by Monica Chamness
Staff Writer
The attorneys of the 21st Century can expect the legal environment to be vastly different from present day, according to Richard Hurt, dean and professor of law at the Florida Coastal School of Law.
Speaking Tuesday before the Federal Bar Association at the Omni, Hurt reviewed the changes in the industry since he graduated from Yale Law School 22 years ago.
The main difference, Hurt maintains, is technology, especially computers used for research and instruction. Trial advocacy and live client clinics, in use since the early 1980s, have also become more prominent in the legal community. Additionally, diversity, both in the law school faculty and in the student population, has increased dramatically.
“At Yale in 1985, there were only two women on the faculty,” said Hurt. “With regard to minorities, both students and faculty were very homogeneous. That has indeed changed over the last 20 years. In recent years, the attacks on affirmative action have had a negative effect on law schools in their attempts to recruit minorities. We’ve seen minority enrollment go way down. We still have a long way to go.”
International programming has grown as well. Exchange students and studies abroad are much more common. Graduate law school programs, especially for foreign attorneys, are sprouting, too.
Based on his experience, Hurt outlined the greatest challenges facing the legal education system in the future, starting with globalization.
“There are going to be questions about how the structure of our legal education matches up against the European model, which is secondary education plus five years of undergraduate work and five years of law school work versus our requirement of a four-year undergraduate degree coupled with three years of law school,” said Hurt.
Complexities within the profession are multiplying, giving momentum towards the push for more specialized niches within the legal community. To appease clients, more firms are consolidating to offer a wider array of services under one roof. The arrangement can allow for more attorneys with a narrower focus.
Hurt also addressed the popularity of online instruction because of convenience.
“I see the ABA [American Bar Association] loosening distance learning standards,” he predicted.
Hurt summarized what he believes to be basic keys for the survival of legal academic institutions.
Innovation, such as incorporating training on multi-disciplinary practices, was one element he proposed. Distinguishing the school from its competitors in a flattering way, perhaps by delving into correspondence offerings, was another suggestion.
Lastly, searching for alternate funding to secure resources down the road and keep tuition affordable is one method that Florida Coastal is already studying.