How is America's legal education failing the courts and what must change?

How is America’s legal education system failing the courts —and what must change? In this episode of Clarity, Natalie Runyon speaks withChief Justice Gordon J. MacDonald of the New Hampshire Supreme Court aboutfindings from the Committee on Legal Education and Admissions Reform (CLEAR)research. The discussion explores growing concerns among judges that too manynew lawyers are entering practice without the skills needed to effectivelyserve clients and navigate real-world legal proceedings. Drawing on researchconducted with thousands of judges, lawyers, and law students, Chief JusticeMacDonald explains that courts are facing several interconnected challenges,including rising numbers of self-represented litigants, legal deserts with toofew practicing attorneys, workforce shortages in public interest law, andconcerns that newly licensed lawyers are not adequately prepared for practiceon day one.

A central theme throughout the conversation is the need toplace greater emphasis on experiential learning and practice readiness. Theresearch found strong support for more hands-on training, mentorship,supervised legal work, and alternative pathways to licensure that betterreflect the realities of legal practice. Chief Justice MacDonald highlightsprograms such as the Daniel Webster Scholar Program in New Hampshire asexamples of how experiential learning can produce more practice-readygraduates. The discussion also explores how courts, law schools, barassociations, accrediting bodies, and legal employers must work together tomodernize legal education while leveraging tools such as AI andsimulation-based learning to help scale practical training opportunities.Ultimately, the episode argues that addressing the legal profession’s readinessgap will require coordinated action across the entire legal ecosystem.

3 reasons to listen

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1. Understand what the CLEAR research reveals aboutpractice readiness, including concerns from judges that many new lawyers lackcritical courtroom, advocacy, and client-service skills.

2. Learn why experiential learning, mentorship, andsupervised practice are increasingly viewed as essential, and how alternativepathways to licensure may help better prepare future lawyers.

3. Gain insight into the future of legal education,including the roles courts, law schools, bar associations, and emergingtechnologies such as AI may play in closing the practice-readiness gap.

Hear why legal education may need a fundamental rethink, and what comes next.