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Center for the Study of the Legal Profession ruler
Center for the Study of the Legal Profession

Co-Directors

Research Director

Executive Director

Legal Ethics Coordinator

Research Fellow. 2010-2011.

Contact Us

Center for the Study of the Legal Profession
Georgetown University Law Center
600 New Jersey Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001

Mitt Regan
regan@law.georgetown.edu
Phone: 202-662-9414
Fax: 202-662-9408

Jeff Bauman
bauman@law.georgetown.edu
Phone: 202-662-9061

Tanina Rostain tr238@law.georgetown.edu
Phone: 202-662-9218

Heather Bock
heb29@law.georgetown.edu
Phone: 202-662-4221

Juliet Aiken
jra76@law.georgetown.edu

Michael S. Frisch frischm@law.georgetown.edu
Phone: 202-662-9926

Jane Ohgami
jko4@law.georgetown.edu
Phone: 202-661-6604

Symposia and Programs

Georgetown Faculty Publications

The Center for the Study of the Legal Profession at Georgetown Law is devoted to promoting interdisciplinary scholarship on the profession informed by an awareness of the dynamics of modern practice; providing students with a sophisticated understanding of theopportunities and challenges of a modern legal career; and furnishing members of the bar, particularly those in organizational decision-making positions, broad perspectives on trends and developments in practice.


Executive Education

We are delighted to announce our Executive Education program, focusing on leadership, management, group and team dynamics, decision-making and other topics relevant to lawyers in positions of responsibility within firms, law departments, government offices and non-profits.  To view more information and our upcoming programs, click here.

 

About Us

Tower Green
 

Competition is sponsored by

The Center for the Study of the Legal Profession

 

WHAT:    Georgetown Law's First "Iron Tech

               Lawyer Competition"

WHEN:   Wednesday, April 18, 2011 - 1:15-3:20 p.m.

WHERE: Georgetown University Law Center

              Hotung Building - Room 2000

              550 First Street, NW

              Washington, D.C. 20001

WHO:  Panel of Judges:

Julie Cohen, Professor, Georgetown University Law Center

David Johnson, Professor, New York Law School

Gerry Spann, Professor, Georgetown University Law Center

Ed Walters, Founder and CEO, Fastcase

Georgetown Law Students and Apps:

Business Entity Adviser

Dayo Lesi (MBA '11, L'12) & Jack Moore (L'12)

 

Copyright Navigator

Bill Cheng (L'13) & Stacey David (L'12)

 

Protective Orders Made Easy

On the Beat: Automobile Search Warrant Adviser

Claudia Greves (L'13) & Dustin Robinson (L'12)

 

Same-Sex Marriage Adviser

Brittany Clement (L'12), Hallie Sears (L'12) & Lisa Umans (L'12)

 

The Citizen Adviser App.

Konstantinos Rokas (L'12) & Maryam Tabatabai (L'12)

 

NOTE:      During the Spring 2012 semester, Georgetown Law Professor Tanina Rostain and Adjunct  Professor Roger Skalbeck are offering a new experiential seminar on "Technology, Innovation and Legal Practice." Students in the seminar have heard from a range of experts on topics relating to law practice innovation enabled by technology. By using the tools introduced in the seminar or platforms they created independently, student teams have been working to develop applications that solve a legal practice problem, either by increasing access to the legal system or by making legal practice more efficient. The students will be presenting their final projects in Georgetown Law's first "Iron Tech Lawyer Competition." A panel of judges, made up of two Georgetown Law faculty members and two outside experts, will decide which is the best platform, program or expert system designed in the class.

Media interested in attending should contact mediarelations@law.georgetown.edu.

 


Symposium sponsored by:

The Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics

&

The Center for the Study of the Legal Profession

The Conscience and Culture of Prosecution

Monday, March 26, 2012

Georgetown University Law Center

Gewirz 12th Floor

Symposium Schedule

9:00 A.M.-9:30 A.M.

Welcome & Check-In

9:30 A.M.-9:45 A.M.

Opening Remarks

9:45 A.M.-10:15 A.M.

Introduction and Screening from Documentary Filmmaker and Producer Ofra Bikel

10:20 A.M.-11:15 A.M.

Interdisciplinary Panel

Moderated by Abbe SmithProfessor of Law, Director, Criminal Defense and Prisoner Advocacy Clinic, Georgetown University Law Center

Ofra Bikel Documentary Filmmaker and Producer

Paul ButlerCarville Dickinson Benson Research Professor of Law, George Washington University LawSchool

Angela J. DavisProfessor of Law, American University Washington College of Law

Bruce GreenLouis Stein Professor of Law, Fordham University School of Law

11:20 A.M.-12:00 P.M.

