Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2000

Publication Information

26 William Mitchell Law Review 327 (2000)

Abstract

The MacCrate Report was published in 1992 and detailed the findings of a task force established by the American Bar Association. The purpose of the task force was to examine a perceived “gap” between legal education and law practice. The Report concluded that law schools needed to affirm their commitment to train students to practice effectively in the legal profession. This article analyzes the results of several surveys, each seeking to determine to what extent law schools provided Minnesota lawyers consistent training in the practice skills areas identified in the MacCrate Report. The findings discussed in this article were gleaned from a survey of Minnesota lawyers, conducted from 1997-1999 and a survey of William Mitchell College of Law Students who had completed the Legal Practicum course. The survey was designed to study how well prepared Minnesota lawyers felt after law school in seventeen legal practice skills and nine management skills, to what extent those skills were important, and from what sources they received those skills. These results are found in Part II. The responses in part II were compared based on demographic information including gender, age, location, and type of law practice. These results are detailed in Part III. The article then provides suggestions on how law schools could tailor their curriculums to achieve the goals set forth in the MacCrate Report.

Comments

This article is co-authored by David Camarotto, J.D., William Mitchell College of Law; 2000; B.A. St. John's University, Minnesota.

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