The economic model of law firms has changed.
Firms that once hired straight out of law school, are now forced to re-evaluate efficiencies. Training young lawyers takes time and costs money which is increasingly difficult to justify. As a result, firms have pleaded with law schools—schools with curriculums steeped in theory with little attention devoted to the essential skills required to enter practice—to introduce practical training.
At the same time, with technology reshaping entire industries, the skill sets critical to the practice of law are also evolving. Emphasis on standard, process-driven skills is giving way to an increased focus on the ability to manage multi-layered, complex issues for clients. As expectations for attorneys increase, the term “professional” takes on new meaning.
Baylor Law has been ahead of the curve for years, equipping its students to practice law when they walk out the door. From the first minute of orientation—the language used, the time demanded, and the expectations set—it is all about becoming a professional.
PRACTICE.
Here, students learn to engage clients, craft and deliver opening statements, examine witnesses, and conduct multiple jury trials through closing arguments and verdicts—just like in practice.
They learn to write contracts, make trademark applications, craft sales agreements, and negotiate on behalf of their client—just like in practice.
They learn to translate theory, research, preparation, analytical thinking, written advocacy skills, and attention to detail into strategic tools that create a winning case—just like in practice.
And along the way, they learn to balance the demands of full caseloads, the responsibilities to their clients, the time requirements for preparation, and the emotional pressures that come with representing people and businesses whose futures hang in the balance—all with the priorities of one’s family, faith and life—just like in modern practice.
READY.
The legal profession refers to graduates who begin their law careers uniquely prepared to practice on day one as “practice-ready.” Today, that term is synonymous with the title of “Baylor Lawyer.”
“As an Assistant Criminal District Attorney, I’m in the courtroom every day. And every day, I enter the courtroom with the confidence that comes with being a Baylor Lawyer. From docket calls to jury trials, I know that my experiences at Baylor Law prepared me for it all.”
—Sade Y. Mitchell
Assistant Criminal District Attorney,
Bexar County District Attorney’s Office
“In my experience, new Baylor Lawyers are hard working, strong advocates, and civil professionals. Baylor Law trains lawyers to be what I’d like to see in the courtroom and what all lawyers want in our next generation of attorneys.”
—The Honorable Judge Ed Kinkeade
US District Court for the Northern District of Texas
“Baylor Law knows what works in the practice and how to prepare to be effective. Baylor Law has played a big part in my success and that of my Baylor colleagues in the bar.”
—Walter Umphrey
Leader of the trial team that brought Texas a
$17 billion recovery from the tobacco companies
