Law school is just Part I of your legal education. Part II is the knowledge you gain from the working world once you’re part of it – and depending on how well you’re prepared, that world can be a rich treasure trove of experience, or the school of hard knocks.
The CBA Legal Futures Initiative is here to help, with a guide meant to provide something of a bridge between law school and post-academic life. Titled Do Law Differently: Futures for Young Lawyers, the guide written by Jordan Furlong offers a look at where we are now and how we got here; some suggestions about the things you should know and skills you should develop; interviews with #NewLaw pioneers; and resources for more information.
Do Law Differently, which will be officially launched at the CBA Mid-Winter meeting in Ottawa in February, is aimed at law students and lawyers within their first five years after call. The guide, which will be available online, will have a companion Facebook page – a closed group where members can meet to discuss the challenges they’ve been finding in the real world, and tell others how they met those challenges. The Facebook page will be updated regularly with video interviews, podcasts, articles of interest and other items posted by members.
We plan a second launch at LegalX in Toronto in March, following a symposium on legal education co-hosted by the CBA Legal Futures Initiative and the Canadian Bar Review. And keep your eye out for more events connected to the guide.
Now more than ever being prepared for the business of law is a completely different proposition from being prepared for the practise. Do Law Differently will help you prepare for that knowledge gap.
We plan for the guide to be a living document, updated each year to reflect the current reality of the legal profession. Your participation and feedback will be key to ensuring the guide continues to be as relevant as possible to the needs of young lawyers and law students.