This video is a panel discussion on the future of distance learning in legal education. It amplifies a unique perspective in that the panelists are all former students of mine who graduated in May 2020.
Specifically, I brought together four recent alumni from the Penn Law JD class of 2020: Edwin Bogert, Rana Ozer, Jack Vanderford, and Greer Wellstead, all of whom are currently practicing at law firms in their first year of practice, having completed a summer associate program in 2019. That means that in just the past two years, the panelists have experienced both in-person and distance education and in-person and remote lawyering.
Edwin, Rana, Jack, and Greer took time from their very busy schedules to talk about what it is like to learn how to work at a law firm as a first-year associate remotely, how remote lawyering is likely here to stay, and how law school can change (or stay the same) to better prepare graduates for the realities of remote lawyering.
Based on the panelists’ insightful, honest, and entertaining comments, attendees will walk (or click) away having learned, among other things: (1) that a world in which lawyers have no access to tangible physical information is not the future, it’s the present; (2); knowing contract law is great, but knowing how (and when) to use Slack may be just as useful, and (3) that the psychology of isolated remote work makes learning how to get started on assignments and learn on the fly even more critical.
The video is appropriate for all attendee levels of knowledge.
I hope you enjoy watching the video as much as we enjoyed making it!
Mike Murphy
Clinical Supervisor and Lecturer
Entrepreneurship Legal Clinic
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
