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U.S. Secretary Cardona to Deliver Keynote at March 1 Conference on Best Practices for Law School Data

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Harvard and Yale Announce Lineup for Conference, Which Aims to Chart Path Forward on Data Transparency Following Departure from National Rankings

Harvard Law School and Yale Law School will convene law deans and education experts from around the country on March 1 to discuss paths forward in thinking about what data prospective students need to make good choices about legal education.

The one-day academic conference, which will feature U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona as a keynote speaker and Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal as a closing speaker, will take place at Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and will feature a variety of panel discussions that explore how rankings shape incentives and perceptions. Experts will consider how schools can supply data that serve prospective students across a range of backgrounds, lived experiences, and professional aspirations without, in the process, creating unintended effects that risk distorting law schools’ educational missions and student choice. The convening will also examine new approaches to ensuring that prospective students have the information they need to decide whether law school is an appropriate career path and which schools will best meet their needs and interests once they have made that decision.

“Not all law students are looking for the same thing, and students considering which law school to attend must have accurate, relevant data to help them make informed choices about which schools best meet their needs,” Harvard Law School Dean John F. Manning said. “By providing a forum for law schools to share and discuss best practices in sharing data, we hope to help ensure prospective students are well positioned to choose the law school that will enable them to achieve their highest aspirations.”

“This is an important moment for legal education, one that requires us to step back and think hard about what we are doing,” Yale Law School Dean Heather K. Gerken said. “Our conference will provide leaders across legal education with a chance to consider best practices for data disclosure, reflect on the core values of our profession, and ensure prospective students have the information they need to make this crucial decision.”

The one-day conference is expected to run 11:00 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. In addition to remarks by Secretary Cardona and Under Secretary Kvaal, the program will include the following panel discussions and participants:

Session #1: Framing the Issue: Data, Consumers, and Incentives

  • Colin Diver, President Emeritus, Reed College and former Dean, University of Pennsylvania Law School
  • Risa Goluboff, Dean and Arnold H. Leon Professor of Law, University of Virginia School of Law
  • Deidré Keller, Dean and Professor of Law, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
  • Tamara Lawson, Toni Rembe Dean and Professor of Law, University of Washington School of Law
  • Christopher Norio Avery, Roy E. Larsen Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School

Session #2 Pre-Law: What Students are Looking For, A View from the Colleges

  • Tina Coco, Pre Law Advisor & Manager of the Max Berger Pre Law Program, Baruch College – CUNY
  • Miriam Ingber, Associate Dean of Admissions & Financial Aid, Yale Law School
  • Kristi Jobson, Assistant Dean for Admissions and Chief Admissions Officer, Harvard Law School
  • Julian Miller, Director of the Reuben V. Anderson Pre-Law Program and Assistant Professor of Political Science, Tougaloo College
  • Erin Reichelt, Associate Director for Pre-Law Services, University of Minnesota
  • Carol Riddock, Director of Pre-Law Advising, Emory University

Session #3: Looking to the Future: What Students Need to Know

  • Catharine Bond Hill, Managing Director, Ithaka S+R
  • Bridget Terry Long, Dean and Saris Professor of Education and Economics, Harvard Graduate School of Education
  • Dayna Bowen Matthew, Dean and Harold H. Greene Professor of Law, George Washington University Law School
  • Peter B. “Bo” Rutledge, Dean and Talmadge Chair of Law, University of Georgia School of Law
  • Sudha Setty, Dean and Professor of Law, City University of New York School of Law

For more information, contact Alden Ferro at alden.ferro@yale.edu or Jeff Neal at jneal@law.harvard.edu.

To view a livestream of the conference, please register here.