IAALS, the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System, has published a series on what is required for minimum competency as a lawyer. The study identifies 12 interlocking “building blocks” that define minimum competence in the legal profession and how current licensing systems must be improved to reflect what new lawyers actually do in practice.
The series is broken up into 4 parts each exploring 3 building blocks.
Part 1 explores:
- Building block 1 – the ability to act professionally And in accordance with the rules of professional conduct.
- Building block 2 – an understanding of legal processes and sources of law
- Building block 3 – an understanding of threshold concepts in many subjects.
Part 2 explores:
- Building block 4 – the ability to interpret legal materials
- Building block 5 – interact effectively with clients
- Building block 6 – the ability to identify legal issues
Part 3 explores:
- Building block 7 – the ability to conduct research
- Building block 8 – the ability to communicate as a lawyer
- building block 9 – the ability to understand the ‘big picture’ of client matters.
Part 4 (coming soon) explores:
- Building block 10 – the ability to manage a law-related workload responsibly
- Building block 11 – the ability to cope with the stresses of legal practice
- Building block 12 – the ability to pursue self-directed learning
All 12 building blocks including insights and recommendations are available. (PDF)