The 19th century saw dramatic changes in the legal education system in the United States. Before the Civil War, lawyers learned their trade primarily through apprenticeship and self-directed study. By the end of the 19th century, the modern legal education system which was developed primarily by Dean Christopher Langdell at Harvard was in place: a bachelor's degree was required for admission to the new model law school, and a law degree was promoted as the best preparation for admission to the bar. William P. LaPiana provides an in-depth study of the intellectual history of the transformation of American legal education during this period. In the process, he offers a revisionist portrait of Langdell, the Dean of Harvard Law School from 1870 to 1900, and the earliest proponent for the modern method of legal education, as well as portraying for the first time the opposition to the changes at Harvard.
Author(s): William P. LaPiana
Year: 1994
Language: English
Pages: 264
Contents......Page 10
1. Introduction......Page 14
Appointing a Dean......Page 18
Developing a Law School......Page 25
Birth of the Case Method......Page 33
A Science of Principles......Page 40
A Practical Science of Procedure......Page 49
Education in Legal Science......Page 55
A Science of Narrow Rules......Page 66
A Technical Science of Contracts and Equity......Page 69
Changes in Procedure and Legal Thought......Page 81
The Struggle for Standards in New York......Page 90
Case Method Comes to Columbia......Page 103
Case Method and Practice......Page 110
Fact-Based Legal Science......Page 121
Harvard Teachers and Positive Law......Page 133
The Case Lawyer......Page 143
The Evils of Positivism......Page 149
The Spread of the Case Method......Page 159
The Failure of Sociological Jurisprudence......Page 163
The American Law Institute......Page 169
The Coming of Realism......Page 175
Epilogue......Page 179
Notes......Page 182
Bibliography......Page 232
B......Page 254
C......Page 255
F......Page 257
H......Page 258
L......Page 259
M......Page 261
P......Page 262
S......Page 263
V......Page 264
Y......Page 265
