A study by Berkman Fellow (Harvard Law School), Gene Koo, in partnership with LexisNexis, finds that most new lawyers report that they lack critical practice skills, including adequate legal research skills. The study targeted a broad range of necessary skills.
Among other findings, Koo concludes that “attorneys equipped with superior information-gathering skills can level the playing field for firms with sparser knowledge assets.” The study also finds that “newer lawyers may hold looser standards of quality in research than their predecessors,” that “[a]ttorneys across all segments [i.e., types of law practices] spend, on average, about 15% to 20% of their time conducting research,” and that, depending on firm size, from 53% to 84% of attorneys do their own research. The report also discusses such sub-issues as in-house training, the collaborative nature of today’s legal practice, and the adequacy of newer lawyers’ technology skills.
There’s still time to register for our Getting Ready for Summer classes, or order up your own legal research class here.