NCJ Number
79439
Date Published
1981
Length
0 pages
Annotation
Charles Rogovin, Associate Dean of the School of Law at Temple University in Philadelphia, points up some serious shortcomings in the curriculums offered at most law schools in the country.
Abstract
The basic contention is that lawyers are ill prepared by their legal education for the administrative functions many will have to fulfill. It is claimed that lawyers assume inordinate importance and influence: They monopolize half the criminal justice process as judges, defenders, and prosecutors. Furthermore, lawyers in elected office outnumber all other professions. Their qualifications appear to be rhetoric, arrogance, and procrastination. While law schools provide training in analytical capabilities -- the skills necessary for the practice of law -- less than 25 percent of these institutions require courses in administrative law. Nothing is taught young lawyers about the allocation of resources, decision theory, public administration planning, or policy analysis. Literature is nonexistent on the roles of lawyers as administrators and managers. An introduction to social science methodology for lawyers and management theory courses complemented by practice in government agencies should be part of the law school curriculum. However, there is a tradition of resistance to change in these educational institutions which makes any reform difficult to achieve. Audience questions are answered following the presentation.