How Do the 'Theoretical World' Profs Feel About It?

From the Wall St. Journal's Law Blog:

"Many law schools are responding to the weak legal job market by offering more practical skills courses. Boston College of Law is going one step further by creating a new position — faculty director of “experiential learning.”

The school has appointed Paul Tremblay, clinical professor and law fund research scholar, to the post. His job: to “underscore and enhance” BC Law’s emphasis on real-world experience for law students, the school said in a statement on its website.

“We recognize that legal higher education and the legal profession are changing, with a greater emphasis on real-world experience for law students,” BC Law Dean Vincent Rougeau said. “We want to prepare our graduates for every aspect of the practice of law in our global community.”'

The article went on to note that NYU Law recently announced changes reflecting similar concerns. While these are ostensibly steps in the correct direction, the disconnect between law school and actual lawyering is still alarmingly dramatic, particularly when compared to the learning experiences of those in other professional schools. Changes such as installing 'real world' faculty positions (BC) or allowing 3rd years to study abroad (NYU) frankly aren't going to narrow that gap.