When University of the Pacific – McGeorge School of Law launched McGeorge Law Today in September of 2021, it became the first law school to have a LexBlog Syndication Portal. Pulling together blogs, podcasts and more, this Portal is home to insights from McGeorge faculty, staff and alumni. As we approach the half-year mark of the initiative’s launch, Dean of the law school Michael Hunter Schwartz joins Bob Ambrogi on This Week in Legal Blogging to discuss the project. The pair also discuss the state of legal academia at large and Schwartz’s own blog, What Great Law Schools Do.
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Episode Outline
- 01:38 – His career path and how he became a dean
- 03:18 – The impact of the pandemic on their school and the pedagogical silver linings they found
- 07:38 – The kinds of things McGeorge is doing to ensure students get practical experience during their schooling
- 09:35 – His philosophy when it comes to teaching students technological skills
- 12:05 – How McGeorge Law Today gave them a new way to support their faculty, staff and alumni
- 14:11 – So far they’re quite pleased with their LexBlog Syndication Portal
- 15:29 – Schwartz has been surprised by how many McGeorge alumni are bloggers
- 16:43 – Where he sees legal blogs fitting into legal academia
- 17:37 – The role law schools should play in teaching law students about blogging and use social media best practices
- 19:20 – The potential role students may play in the future of McGeorge Law Today
- 20:10 – How they support faculty member’s blogging efforts and the role Kevin O’Keefe plays as an alumni
- 22:18 – The pandemic has required their students to be more self regulating in their studies
- 23:55 – What McGeorge has in store for the near future
- 25:30 – His thoughts on improving the bar admission process