Keynote Address Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr.

Buffet/Sandwich Lunch

The Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics

Anna Offit, Editor-in-Chief           Erini Svokos, Symposium Editor

Contact Erini Svokos, ers36@law.georgetown.edu

Please RSVP at https://www.law.georgetown.edu/cle/showEventDetail.cfm?ID=280

 


January 30 Book Event:

The End of the Pipeline: A Journey of Recognition for African-Americans Entering the Legal Profession.

 

On January 30 from 4:00-5:30 pm on the twelfth floor of Gewirz, the Center for the Study of the Legal Profession and the Black Law Students Association are co-sponsoring a presentation by Professor Carla Pratt of Penn State Law School of the new book on which she is a co-author, The End of the Pipeline: A Journey of Recognition for African-Americans Entering the Legal Profession.  Providing commentary will be Veta Richardson, President of the Association of Corporate Counsel, who for many years was the Executive Director of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association.

Here is a short description of the book from the authors:

“This book had its beginnings in a simple question: How have some African-American attorneys, recently admitted to the bar, successfully navigated what research suggests is a very precarious pipeline to the legal profession? The response to this question entailed a journey that spanned some three years, over fifty informants, and a dozen or so researchers and scholars who study the intersections of education, race, and efforts to achieve social equity. The resulting work generalizes from the stories collected and constructs a substantive theory of success built around a phenomenon called ''working recognition.'' This concept describes both the recognition experienced in various forms by our study's participants and the recognition they transformed into strategic activities aimed at overcoming academic, economic, and social obstacles encountered in their personal pipelines. We found that it was through such activity that they ultimately attained recognition as lawyers and entered the profession of law.”

A reception will follow the talk and discussion.  Please RSVP to Elizabeth Claps at elc37@law.georgetown.edu.  We hope to see you there.

 


Symposium on the Status of the

Legal Profession: Facing the Challenges

of the 21st Century

 

A Symposium on the status of the legal profession titled "Symposium on the Status of the Legal Profession: Facing the Challenges of the 21st Century" will be held at The Georgetown University Law Center on March 31 to April 2, 2011. The symposium is presented by the American Inns of Court and the Georgetown University Law Center with assistance and support from the Honorable Society of the Middle Temple in London. The purpose of the symposium is to discuss timely topics relating to the practice of law and the administration of justice.

This American Inns of Court national event provides Inn leaders and members unparalleled opportunities to meet and exchange ideas while fulfilling continuing legal education requirements coordinated by The Georgetown University Law Center.

Building on the friendship between distinguished members of the Bench and Bar in the United States and the United Kingdom, the symposium will be an inspiring and memorable event featuring fascinating speakers and timely topics relating to the practice of law and the administration of justice.

All members of the legal profession will be inspired by the distinguished group of judges and lawyers assembled to be presenters, as well as the state of the art program sessions that will examine the special challenges of technology; professionalism and civility on the Bench; legal education, training and mentoring; and the influence of the media on the image of the legal profession.

We are delighted that the following distinguished judges and lawyers have already agreed to be presenters at the symposium:

  • Justice Stephen G. Breyer
  • Lord Nicholas Phillips,  President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom
  • Justice Sandra Day O’Connor
  • Justice John Murray, Chief Justice of Ireland

 

For more information regarding this symposium, please visit the

Symposium website.

 

Click here for the Conference Brochure

 


                                                   Past Events


Welcome to the Future:

Trends in the Delivery of Corporate Legal Services

March 9, 2011

 

Center for the Study of the Legal Profession

Georgetown University Law Center 

Association of Corporate Counsel

There is much talk in the air of a revolution in the delivery of corporate legal services – but what’s actually happening on the ground? This intensive one-day conference is designed to provide concrete insights into how corporate legal departments and outside service providers can collaborate to provide valuable and cost-effective legal services. Speakers, panel debates, and networking opportunities will create a dynamic opportunity for participants to acquire the information and tools they need to create and sustain a competitive edge.

The conference will feature presentations on (1) how inside counsel select law firms and how that relationship evolves through distinct stages, (2) how clients and service providers are attempting to define and measure the value of legal services, (3) how service teams can draw on members’ expertise to provide innovative results for clients and (4) how clients, law firms, and other providers are attempting to organize work in a coordinated legal services supply chain. Discussion of each topic will include descriptions of specific innovative arrangements in progress or on the drawing board, as well as suggestions about what may be around the corner.

