ABA Task Force on Future of Legal Education calls for greater innovation

The ABA Task Force on Future of Legal Education released its Draft Report and Recommendations today calling for changes to financing of law-related education, greater innovation in legal education, and changes to ABA policies on distance learning, among others. The Task Force’s report comes on the heels of recent public calls for radical changes to legal education.

Regarding innovation, the ABA Task Force report states:

There is need for innovation in legal education and a fair amount of it is under way. Although “innovation” is a malleable concept, at bottom what is needed, and being called for, is: (a) a greater willingness of law schools and others entities which deliver legal education services to experiment and take risks; and (b) support for the experiments and risk-taking by other participants in the legal education system.

The ABA Task Force report also specifically recommended making changes to Standard 306 relating to distance education.