Practical, tech-savvy knowledge is an essential element of the new 21st century law student. But unfortunately, many law schools lag in this area. Here’s a look at how a law school strives to be on the cutting edge of new technologies, courtesy of The Business Journal…

Law schools in Silicon Valley add practical skills to help students compete

Let’s face it — it’s not the most advantageous time to be a second- or third-year law student. Big law firms are shedding associates, deferring recruits and shrinking the number of interns as they adjust to the mercurial economy.

Local law schools are responding to marketplace realities by developing curriculum better suited to law firm needs. Universities are retooling their curriculum and incorporating management, leadership and specialized disciplines.

“We realized that graduating students are going to have a hard time finding jobs, principally because of the restructuring of large law firms but because of the cascading affect,” said Fred Gonzalez, a Santa Clara University School of Law alum who now serves as general counsel at SonicWall Inc. “We’re trying to figure out how to make our students more attractive.”