Preparing 'Main Street' Lawyers: Practicing Without Big Firm Experience

Abstract

This Article is the transcript of a panel presented at Emory’s Third Biennial Conference on Transactional Education. The panelists advance two premises: First, that law schools need to teach transactional skills because many students will either focus on transactional law or practice general law where transactional skills are necessary; and second, that some of the transactional skills the schools teach should be specific to main street lawyering because a number of students will be main street lawyers. The panelists explain how the transactional skills necessary for main street lawyering differ from skills needed in litigation and big law firms. They offer ideas of approaches and assignments professors can use in classes and clinics to teach law students the transactional skills necessary for main street lawyering.

Keywords: contract drafting, transactional skills, main street lawyering, legal education, legal clinics, teaching strategies