Professor Robin Boyle’s co-authored article, Merging the Bench, Bar, and Law Schools: How a Student Scholars Program Achieves Professional Identity Through Scholarly Writing, Mentorship, and Presentation, was recently published in the UMKC Law Review.

In the article, Professors Boyle and Joan Foley (of Touro University – Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center), and Troy Kessler, Esq., partner at the law firm of Kessler Matura P.C., connect the ABA standards with the annual Student Scholars Program that they have been coordinating through the Federal Bar Association’s EDNY chapter and their respective law schools.

The Article describes the co-curricular program as innovative in how it provides law students with an opportunity to present their scholarly papers before the bench, bar, and law school community. The Program aids law schools in meeting accreditation standards, such as the ABA Standards 302 and 303:

• Standard 302 requires law schools to achieve specific learning outcomes.
• Standard 303(b)(3) requires law schools to provide “substantial opportunities” for students to develop a “professional identity.”

The program aids schools in achieving these standards. Furthermore, the program increases interaction between students and the legal profession by creating episodic mentoring opportunities. The program was launched in April 2021.