Page 25 - Dallas Vol 5 No 4

“IF WE DIDN’T FORCE A BIT OF BREADTH UPON STUDENTS WITH SPECIALIZED MAJORS, OUR EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS WOULD PRODUCE GRADUATES WHO WERE ONE DIMENSIONAL.”
useless upon them at an ex- orbitant cost, especially if there are classes they would rather take, which would be more relevant to their career and success.
Because a er all, what are we making our students to pay for, if not the greatest chance to succeed in their chosen eld?
Law School Isn’t Much Better
During a lecture on Cli- ent Development for Attor- neys, I looked around the packed room and a thought occurred to me. I asked the students whether there were actual classes on client de- velopment at the university. ere were none. Consider- ing the fact that the largest percentage of law school graduates want to go into private practice, this is a rather glaring aw in our system.
A law school graduate could end up learning how to identify the di erence between Doric, Ionic and Corinthian (it’s the utes!) columns, yet due to elec- tive requirements, miss the opportunity to take a single class on any of the following (none of which are manda- tory at most undergraduate or law schools):
• Business Management & Innovation
• Client Development
• Negotiating
• Public Speaking
• Writing for Publication
and PR
• Basic Tech Every Attor-
ney Must Know
• Social Media & Content
Marketing
• Data Privacy & Cyberse-
curity
• Blockchain & FinTech
• Corporate & Public Sec-
tor Politics
ere are outliers. I spoke
with Professor Chris Meazell at Wake For- est University. Chris has been implement- ing practical material and exercises that will be applicable to his students when they enter the profession.
“One of the classes I teach focuses on the business of law. For example, students electing to start a simulated law rm must come up with funding, entity and business model selection, a business and market- ing plan, etc. Another component focuses on what they’ll need to know when they start at their rst job. billable hours, rack rates, discounts and write-o s and evaluat- ing the wisdom of rm management and nance are covered.”
I was hard pressed to imagine what could be more bene cial to students when Professor Meazell told me. “I have another class in which we simulate being the out- side counsel to Enron (a utility company which closed it’s doors under the shadow of scandals in 2007). I provide an overview of events, timelines, responsible parties and the role and limitations outside coun- sel had. Students learn about the kinds of
challenges they can face under the most dire of circumstances. It’s somewhat akin to Star Trek’s Kobayashi Maru simulation in that there’s really no way to ‘win.’ Stu- dents need to learn that’s o en the case in real life.”
Professor Meazell is an example of how forward-thinking teachers are taking a proactive role in preparing aspiring law- yers for the real-life situations which will be paramount to their professional success.
If we are going to compete in the rapidly changing global market place, we need to change the current educational model. e time has come to eliminate a system which requires a 19-year-old pre-law student to go $8,600 in debt for a class on “ e Phys- ics of Harry Potter” (Yes, that’s really a class. Google it). It’s time to prepare our next generation of attorneys for success.
Frederick Shelton is the CEO of Shelton & Steele, a legal recruiting and consulting rm, based out of Las Vegas. Since 1993, Frederick has worked with associates, counsel, partners, groups and coordinated law rm mergers & acquisitions.
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