When I started working for at Snyder and Snyder, I was amazed at the amount of information I learned in just a very short time. A large percentage of law school students don't know how to draft a complaint, an answer, interrogatories, a request for production of documents, motion to dismiss, or how to defend or conduct a deposition. The Snyder firm allowed me to work under experienced and seasoned attorneys who have been practicing for twenty plus years. After working a very short time at the Snyder Firm, everything I was learning in law school became easier and slowly became applicable to a variety of situations. In my opinion, practical experience is by far the more important aspect of the law, as compared to the theoretical. Although, this is not to say that theoretical-based teaching is not relevant, I am just stating that practical experience should be of equal importance.
There are a plethora of law student graduates receiving their Jurist Doctorate degrees, passing the bar, and receiving excellent entry-level legal positions, yet at the same time don't know the first iota about practicing law. Law firms have stated unequivocally that recent graduates lack the necessary practical knowledge and experience following law school. The Snyder Firm has prepared me for what is to come and has provided me with unmatchable experience and information in order to succeed as a lawyer, and to succeed in law school.
Over the years, I believe that there will be a shift in law school curriculum toward more practical based courses and less theoretical based courses. The University Of Baltimore School Of Law has already demonstrated this shift by offering numerous clinics and other practical courses that give students the opportunity to see what "thinking like a lawyer" is really about. Hopefully, other law firms are giving law school students like me the same opportunities that the Snyder Firm has. I owe my success and a lot of what I have achieved during law school to the help and dedication of the Snyder Firm's experienced attorneys.