FROM THE EDITORS
The noted U.S. Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson once said of the law, "We are not final because we are infallible, but infallible only because we are final." The law inevitably has the final word in society not only as to guilt or innocence in the case of crime, but also with regard to the myriad of disputes, claims and counter claims that are an integral part of any modern society. Hence, the importance of legal education -- of trying to ensure, as far as is possible, that those individuals who work in our courts are second to none with regard to their skills and qualifications.
It may come as a surprise to some readers, however, that the detailed and comprehensive courses available in legal education today are a comparatively recent phenomenon in the United States. In the opening article of our journal, Robert W. Gordon, professor of law at Yale University, explains how legal education in the U.S. has evolved from its earliest beginnings in the late 19th and 20th centuries to the large law schools of today -- almost 200 of them at last count.
There have been many catalysts for the growth of legal education over the decades, but none more important than the American Bar Association (ABA). John Sebert, a consultant in continuing legal education to the ABA, explores how this important body shaped legal education in an article that lays particular emphasis on the importance of maintaining high standards.
In view of the importance of the law to every citizen, continuing legal education for those associated with the profession is of particular importance. Macarena Tamayo-Calabrese, director, Latin American Legal Initiatives Council, Annette Cook, associate director, ABA Center for Continuing Legal Education and Shirley Meyer, educational products manager, ABA Center for Continuing Legal Education, address the topic in an article that underlines the importance of keeping up to speed in the ever-changing world of law and jurisprudence.
In our feature article, contributing editors Stuart Gorin and David Pitts profile three bedrock institutions that provide legal education -- the Federal Judicial Center, the National Judicial College and the National Center for State Courts. The article details not only the breadth of the courses available there, but also the diversity of the student body that includes legal professionals from across the globe.
In our final article, Joseph A. Trotter Jr., research professor and director of the Justice Programs Office of the American University School of Public Affairs, looks at the importance of court administration. He discusses how reform of the courts has spurred the emergence of a professional class of managers and administrators whose job it is to ensure court efficiency. This need for such frontline personnel is underlined by the enormous increase in recent years in the caseloads of courts at all levels of jurisdiction.
As always, the journal concludes with a bibliography of books and articles, and websites related to the topic of legal education.