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Law Schools Trying To Change With The Times

By Dr. Marciene Mattleman

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - "Legal education has been stronger on tradition than innovation." Tough words from Joan Howarth, dean of the Michigan State law school, at a session where students are proposing nimble and offbeat businesses - such as outsourcing services for legal firms and helping immigrants file their taxes.

Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles, tracking curriculum, notes that law schools are looking for entrepreneurial opportunities, gaps in the law or in delivery of services and Indiana University law school is putting in more technology and practical training to adapt to a field that is less about expensive lawyering and more about providing legal services at lower cost.

Students at Michigan State and those in other similar law schools know they are taking risks but the winner of the Michigan State start-up competition Stand'n, a blend of social media's tracking features and apps to connect people with firms and legal services on short notice, is far from a way-out idea.

Read more about changes in tradition in The New York Times.

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