September 24, 2014
NKU Chase College of Law Inaugurates
W. Bruce Lunsford Academy for Law, Business + Technology
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University Chase College of Law celebrated the inauguration of the W. Bruce Lunsford Academy for Law, Business + Technology.
Leading voices on the future of the profession and legal education were invited to NKU Chase College of Law to discuss the need for creative thinking in the marketplace, including changes to law school curriculum and programming essential for future lawyers to succeed in the modern profession of law.
- Lisa Radtke Bliss, Georgia State University College of Law
- Benjamin G. Dusing, BGD Law, BGD Outsourcing
- Dean Jon M. Garon, Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad Law Center
- John Mayer, executive director, CALI
- Interim Dean Chidi Ogene, Florida Coastal School of Law
- The Honorable Shira Scheindlin, U.S. District Court Southern District of New York
- Dean Michael Hunter Schwartz, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, William H. Bowen School of Law
- Sophie Sparrow, University of New Hampshire School of Law
- Dean David N. Yellen, Loyola University Chicago School of Law
Modern law firms are revolutionizing the practice of law. Would-be clients can now utilize home technology to supplement the advice of the practitioner while virtual law firms threaten to tear down the twentieth-century Big Law business model. Such changes in the legal profession cannot be ignored by law schools.
“To the extent that law schools are well-versed with the practicing bar, it is with a twentieth-century practice model, one based on the exclusive control by lawyers over the selling of legal services, uninformed clients, and the billable hour. Each of these pillars of the twentieth century profession is now buckling,” observed Jordan Furlong, principal, Edge International.
The Lunsford Academy curriculum combines quantitative analysis and research, high-level legal analysis, and best business practices to manage the constant change at the heart of modern legal practice. “This program will become an integral part of our curriculum and will provide Chase students with a dynamic environment in which to learn the skills they need to succeed in a technology-driven world,” said NKU Chase Dean Jeffrey A. Standen.
“The program produces ‘Renaissance Lawyers’ for the Information Age. Our Lunsford Scholars will be fluent in the languages of law, business and technology,” explained Director and Professor Christopher Gulinello. “In addition to a solid foundation in the study of the law, they will need to be able to make sense of financial statements, process basic statistical analysis, understand change management best practices to lead their future teams, and be prepared to take advantage of tomorrow’s technological wonders as they seek cost-effective and productive solutions to business problems.”
“We need to expose students to all aspects of technology – both its legal aspects and its legal uses. Schools like Chase that embrace that challenge are leading the charge. Many others seem institutionally incapable of tackling it.” Marc Lauritsen, president, Capstone Practice Systems, co-chair, ABA eLawyering Task Force, former director of clinical programs, Harvard Law School.
The W. Bruce Lunsford Academy for Law, Business + Technology (http://lunsfordacademy.nku.edu)
The W. Bruce Lunsford Academy for Law, Business + Technology is an honors program. The focus of the program is to develop “Renaissance Lawyers” for the Information Age. The honors curriculum is designed to enhance the comprehensive legal education provided by Chase by emphasizing legal technology, quantitative methods, leadership, informatics and other skills critical to the future of the practice of law and business. Through the program’s technology-focused, skills-based curriculum, students will acquire the fundamental skills that will make them more productive for their clients, more attractive to employers, and better prepared to practice law upon graduation. The academy is named for W. Bruce Lunsford, a 1974 Chase graduate, who committed $1 million to the program.
To learn more about the inauguration, see http://chaselaw.nku.edu/centers/la/inauguration.html
To view the webinar, visit http://bit.ly/LunsfordWebinar.
Since 1893, NKU Chase College of Law (http://chaselaw.nku.edu/) has educated individuals who make immediate contributions to the legal profession and to their communities. With a collegial, student-centered environment in full-time and part-time programs, NKU Chase provides an intellectually rigorous education in legal theory and professional skills; offers practical training through its curricular offerings, co-curricular programs and specialized centers; and instills the ideals of ethics, leadership and public engagement. In 2013, the ABA recognized NKU Chase as one of the top 13 law schools teaching law practice technology.
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For more information contact Chris Cole at 859-750-0289 (mobile) or colec@nku.edu or Lindsey Jaeger at 859.572.7853 or jaegerL1@nku.edu.
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