Roommate wanted: Texas A&M in talks to host national law firm on new campus - Reuters
A general view shows Texas A&M University campus, in College Station, Texas. December 6, 2016. REUTERS/Spencer Selvidge
- Texas A&M is investing more than $250 million in a new Fort Worth campus complex that will include the law school
- Law dean says he's in talks with several firms to open an office there
(Reuters) - Texas A&M could become the first U.S. law school to house a major law firm on campus.
Law dean Robert Ahdieh said in an interview Friday that he is in talks with several national law firms to locate offices on the new downtown Fort Worth campus the school is planning. He declined to name which firms have expressed interest, noting only that they aren't based in Texas but said he's confident that at least one will ultimately sign on.
“If we’re talking about teaching students to be practice ready and to understand practice management skills, and have those kinds of opportunities, a hell of a good way to do it is to have a law firm down the hall,” Ahdieh said.
Bringing a law firm on site is one of several experiments the law school is eyeing for its next headquarters, which the university unveiled this month as part of a new, four-block campus complex that will also include health sciences and innovation centers.
Ahdieh said he hopes the new law school will become a “convening point” for Fort Worth’s legal community. The plan calls for non-profit legal organizations to be housed on campus, and potentially a court facility, though that could face special hurdles.
“Imagine now there are multiple law firms, multiple nonprofit organizations in the legal space, and even some operating courts,” Ahdieh said. “As an educational environment for the students and as a research environment for the faulty—this is a good setup.”
Kent Zimmermann, a law firm consultant with the Zeughauser Group, said he hasn't heard of any law firms maintaining offices on law school campuses and was unsure if firms would bite. But he noted that the war for legal talent has prompted some firms to move into new markets.
Any office housed in a law school would likely be small, and that could be a drawback for national law firms, said Lisa Smith, a consultant with Fairfax Associates.
"But if the price is right it would be worth considering, especially for Texas-based firms," she said.
The university plans to spend $250 million to $350 million on the Fort Worth campus, with additional funds coming from private donors. The law school’s existing building, which is a retrofitted former Southwestern Bell call-switching facility–will be renovated or torn down and replaced with a modern building.
The new building will be designed with more flexible classroom and collaboration spaces, Ahdieh said. He said it also will include spaces dedicated to executive education, as non-J.D. master programs have become an increasingly important part of the school’s offerings and enrollment.
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source: https://www.reuters.com/legal/legalindustry/roommate-wanted-texas-am-talks-host-national-law-firm-new-campus-2021-11-19/
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