Leading in Law School Innovation
At Chicago-Kent, we like to say we’re 130 years young.
Ahead of the times. Focused on the future.
With our founding in 1888, we were one of the first law schools to open its doors to women. To students of color. To members of the working class.
Later, our legal writing curriculum set the standard for American law schools. Our law and technology programs transformed legal education, pioneering the use of computers in teaching, legal research and public interest. Our fee-generating clinic, the first of its kind, became a market force and a teaching tool beyond our highest expectations.
Today, we remain on the leading edge of curricular innovation. Here are just a few ways we’re preparing fledgling lawyers for what lies ahead.
Jump-Starting Your Legal Education
1L Your Way
In the optional 1L Your Way program, students begin specialized coursework during their first year or participate along with upper level students as members of a clinic section in Chicago-Kent’s fee-generating legal clinic.
Redefining Core Competencies
Praxis Certificate Program
Our award-winning Praxis J.D. certificate program emphasizes the real-world competencies required of today’s successful lawyer, including modern communications and law practice management skills.
- Chicago-Kent received the Illinois State Bar Association's first Excellence in Legal Education Award in 2015 for the Praxis Program.
Transforming Delivery of Legal Services through Technology
Innovation and Technology Certificate Program
Powered by research at Chicago-Kent’s Law Lab, our J.D. Certificate Program in Innovation and Technology emphasizes core competencies in quantitative methods and emerging technologies —predictive analytics, machine learning, process improvement and more — to make the delivery of legal services better and more efficient.
- Recent innovation and technology accolades:
- Among the top 20 most innovative law schools —National Jurist (Fall 2017)
- One of two top schools in teaching legal services innovation and technology — Law School Innovation Index, MSU Center for Legal Services Innovation (November 2017)
- Among the top 10 law schools teaching technology as it applies to law practice — ABA Journal (July 2014)
- Led by Professor Daniel Martin Katz, a legal futurist and change leader in the profession who was designated a Legal Rebel by the ABA Journal in 2013, and who was named among the 2013 Fastcase 50, recognizing "50 of the smartest, most courageous innovators, techies, visionaries, and leaders in the law."
Developing Software Tools for the Public Interest
Access to Justice (A2J)
Students in our Justice & Technology Practicum course develop document assembly tools using Chicago-Kent’s cloud-based A2J Author software, the heart of an acclaimed program designed to break down complex legal information for self-represented litigants.
- A2j Author awards include:
- The ABA's Louise M. Brown Award for Legal Access, honoring a program dedicated to matching unmet legal needs.
- The 10th annual Howell Heflin Award for a State Justice Institute-funded project likely to significantly improve the quality of justice in state courts nationwide.
Maximizing Intellectual Property Value
Online Certificate in Intellectual Asset Management
As intellectual property and intangible assets prove increasingly important in driving economic growth, our Online Certificate in Intellectual Asset Management teaches students the theoretical, strategic and tactical skills necessary for capturing the value of intellectual property to enhance business revenue.
- Credit for the certificate program courses can be applied toward Illinois Tech's interdisciplinary Master of Intellectual Property Management and Markets degree.