Professional Skills and Values in Legal Education - Institute for Law ...

2009] Teaching Professional Skills in Law School 523
responsible lawyers. 62 Likewise, the Best Practices Project contains a
detailed discussion of methods for developing curricula, delivering
instruction, and assessing learning to further the goals of effectively
teaching the critical knowledge, skills, and professionalism that
graduates need to be competent lawyers. 63
In an exhaustive review of
professional skills education, Sonsteng, Ward, Bruce, and Petersen offer
a plan for comprehensive reform of legal education. 64
The Phoenix School of Law developed its General Practice Skills
course as one way of answering the call to prepare graduates to enter the
profession.
A. Phoenix School ofLaw's Mission and Bar Survey
From its inception in 2005, Phoenix School of Law's mission has been
based on providing an educational experience that is (1) studentcentered,
(2) a bridge to practice-readiness, and (3) committed to serving
underserved communities. 65 To identify the professional knowledge,
skills, and values that lead to practice-readiness, Phoenix School of Law
reviewed the MacCrate Report 66 and the surveys of lawyers in Chicago,
Minnesota, and Montana. 67 Based on those resources, a survey was
designed and all members of the Arizona State Bar Association were
invited to complete it. 68 Although Phoenix School of Law received only
175 completed surveys,69 the respondents represented a broad crosssection
of the Arizona Bar, as shown in Tables 3 and 4.
62 See CARNEGIE REPORT, supra note 7, at 34-38 (noting City University of New York's
first-year lawyering seminar), 38-43 (noting New York University's first-year lawyering
program), 104-11 (noting legal writing programs), 120-25 (noting clinical programs), 173­
76 (assessing lawyer skills), and 176-80 (assessing ethical-social development).
63 See BEST PRAcnCES PROJECT, supra note 8, at 39-281.
64 John O. Sonsteng et aI., A Legal Education Renaissance: A Practical Approach for the
Twenty-First Century, 34 WM. MITCHELL 1. REV. 303, 437-72 (2007).
65 See About Phoenix Law, http:!jwww.phoenixlaw.edujabouCphoenix_law.aspx (last
visited on Mar. 14, 2008).
66 See MACCRATE REPORT, supra note 6.
67 See CARNEGIE REPORT, supra note 7.
6B This survey instrument is included in Appendix A.
69 In 2005, Phoenix School of Law mailed over 10,000 letters inviting Arizona Bar
Association members to complete the survey.