Section on the Education of Lawyers, Virginia State Bar
Organized in 1992
This section was formed by uniting the work of the former Committee on Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar with the contributions of the two Conclaves on the Education of Lawyers in Virginia held in the early 1990s. Legal education begins in law school, moves through a period dominated by bar review courses and bar exams, and continues through all stages of a lawyer's professional life. This section, the first of its kind in the country, brings together law deans and professors, members of the judiciary and practicing lawyers in a collaborative effort to improve every phase of legal education in Virginia. The section publishes a newsletter, Education & Practice. In partnership with the Virginia State Bar’s Standing Committee on Professionalism and the eight accredited Virginia Law Schools, the section conducts a program annually at each law school focused on enhancing professionalism and civility for law students. The section also has undertaken a variety of special projects, including programs focused on pre-law students. It has cosponsored innovative CLE programs in collaboration with the Virginia law schools, including the well-received offerings on Law and Literature. It also has recently created a unique legal writing seminar in partnership with the law schools. With financial support from the Virginia Law Foundation, the section sponsored a 20th Anniversary Conclave on the Education of Lawyers in Virginia in April 2012, which brought together major stakeholders in legal education from the three constituencies of the profession. The William R. Rakes Leadership in Education Award was established by the section in 2012, with the inaugural award presented to Mr. Rakes in conjunction with the 2012 Conclave.