# Legal education `kaal:entity:legal-education` **Status.** derived This node is assembled mechanically from the 21 claims that carry the concept tag `legal-education`. It is a roster of what the corpus says under this term. It is **not** an adjudicated definition: no single statement here has been ruled canonical, and no first-appearance call has been made. Read the claims and judge for yourself. ## Every claim under this term 21 claims across 3 works, 2017 to 2026. **2017** - [2939127-001](https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/2939127-001) [failure/argued] *(failure mode)* -- The core lawyer characteristics and skillsets produced by the existing legal education and regulatory framework are incompatible with what the practice of law in the 21st century demands. > Key lawyer characteristics and lawyers' core skillsets in the existing legal education and regulatory framework are incompatible with the demands on lawyers of the 21st century. Mark Fenwick, Wulf A. Kaal, Erik P. M. Vermeulen, Legal Education in the Blockchain Revolution (2017). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2939127 - [2939127-002](https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/2939127-002) [failure/argued] *(failure mode)* -- Disruptive innovation in law renders obsolete many and probably most of the traditional legal skills and characteristics that law schools currently cultivate. > Yet, disruptive innovation in law9 obviates many if not most of the traditional legal skills and characteristics of traditional lawyers. Mark Fenwick, Wulf A. Kaal, Erik P. M. Vermeulen, Legal Education in the Blockchain Revolution (2017). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2939127 - [2939127-004](https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/2939127-004) [mechanism/speculative] -- Law schools that invest early in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and blockchain will gain a comparative advantage over peer schools irrespective of ranking, because demand for lawyers trained in those technologies is likely to spike once law firm adoption crosses a threshold. > comparative advantage vis-à-vis their peers, regardless of the ranking of such school, because the demand for lawyers adequately trained in artfical intelligence, machine learning, and blockchain is likely to increase sharply at a threshold point of law firm adoption. Mark Fenwick, Wulf A. Kaal, Erik P. M. Vermeulen, Legal Education in the Blockchain Revolution (2017). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2939127 - [2939127-005](https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/2939127-005) [empirical/evidenced] -- The curriculum of American law schools has changed only marginally over the past thirty plus years, even as the practice environment has been transformed. > The curriculum of American law schools has only marginally changed over the last 30 plus years. Mark Fenwick, Wulf A. Kaal, Erik P. M. Vermeulen, Legal Education in the Blockchain Revolution (2017). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2939127 - [2939127-006](https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/2939127-006) [normative/argued] -- The challenges created by Legal Tech, the new economy, and platform technologies justify a fundamentally more creative and innovative approach to legal education in the 21st century. > The challenges presented by Legal Tech, the new economy, and platform technologies justify a more creative and innovative approach for legal education in the 21st century. Mark Fenwick, Wulf A. Kaal, Erik P. M. Vermeulen, Legal Education in the Blockchain Revolution (2017). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2939127 - [2939127-012](https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/2939127-012) [failure/argued] *(failure mode)* -- Redesigning legal doctrine around sharing and decentralized peer to peer platforms demands out of the box thinking from a profession whose members were trained, both in law school and across their careers, to think inside the box. > Such an undertaking requires out-of-the-box thinking for lawyers who were trained during law school and during their entire careers to think inside the box. Mark Fenwick, Wulf A. Kaal, Erik P. M. Vermeulen, Legal Education in the Blockchain Revolution (2017). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2939127 - [2939127-033](https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/2939127-033) [predictive/argued] *(failure mode)* -- Exponentially increasing disruptive innovation will lead clients to routinely bring legal professionals problems that those lawyers cannot fully understand, inside a legal framework that does not always supply clear or helpful answers. > The exponentially increasing disruptive innovation worldwide will cause clients to frequently ask legal professionals to deal with issues lawyers cannot fully understand, within a legal framework that does not always offer clear or helpful answers. Mark Fenwick, Wulf A. Kaal, Erik P. M. Vermeulen, Legal Education in the Blockchain Revolution (2017). