Legal academia largely rejects the notion that professors should have practice experience. Yeah, its the only profession in the world where you teach people to do something, and it is a disadvantage to have actually done the job you’re training people to do.
Sorta like if you had a motorcycle mechanic’s school, but you only wanted instructors who could tell you about the origin of the socket wrench, but who had not ever actually performed an oil change.
The WSJ profiles Charlotte Law Professor, Brian Clarke . Specifically, how he opens up to his students about his own depression issues, and how the stress of practicing law pushed him to near-suicide.
Students need to hear that kind of thing. They wouldn’t have heard it from 90% of their professors. Well, 99% when you control for practitioners who suffered from depression issues. Still, that’s the kind of life experience and work experience that could make a real difference.
