Abstract
<p>This article describes some of the features of clinical course design that are essential for ensuring basic educational quality. It does not attempt to be thorough. A number of years ago, I served on a committee that began discussing whether it is possible to come up with “indicia of quality” that could be used to measure the quality of a clinical program or course. The question that framed the issue was “If someone wanted to determine whether one school’s professional skills program is likely to be better than another school’s program, what elements should be examined?” The committee not only guessed that it was possible to define those elements, we also believed that it could be accomplished without a great deal of trouble. Though I still think it is possible to define indicia of quality, we were wrong that it would be easy. Our initial effort foundered fairly quickly. From time to time others renewed the effort, only to abandon the project, with one exception. Sandy Ogilvy, a law professor at Catholic University School of Law in Washington, D.C., is making the most serious effort to date to describe “indicia of quality” for clinical programs.</p>
Highlights
This article describes some of the features of clinical course design that are essential for ensuring basic educational quality
A number of years ago, I served on a committee that began discussing whether it is possible to come up with “indicia of quality” that could be used to measure the quality of a clinical program or course
The document was titled Draft Guidelines/Standards for the Evaluation of Clinical Legal Education Programs. It was thirty-three single-spaced pages long, filled with one sentence statements of potential guidelines/standards related to educational quality and dealing with every imaginable aspect of clinical courses
Summary
Students can test and hone their knowledge and skills in clinical courses, but clinical education is especially valuable as a way for law schools to teach students the differences between professional and unprofessional behavior and to inspire them to become committed to the highest standards of practice. Students in clinical courses must move beyond theoretical discussions and apply their ideals about ethical standards in law practice settings. They learn about the standards of practice from other lawyers, who may or may not be members of a law faculty, and they observe the degree to which these standards are followed. One of the most valuable things about clinical education is that, unlike law practice, clinical courses allow students to discuss what they are learning and experiencing with other students and faculty, and often with practicing lawyers and judges
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