Harvard Law School’s Center on the Legal Profession, whose mission is to conduct world-class empirical research on the global profession, develop innovative teaching models and foster bridges between legal practitioners and the academy, has announced the release of their revamped website and the launch of the first-of-its-kind digital magazine, The Practice, which offers thoughtful groundbreaking legal analysis and perspective for US-based and worldwide readers.
“The Program (now Center) has a long and rich history that dates back to the 1980s and for a long period of time was focused on Harvard Law School related issues of interest to law school students and law school professors. Beginning ten years ago, we began to dramatically expand our focus,” says Professor David B. Wilkins, faculty director of the Center. This past September, the Center changed its name from its original title of the “Program on the Legal Profession” to better reflect the expansion and global focus of its research, programming and outreach.
“And as we thought about it, [the Program] was much more of a separate and independent Center within the Harvard Law School, and not just another program,” says Wilkins. “We wanted to signal, both internally at Harvard, but more importantly externally to the world that we really are interested in engaging with the broadest possible set of issues about the legal profession and with anyone, whether they are connected to Harvard or not, interested in the work we do.”
The Center on the Legal Profession launches digital magazine, The Practice
Bridging academic research and practical advice, The Practice, a new digital magazine by the Center on the Legal Profession, will offer legal professionals, practitioners and thought-leaders insightful, groundbreaking legal analysis and perspective.
The Practice is a bi-monthly, thematic and subscription-based digital magazine, accessible by desktop, tablet or mobile. Each issue will be framed around important themes affecting the world of the legal profession, such as:
- Disruptive Innovation in Legal Services
- Professionalism in the 21st Century
- Legal Careers
- Teamwork and Collaboration
- Changes in Legal Education
Issues of The Practice will include several feature stories, and recurring features such as relevant current topics from “In the News,” a review of selected CLP case studies in “From the Classrooms” and highlighted research in “From the Journals.” Readers will be given exclusive access to guest commentary on the issue’s theme from leading thought leaders, such as Professor Richard Susskind, an author, speaker and independent advisor to major global professional firms and national governments.
In addition to six issues of The Practice, yearly subscribers will receive additional, exclusive content and offers via The Practice, e-newsletters, which will be delivered to their email on off-months.
“This is a very exciting time for our Center,” says Wilkins. “We have a number of initiatives that will better help us on all three aspects of our mission: research, teaching and bridging the practice with the academy.”
The inaugural and free issue, “The Global Age of More for Less,” will include features on the shifts in the legal profession, a look at corporate purchasing or how companies select, work with or fire outside law firms and case studies of companies and firms who have been challenged by the changing legal profession climate. This first free issue will be available on Nov. 19 at thepractice.law.harvard.edu.
The second issue of The Practice, “Disruptive Innovation in Legal Services” will be released in January 2015. To subscribe to The Practice visit thepractice.law.harvard.edu.
The Center on the Legal Profession launches new website
The Center on the Legal Profession launched its website with a new look, feel and design. The Center’s website at CLP.law.harvard.edu is devoted to informing the Harvard Law School and global community of its research initiatives and will highlight the full breadth of CLP’s array of research initiatives and easy-to-find, up-to-date information on CLP events and news.
While the core values and relevancy of the website, which has been in existence since 2009, will remain the same, the relaunch is intended to give the Center an up-to-date, fresh look and style. Visitors to the site will find it easier to navigate with an intuitive approach to layout and experience.
Both the CLP website as well as the digital magazine site, were designed and developed by a local firm, Jackrabbit Design, in conjunction with the Center on the Legal Profession team, lead by Hakim A. Lakhdar, administrative director and HLS Executive Education special projects manager.