Law School News

• Jurisdiction: United States,Federal
• Citation: Vol. 43 No. 3 Pg. 50
• Publication year: 2020
• Pages: 50
• Year: 2020
• topic: Business of Law,Technology

Law School News Vol. 43 No. 3 Pg. 50 Wyoming Bar Journal June, 2020

Will COVID-19 Forever Alter the Educational Experience for Law Students?

Klint W. Alexander, Ph.D., J.D., M.Phil. University of Wyoming College of Law Laramie, Wyoming

Since the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States, the vast majority of U.S. law schools have suspended in-person classes and moved to online classes in an effort to slow the spread of the virus. Law professors have been experimenting with online classes via Zoom or Skype to make law school available to students who are practicing social distancing or under stay-at-home orders during this emergency period. Tis temporary move to online classes has provided important insights into the advantages and disadvantages of online legal education programs and how these programs stack up against traditional in-person, brick and mortar learning.

One of the main advantages of online legal education is that it increases accessibility by making law school available for students who live in rural areas or who cannot leave work or family to commute to law school. There are far fewer law schools in the United States than there are undergraduate colleges and universities. Thus, law students are more likely to travel longer distances to attend law school. The University of Wyoming, for example, is the only law...