Ten Law School Myths to Consider

Sociologists, anthropologists and others tell us that myths are important cultural glue, binding societies together. David Crump, in his article “Ten Necessary Myths of Law School” recently published in The Journal of Law in Society contends that law school is a society with its own myths, too. Crump says these myths are “necessary” in order to avoid undermining law school teaching methods.  A summary of the ten myths:

• Law school uses the case method.
• The case method teaches you how to “think like a lawyer.”
• The case method teaches you how to think, period.
• Lawyering strategies / skills is somehow intellectually inferior to the case method.
• The content of what professors teach doesn’t really matter.
• The professor’s lack of actual practice experience doesn’t really matter.
• Today’s scholarship enhances law school teaching.
• You learn legal ethics in law school.
• Law students don’t need to know practice management.
• You learn legal writing in law school.

The full article [10 J.L. Soc’y 33] is available on LexisNexis and LexisNexis Academic.