BigLaw for 3Ls

University of Detroit Mercy School of Law has just announced that all of its third-year students will participate in the school's new Law Firm Program, a series of courses that attempts to recreate the experience of being an associate in a law firm.  Each semester, students will work on a single, complex transaction after being assigned to fictional practice areas in a fictional law firm.  Students will work within their assigned departments on various aspects of the transaction just as if they were working in different practice areas within a real firm, tackling the tax, employment, or IP issues that arise from a single transaction.  As a former associate, I think it's fantastic to see a law school taking such an innovative approach to experiential learning.  I think it's particularly important that students obtain more experience with teamwork before they begin practicing law.  Whether you're a litigator or a transactional attorney, if you're working in a law firm, it's a safe bet that you'll be spending a good portion of your professional life working with a team of other attorneys, and students need to learn how to work effectively within groups if they're going to succeed in a law firm environment.  Thanks to Law Librarian Blog for the tip on this story!