IN THE (INTEROFFICE) MAIL: My colleague Bob Lloyd’s essay, Hard Law Firms, Soft Law Schools, in the latst issue of the North Carolina Law Review. Lloyd applies the ideas in Michael Barone’s book Hard America, Soft America, to legal education. (Here’s an essay by Barone that states the same themes.) I don’t think Lloyd’s piece is available online, but here’s a key bit:

This Essay analyzes Barone’s ideas in the context of twenty-first century law practice. It concludes that American law practice, like American business, has become Harder in recent years. At the same time, American law schools have become Softer. The result is that law schools are doing a poor job of preparing students for practice.

He talks about new forces that may Harden legal education in spite of itself, and suggests some things that ought to be done. I think that readers in legal education will find it well worth their time.

UPDATE: The citation is 83 N.C. L. Rev. 667 (2005).