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Dean O’Rourke Named One of Most Influential People in Legal Education

National Jurist cites her work spearheading reforms at the School

Dean Maureen A. O'Rourke
Dean Maureen A. O’Rourke

Dean Maureen A. O’Rourke is one of the top 25 most influential people in legal education, according the National Jurist, who published its annual list in January.

Every fall, the magazine calls for nominations from all US law schools, then narrows the list down to 50 nominees.National Jurist editors, law school deans, and other prominent voices in legal education then vote, which results in the top 25 list.

O’Rourke is one of four newcomers to the list this year. She and Dean Michael Hunter Schwartz from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock were lauded for spearheading legal education reforms at their respective schools in a press release ahead of the publication.

“We are beginning to see influence grow for people who are behind innovative initiatives,” said Jack Crittenden, editor in chief of National Jurist.

Dean O’Rourke has focused on improving the student experience to keep pace with changes in the legal marketplace since becoming dean in 2006.

Last year, she organized a retreat that brought together employers, alumni and faculty to address fundamental questions of: what training, exactly, do today’s law students require, and in what form? What are today’s employers looking for in new hires? What will the legal employment market look like in the coming years? The response: law students need business skills and real-world lawyering experience.

Under her leadership, the faculty has adopted innovative Lawyering Lab and Business Fundamentals requirements for all JD students, and launched new graduate programs including a blended Executive LLM in International Business Law, the Legal English Certificate Program, and online version of the LLM in Taxation. Starting in Fall 2015, BU Law will begin offering an Accelerated 3-Year JD/MBA dual degree to enable students to earn both degrees in the same amount of time and for lower cost than if they pursued them separately.

O’Rourke has increased career development support for students through the Career Development & Public Service Office; expanded opportunities for students to obtain practical skills in clinics, externships, semester-in-practice and theTransactional Law program, launched in 2011; and increased financial aid support for students.

She has raised the School’s public interest profile through adoption of the Pro Bono program, enhanced loan repayment assistance for young alumni pursuing public interest careers, and spring break service trips. BU Law also now participates in the Gideon’s Promise Fellowship for public defenders.

During the past five years, Dean O’Rourke has been a council member of the American Bar Association, as it has rewritten the Standards for Accreditation of American Law Schools and made unprecedented changes regarding the data that law schools are asked to submit to the ABA, particularly on the placement front.

See also: LAW Dean Named One of Nation’s Most Influential Legal Educators

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