 

LAW FIRM EVOLUTION:  BRAVE NEW WORLD OR BUSINESS AS USUAL? 

A Conference Sponsored by the Center for the Study of the Legal Profession

        Georgetown University Law Center           

March 21-23, 2010

Law firms have been affected to an unprecedented degree by the current economic downturn.  Many have made deep cuts in lawyers and staff.  Others have reduced salaries and hours, rescinded outstanding offers of employment, frozen hiring, delayed start dates for incoming lawyers, and even paid graduates to forgo the positions they earlier were offered.  Many have lost clients as entire sectors of the economy have disappeared or have been radically realigned.  Are the dramatic steps that firms have taken temporary adjustments to market conditions, which will have limited long-term effect after economic recovery?  Or do they reflect fundamental changes in the business model of law firms that are likely to transform the market for legal services and the legal profession in general?  This symposium will bring together scholars, practitioners, and legal professionals from around the world to discuss the future of the market for legal services, and the implications of change for the organization of law practice, legal career paths, law schools, and lawyers’ sense of professional identify.   

 

Click here for the Conference Schedule

Click here for the Conference Papers and Presentation Slides


Women and the Supreme Court Bar – a panel discussion, co-sponsored by the Supreme Court Institute and the Women’s Legal Alliance

Speakers included Hon. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States and former Supreme Court practitioner; Professor Pamela Karlan, Professor, Stanford Law School, and Co-Director, Stanford Supreme Court Litigation Clinic; Ms. Patricia Millett, Partner and Co-Chair of Supreme Court Practice, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, and former Assistant to the Solicitor General; Ms. Virginia Seitz, Partner, Supreme Court and Appellate Practice, Sidley Austin LLP; and moderated by Professor Pamela Harris, Executive Director, Supreme Court Institute.

Thursday, April 8, 2010,   3:30 – 5:00 PM, in Hart Auditorium, McDonough Hall

Watch a video of the panel


 

Insights into the Legal Profession (co-sponsored by the Office of Career Services): 

  • Wednesday, March 24, 3:30 p.m. McDonough 201 - James Jones of Hildebrandt International, former managing partner of Arnold & Porter, will present Rethinking the Nature of Legal Services:  Challenges for Lawyers in a Time of Revolutionary Change [Presentation]
  • Wednesday, March 31, 3:30 p.m. McDonough 201 - Bruce MacEwen, law firm consultant and founder of the on-line publication Adam Smith, Esq., will present Economic & Strategic Perspectives on the Current Environment

 


 

Tuesday, November 10:  Second Annual Lecture on the Legal Profession

Professor Scott Cummings, UCLA Law School, Market-Driven Public Interest Law

Supreme Court Institute Courtroom, 4:00 pm. 

 

Professor Scott Cummings of UCLA Law School, who is faculty chair of the Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy, will deliver the Second Annual Lecture on the Legal Profession on “Market-Driven Public Interest Law.”  Professor Cummings’ research examines the organization and practice of public interest law.  He currently is working on projects that explore the operation of small public interest firms, the development of public interest law systems abroad, and the role of lawyers in the anti-sweatshop movement in Los Angeles. 

 


 

Wednesday, October 7:  Panel Discussion on 

   David Cole's Book The Torture Memos:       

Rationalizing the Unthinkable

Gewirz Student Center, 3:00 p.m. 

 

We will be co-sponsoring with the Dean’s office a presentation and panel discussion on David Cole’s new book The Torture Memos: Rationalizing the Unthinkable.  The book collects in one place the memos prepared by the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) that provided legal authorization for the CIA to use controversial interrogation techniques with prisoners suspected of having information on terrorism.  The book also contains David’s thoughtful introductory analysis of the memos. The discussion will focus on whether the OLC lawyers acted consistently with their professional responsibilities, and, if not, whether they should be subject to discipline or other sanctions.  Panelists will present a range of views on these issues.  We currently have David Luban and Alan Morrison confirmed as panelists, and expect shortly to have two other confirmed participants.

