Harvard Law School and Yale Law School will convene law deans and education experts from around the country on March 1 to discuss paths forward in thinking about what data prospective students need to make good choices about legal education.
The one-day academic conference will take place at Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts and bring together legal education leaders and data experts to consider how schools can supply data that serve prospective students across a range of backgrounds, lived experiences, and professional aspirations without, in the process, creating unintended effects that risk distorting law schools’ educational missions and student choice. The conference will feature panel discussions with leading experts and representatives from schools across the country.
“Not all law students are looking for the same thing, and students considering which law school to attend must have accurate, relevant data to help them make informed choices about which schools best meet their needs,” said Harvard Law School Dean John F. Manning. “By providing a forum for law schools to share and discuss best practices in sharing data, we hope to help ensure prospective students are well positioned to choose the law school that will enable them to achieve their highest aspirations.”
“This is an important moment for legal education, one that requires us to step back and think hard about what we are doing,” said Yale Law School Dean Heather K. Gerken. “Our conference will provide leaders across legal education with a chance to consider best practices for data disclosure, reflect on the core values of our profession, and ensure prospective students have the information they need to make this crucial decision.”
The conference will look at how rankings shape incentives and perceptions as well as consider approaches to ensuring that prospective students have the information they need to decide whether law school is an appropriate career path and which schools will best meet their needs and interests once they have made that decision. More information on the conference will be available later this month.
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