Learning the New Legal Technology
Anyone involved in teaching lawyers and law students should take a look at a Berkman Center paper, “New Skills, New Learning: Legal Education and the Promise of New Technology” by Gene Koo. The study does a good job of analysing the problems and promises that face lawyers in respect of technology and raises some of the right questions for those responsible for educating students. A paragraph from the conclusion:
Law firms, continuing legal education providers, technology providers, and law schools all have a role to play in ensuring that attorneys are prepared for a technologically-mediated world. To meet this challenge, these organizations must understand what to teach and how to teach it. In many ways the opportunity demands an entrepreneurial approach: relentless experimentation to sharpen both practice and the pedagogy of practice. It also requires institutional awareness: understanding not just the divide between academy and practice and the divergent challenges facing global mega-firms versus local community lawyers, but also how to bridge those differences when necessary.
Well one could comment by quoting a noted blogger: My week for finding things that have been around for ages. http://www.slaw.ca/2007/04/09/new-skills-new-learninglegal-education-and-the-promise-of-technology/
I neglected to report back, but I actually attended the presentation of this report by Gene Koo (see the post with the invitation).
When I say “attend”, I should mention I was on vacation but here in Toronto, simultaneously watching the presentation via video, talking to other audience members in a chat room, and also interacting with other audience members via the virtual world Second Life. I found the Second Life presence unnecessary in this case because the best discussion was taking place in the room I could see and hear on video, and in the chat (text).
Still lots of work to be done in this area was my impression.
Now ‘fess up, Simon F. You picked up this story from bespacific this morning, didn’t you? ;-)
Man, I hate it when I do that. Easter Monday… I can’t even claim to have been out of the country. Sigh.
And Connie’s right: I did indeed get it from beSpacific — and there’s another thing: I should be more diligent about putting in my [via…]’s.
Yeah, I think it is only fair we give credit where we find things. We’d like to see ourselves referenced too.
Cheer up–Friday’s almost here!