by elevating practical skills and the faculty who teach them, especially as the NextGen bar exam shifts toward assessing real‑world lawyering competencies. Through a blend of analysis and personal narrative, the author demonstrates how the traditional casebook‑Socratic model narrows the definition of merit, sidelines students whose strengths are not centered on rapid oral performance, and reinforces a hierarchy that undervalues skills faculty—who are often women and people of color—despite their central role in preparing students for practice.
Tracing the expansion of experiential learning after the Carnegie Report, the essay praises its benefits for student engagement and inclusion but critiques how it simultaneously deepened structural divides in status, pay, and governance between doctrinal and skills faculty. With the licensing exam now prioritizing counseling, negotiation, research, and client‑focused problem‑solving, the author urges law schools to align their curricula and institutional structures with this shift. A truly modern legal education, the essay argues, would integrate skills across the curriculum, compensate and empower skills faculty equitably, and embrace the diverse talents and experiences that students bring—ensuring that legal training reflects the full spectrum of what lawyers actually do.