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2939127 - [2939127-034](https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/2939127-034) [normative/argued] -- Law schools should educate lawyers who add value by helping clients and society adjust to the technological environment rather than lawyers who impose unnecessary or unwise restrictions on it, since such restrictions will not stop technological development anyway. > Law schools need to find ways to educate lawyers who can add value in helping clients and society adjust to our increasing technological environment rather than who will create unnecessary or unwise restrictions on it. Mark Fenwick, Wulf A. Kaal, Erik P. M. Vermeulen, Legal Education in the Blockchain Revolution (2017). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2939127 - [2939127-035](https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/2939127-035) [failure/argued] *(failure mode)* -- The traditional legal tool kit worked adequately when innovation cycles were long, but where innovation is exponential it is regularly out of touch with the radically different needs of a decentralized world and often produces disastrous outcomes. > This approach might have worked adequately when innovation cycles were longer, but in a world where innovations occur exponentially, the traditional legal tool kit is regularly out of touch with the radically different needs of a decentralized world. Mark Fenwick, Wulf A. Kaal, Erik P. M. Vermeulen, Legal Education in the Blockchain Revolution (2017). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2939127 - [2939127-037](https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/2939127-037) [condition/argued] -- Advising on blockchain contracts requires that law students and lawyers become familiar with the technology and learn at least basic coding as it pertains to Ethereum smart contracts. > In order to advise on blockchain contracts, law students and lawyers have to become familiar with the technology and learn at least basic coding as it pertains to Ethereum smart contracts. Mark Fenwick, Wulf A. Kaal, Erik P. M. Vermeulen, Legal Education in the Blockchain Revolution (2017). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2939127 - [2939127-038](https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/2939127-038) [design/argued] -- Law schools must enable students to work in interdisciplinary teams with software engineers, and a greater appreciation of how code can be used and integrated in legal contexts is essential to that capability. > law schools need to enable their students to work in interdisciplinary teams with software engineers. A greater appreciation of the means by which code can be utilized and integrated in legal contexts is essential. Mark Fenwick, Wulf A. Kaal, Erik P. M. Vermeulen, Legal Education in the Blockchain Revolution (2017). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2939127 **2018** - [3227967-003](https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/3227967-003) [condition/argued] -- The ability to understand and communicate with coders, as distinct from professional coding competence, is a necessary skill for the lawyer of the future, so law students benefit from grasping the basic concepts and power of coding. > However, we do believe that the ability to understand and communicate with coders is a necessary skill for the lawyer of the future. As such, we think that law students will benefit from understanding the basic concepts and power of coding. Mark Fenwick, Wulf A. Kaal, Erik P.M. Vermeulen, Legal Education in a Digital Age Why 'Coding for Lawyers' Matters (2018). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3227967 - [3227967-004](https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/3227967-004) [failure/argued] *(failure mode)* -- The traditional knowledge transmission model of education is ill suited to a world of fast paced change and easy access to information, because prior experience may not be relevant to a fast changing reality and information is always one search away. > But, this model seems ill-suited to a world of fast-paced change and easy access to information. Prior experience may not be relevant to a fast-changing reality and information is only ever one Google search away. Mark Fenwick, Wulf A. Kaal, Erik P.M. Vermeulen, Legal Education in a Digital Age Why 'Coding for Lawyers' Matters (2018). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3227967 - [3227967-005](https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/3227967-005) [design/argued] -- That the technologies driving social change remain a mystery to most people is itself a problem, so practical technical knowledge must be integrated into many fields of education, with coding and data analysis as the starting point. > For many of us, the underlying technologies that are driving social change remain a mystery, and that is a problem. Practical technical knowledge needs to be integrated into many fields of education. Coding and data analysis seem a good starting point. Mark Fenwick, Wulf A. Kaal, Erik P.M. Vermeulen, Legal Education in a Digital Age Why 'Coding for Lawyers' Matters (2018). