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The Legal Skills and Professionalism Program at Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School takes a holistic approach to preparing students for success during and after law school. Beginning with its writing program,
John Marshall developed its Program with two goals in mind: higher bar passage rates and developing graduates who can immediately practice law in jobs without extensive mentoring programs.
Upon implementation of the Program, the Law School has seen increased bar passage rates and practice success stories.
Moving forward on the success of its writing program, in 2006, John Marshall expanded the Program curriculum to encompass skills and professionalism courses, creating the Legal Skills and Professionalism Program. The same tools that students use to draft documents in their writing classes are now employed to solve legal problems in Negotiation, Mediation, Trial Advocacy, Client Interviewing and Counseling, and other skills courses. In addition, a professionalism component is built into every course in the Program, preparing students to confront and resolve real-world professionalism issues as they learn to solve legal problems and meet client goals.
All John Marshall Faculty work closely to ensure consistency across the curriculum and to ensure students are transferring skills from one classroom to another.
John Marshall Legal Skills Faculty come to the School with diverse but expansive practice experience, including medical malpractice litigation, commercial litigation, administrative law, domestic relations practice, and corporate/transactional work. The Legal Skills Faculty are active in the Georgia legal community, involving practitioners in judging student oral arguments, guest speaking, and sponsoring workshops.
Enabling student success through an integrated skills curriculum:
- Four semester required writing program – Legal Research, Writing and Analysis I, Legal Research, Writing and Analysis II, Pre-Trial Practice and Procedure, and Legal Drafting
- Integration of analytic and writing skills necessary to succeed on the bar exam and in the practice of law into required writing courses and elective skills courses
- Application of skills mastered in the required first year program to simulated real world situations such as developing litigation strategies, formulating discovery plans, preparing for negotiations or mediation, and assessing the enforceability of contract provisions
- Implementation of teaching strategies that complement students’ learning styles and multiple intelligences
- Incorporation of ethical and professionalism issues in all writing and skills courses
- Collaboration among Skills Faculty and Doctrinal Faculty creating consistency and integration of skills across the curriculum
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