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Abstract

This paper is entitled "The MacCrate Report from the Dean's Perspective." The title promises both too much, and too little. Too much, because it is no more than my perspective, not the working paper of the U.D.A.A., (United Dean's Association of America). Too little, because the paper does much more than discuss the MacCrate report; it also outlines the state of deaning in general, discusses the political environment in which MacCrate will be debated, and sets forth my personal reaction to all the hoo hah. Perhaps a better title would have been: "A Dean Discusses MacCrate, but Really Discusses a Whole Lot of Other Stuff, Too." This paper is divided into four different parts: First, I discuss the role of a dean in a modern law school. This is a personal perspective on the varied responsibilities of deaning. It may have some relationship to the way that deans at other law schools act, or may not, but it places the remainder of my remarks into a context for evaluating them. Second, I set forth my understanding of the status quo in higher education. If, as I suggest, MacCrate may destabilize law schools, it would be helpful to understand what it is that MacCrate will destabilize before deciding whether destabilization is a good or bad thing. In particular, I am concerned with how MacCrate affects the law schools' political mix, the equilibrium of which is critical to every dean's survival. Third, I analyze how deans might mediate the disputes that are likely to arise when serious improvement of skills training is a primary agenda for law schools. Finally, I talk about my personal response to these matters, and make some modest suggestions for how MacCrate might successfully be brought to the law schools.

Publication Title

Clinical Law Review

Volume

1

Issue

2

First Page

457

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