 


 

 

The Future Is Here:  Globalization and the
Regulation of the Legal Profession

This conference is jointly sponsored by
The American Bar Association Center for Professional Responsibility and
Standing Committee on Professional Discipline
and
The Center for the Study of the Legal Profession of
Georgetown University Law Center

May 27, 2009
Chicago, Illinois
by invitation only

 

 


 

The Center for the Study of the Legal Profession
at Georgetown Law
cordially invites you to attend the inaugural

Lecture on the Legal Profession
Delivered by
Theodore Schneyer Milton O. Riepe Professor of Law, University of Arizona

Speaking on the topic of “Developments in the UK and Australia: How Might They Affect the Regulation of Legal Practice in the United States?”

Monday, April 20, 2009
4:00 p.m.

 

Professor Schneyer will be discussing the implications of recent reforms in the UK and Australia for the regulation of lawyers in the US.  These reforms include the authorization of outside investment in law firms, the establishment of a regulatory agency independent of the bar, and the creation of separate regulatory programs for large law firms.

 


 

EMPIRICAL RESEARCH ON THE LEGAL PROFESSION:
INSIGHTS FROM THEORY AND PRACTICE

A symposium sponsored by:
The Center for the Study of the Legal Profession and
the Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics

GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY LAW CENTER
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
8.00am - 4.30pm

This symposium will bring together scholars, practicing lawyers, print and electronic journalists,  consultants, and communications experts, from the US and overseas, to discuss how  empirical research on lawyers and law practice can inform our understanding of issues facing the profession.  Papers will focus on issues of diversity, lawyer mobility, globalization and its relationship to law firms, how lawyers can use empirical research on the profession, and the coordination of legal and media strategies in representing clients.  A lunch panel discussion will focus on the impact of the legal press on the profession.  The symposium will be structured to allow for lively discussions among scholars, practitioners and others in order to foster a dialogue that generates new knowledge and awareness on all sides.

The symposium will address several leading challenges for the legal profession.  How are the careers of minority lawyers distinctive?  What can law firms, clients and legal educators do to support increased diversity in the profession?  What do  patterns of lateral mobility of lawyers in large law firms tell us about the structure, management and culture of the firms?  How have law firms successfully addressed the challenges posed by globalization?  Are law firms constrained by regulation in their global growth?  What is the relationship  among lawyers, the media and communications specialists in representing clients?  How does the interaction of these groups shape law firm reputation and legitimacy?

In response to each paper, a practitioner (legal or non-legal) with relevant experience will begin the discussion by commenting on the scholarship.  The conversation then will expand to include both audience members and other panelists.

 


 

INSIGHTS INTO THE LEGAL PROFESSION

- Speaker Series -

The Center for the Study of the Legal Profession and the Office of Career Services are pleased to announce a new speaker series for the Law Center community entitled “Insights into the Legal Profession.” The series is intended to present different perspectives on where the legal profession presently is and where it may go in the future. We will have two speakers in this semester and three speakers in the spring.

The first presentation will be on Wednesday, November 5. The speaker will be Bruce MacEwen, an expert in the economics of law firm practice. His website, AdamSmith, Esq is widely admired for its insights into the legal profession. His topic will be Law Firm Finance 101.

The second presentation will be on Wednesday, November 12. The speaker will be James Jones, former managing partner of Arnold & Porter and presently chairman of the Hildebrandt Institute and vice-president of Hildebrandt International. He will talk about the past, present and future of the legal profession.

Third, on February 4th, 2009, we present "Challenges Faced By In-House Counsel For A Global Organization:  Maneuvering Your Way To Success," a presentation by Cindy Moehring, Senior Director, U.S. Ethics, Wal-Mart.  The focus of this speech is the role of in-house counsel in shaping corporate decisions and policies in the area of corporate social responsibility, diversity, alleged illegal conduct, and business ethics.  The session will address the role of in-house counsel as cop, counsel and/or entrepreneur in each of these situations, and when is it appropriate to wear which hat.  Throughout the session, the situations examined will give students a better understanding of the judgment and skills required to maneuver successfully as in-house counsel. 

Our fourth presentation is on February 11, 2009.  Ray Bayley, CEO and Founding Partner of Novus Law, LLC, will speak.

Ray is a former managing partner at Pricewaterhouse Coopers. LLC. Novus is a new global legal services firm which has done a great deal of work in India and elsewhere. His talk will be entitled “Creative Destruction in the Legal Profession.” He will discuss the forces that are transforming the legal profession and will analyze the new business models, services, forms of distribution and globalization that are challenging and changing the traditional law firm practice model. He believes that there are new and interesting opportunities for lawyers and that there is an increasing need for lawyers to learn new skills to succeed in a rapidly evolving legal industry.  


