Tough love. That’s how young lawyer Brenna Buchanan saw a new program at Baylor University School of Law that put an extra hurdle between her and the law degree she earned last year. Buchanan was among the first crop of students who made it through Baylor Law’s professional development program.
The innovative program follows a nationwide trend of law schools focusing on developing students’ professional identities as lawyers. Baylor Law’s program has surpassed those at other Texas law schools and drawn national accolades. It broke new ground by offering students frequent professional development seminars—which closely resemble continuing legal education—presented by practicing lawyers on a wide variety of topics. Although students can pick and choose seminars to attend, it’s a mandatory requirement for graduation to log 18 hours spread out among the three years of law school.