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3227967 - [3227967-016](https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/3227967-016) [predictive/argued] -- Lawyers of the future will need to act as project managers or at least as active participants in the multi-disciplinary teams that design the solutions and transactions of the future. > Firstly, lawyers of the future will need to be able to assume the role of project managers or, at least, active participants in the new multi- disciplinary teams that are going to design the solutions/transactions of the future. Mark Fenwick, Wulf A. Kaal, Erik P.M. Vermeulen, Legal Education in a Digital Age Why 'Coding for Lawyers' Matters (2018). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3227967 - [3227967-025](https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/3227967-025) [failure/asserted] *(failure mode)* -- Law programs have been slow to adapt to these technological developments and most students are still being prepared for a hierarchical, centralized and proceduralized world. > Unfortunately, law programs have been slow to adapt to these technological developments. Most students are still being prepared for a hierarchical, centralized and "proceduralized" world. Mark Fenwick, Wulf A. Kaal, Erik P.M. Vermeulen, Legal Education in a Digital Age Why 'Coding for Lawyers' Matters (2018). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3227967 - [3227967-026](https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/3227967-026) [condition/argued] -- Because the new solutions rewarded by the future labor market will be code based, an understanding of code and coding will be essential to participate effectively in the digital world. > And since these new solutions will be code-based, an understanding of code and coding will be essential to participate effectively in our digital world. Mark Fenwick, Wulf A. Kaal, Erik P.M. Vermeulen, Legal Education in a Digital Age Why 'Coding for Lawyers' Matters (2018). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3227967 - [3227967-029](https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/3227967-029) [normative/argued] -- Cybersecurity should not be addressed by introducing more law in books; law students should instead look for technology based solutions and at minimum acquire the knowledge needed to evaluate such solutions against the alternatives. > But instead of combatting "cybersecurity" with the introduction of "more law in books," law students should look for technology-based solutions. At the very least, they need to have the necessary knowledge to evaluate technology-based solutions and compare them with the alternatives. Mark Fenwick, Wulf A. Kaal, Erik P.M. Vermeulen, Legal Education in a Digital Age Why 'Coding for Lawyers' Matters (2018). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3227967 - [3227967-030](https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/3227967-030) [condition/argued] -- Building lawyers' capacity to think about the social and ethical implications of code is both essential and inevitable, but saying anything sensible about the ethics of technology first requires understanding coding and coders. > Building the capacity of the lawyers of the future to think about the social and ethical implications of code is both essential and inevitable. But, to say something sensible about the ethical aspects of technology, it is necessary to understand both more about coding and coders. Mark Fenwick, Wulf A. Kaal, Erik P.M. Vermeulen, Legal Education in a Digital Age Why 'Coding for Lawyers' Matters (2018). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3227967 - [3227967-037](https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/3227967-037) [definitional/asserted] -- The Coding for Lawyers course is not about teaching students how to code but about making them realize how important it is to think about their relationship with new technology and with technology experts. > It is not about teaching students "how to code," but about making them realize how important it is to think about our relationship with new technology and technology experts. Mark Fenwick, Wulf A. Kaal, Erik P.M. Vermeulen, Legal Education in a Digital Age Why 'Coding for Lawyers' Matters (2018). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3227967 **2026** - [6421319-038](https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/6421319-038) [failure/argued] *(failure mode)* -- The legal profession faces a structural problem that incremental reform cannot solve, because its obsolescence curve is steeper than the curriculum adaptation curve. > The profession's obsolescence curve is steeper than the curriculum's adaptation curve. A structural problem that incremental reform cannot solve. Wulf A. Kaal, The Collapse of Scarcity Economics (2026). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=6421319 ## Verify Every claim above resolves to a record carrying a verbatim source quote, the sha256 of the source PDF, and a preformatted citation. Nothing here asks to be taken on trust. curl -s https://wulfkaal.github.io/entities/legal-education.md | sha256sum **Canonical form.** This markdown file is the canonical hashed representation of this entity node. Its sha256 is the content hash.