Vol. 34, No. 3, 58. Law School News.

• Author: by Steve Easton, Dean University of Wyoming College of Law

Wyoming Bar Journal

2011.

Vol. 34, No. 3, 58.

Law School News

Wyoming Bar JournalIssue: June, 2011Law School Newsby Steve Easton, Dean University of Wyoming College of LawLegal education is sometimes criticized as being overly theoretical and not -grounded enough in practice. Critics often compare legal education to medical education, noting that practicing doctors are directly involved in the education of future doctors, while practicing lawyers and judges are not usually directly involved in the education of future lawyers and judges.

When this criticism is directed at American legal education in general, it has some validity. At many law schools, theory is emphasized to the exclusion of practical skills education and there is little or no involvement of the practicing bench and bar in the education o.f law students.

Happily, this is not true at the University of Wyoming College of Law. We do provide a solid theoretical education with a broad set of required courses covering fundamental subjects all lawyers should know, including Civil Procedure, Torts, Contracts, Criminal Law, Property, Constitutional Law, Evidence, and Professional Responsibility. We also offer several elective courses with a substantial theoretical component, including courses that focus on the energy and natural resource issues that are so critical to our state. Even in our largely theory-based courses, though, we incorporate "real world" education. For example, our Evidence students are required to attend at least two hours of court hearings or trials to help them develop an understanding of how evidence issues arise and play out in courtrooms.

We supplement these theory-heavy courses with a substantial set of courses that provide training and experience in the skills used by practicing attorneys and judges. Three of them. Legal Research, Legal Writing, and Appellate Advocacy, are required for each first-year student. To graduate, students must also take at least one more writing course and one additional skills course. The menu of available skills courses is lengthy, including Advanced Appellate Advocacy, Advanced Legal Research, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Business Planning, Civil Pretrial Practice, Estate Planning, Lawyering Skills, Trial Practice, and the Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources Practicum. In addition to these...