 

PANEL DISCUSSION ON WORK-LIFE BALANCE

Have you been thinking about life after law school, and how you will negotiate the demands of your career and your interest in having a meaningful personal life? For you, what does work-life balance mean? What are the personal and professional costs and benefits of taking advantage of a work-life balance policy? How and when should you investigate the policies of potential employers in the interviewing process? After you have started working, what are the best strategies for flexibility - the practical "dos and don'ts"?

The Center for the Study of the Legal Profession, the Office of Career Services and Workplace Flexibility 2010 are sponsoring a panel to examine these questions and more.

Speakers include:

- Linda Oliver, Partner, Hogan & Hartson, formerly with the FCC (legal advisor to Commissioner Ervin S. Duggan and senior trial attorney)

- Mike Nannes, Chairman, Dickstein Shapiro

- Audrey Bracey Deegan, director, Deloitte Consulting LLP

- Mitch Bailin, Dean of Students, Georgetown Law Center

WHEN: Wednesday, January 28th - 3:30 to 5:00

ROOM: McDonough 201


 

SYMPOSIUM ON CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: LAW, OPERATIONS, AND STRATEGY

GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY LAW CENTER

CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF THE LEGAL PROFESSION

On November 7, 2008, the Center and the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown sponsored a symposium on Corporate Social Responsibility: Law,   Operations, and Strategy at the Law Center.  This event brought together distinguished legal and business scholars, as well as prominent

 Calls for corporate social responsibility often urge companies to assume responsibilities that rest upon some basis other than economic interest or legal obligation.   These responsibilities may well be consistent with a business’s economic and legal concerns, but they also may conflict with them.

The demand that business act upon social responsibilities must take into account three important dimensions of corporate activities.  These dimensions were the focus of this symposium.  The issues below were just some of those that participants addressed in a wide-ranging series of discussions.

Law   

Some argue that current legal rules inhibit behavior based on a sense of corporate responsibility.  Others suggest that existing law can accommodate initiatives that reflect a commitment to social responsibility. 

How long a time horizon can managers take into account in satisfying their fiduciary duties?  Is direct regulation of corporate behavior a useful approach?  Or will law be more effective by creating incentives and relying on more informal influences?  

What role might “soft law’ play in fostering the fulfillment of corporate social responsibilities?

Operations  

By what standards should businesses report their success or lack of success in operating in a manner that seeks to be socially responsible?    Though the Global Reporting Initiative’s G3 has emerged as one of the leading contenders for a global non-financial reporting set of standards, what are the strengths and weaknesses of this kind of approach?    Other standards such as the Equator Principles, etc. are relevant in operationalizing demands for corporate responsibility?   The ISO movement is working towards a set of standards by which business might measure its CSR activities.  Other standards are offered by Social Accountability international and AccountAbility International.

The obstacles and issues that are characteristic of each of these dimensions increasingly arise with respect to global activities.  Consideration of multinational corporate operations therefore is a theme that will run throughout the symposium. 
In addition to the presentations featured in each the panels above, there will be a lunch roundtable discussion of inside corporate counsel on the challenges of launching and sustaining social responsibility initiatives in a multinational corporation.

Strategy

What steps can businesses take to integrate corporate social responsibilities into their strategies as well as the products and services they provide to the public? 

Should the law require corporate disclosure of social and environmental risks created by corporate activities?  Or should disclosure be limited to risks that are financially material to the company and investors?  Is disclosure under any standard likely to make any difference in corporate behavior? 

Is promoting greater shareholder involvement in corporations likely to make them act in more socially responsible ways? Or will it risk reinforcing existing incentives to emphasize short-term performance? 

For the Symposium program, click here.


The Center for the Study of the Legal Profession
at Georgetown Law is devoted to:

  • promoting interdisciplinary scholarship on the profession informed by awareness of the dynamics of modern practice;
  • providing students with a sophisticated understanding of the opportunities and challenges of a modern legal career;and
  • furnishing members of the bar, particularly those in organizational decision-making positions, broad perspectives on trends and developments in practice.

In support of its mission, the Center sponsors symposia, research, publications, workshops and speakers designed to foster exchanges among scholars, practitioners and students about the ongoing evolution of law practice and the aims and commitments of the profession. The Center is directed by Professor Mitt Regan, regan@law.georgetown.edu, Professor Jeffrey Bauman, bauman@law.georgetown.edu and Professor Carole Silver, silver@law.georgetown.edu.