Sylvester talks about importance of traditional law school experience

Dean Douglas Sylvester of the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law explained the importance of a traditional law school experience in an article by Lauren Saria for KTAR on Jan. 27.

The article, titled “Lawmaker: Allow online law school grads to take Ariz. bar exam,” explores a bill proposed by Rep. John Allen, R-Scottsdale, that would allow graduates of online law schools to take the bar exam and become attorneys.

Although the College of Law offers some legal courses online, Sylvester said it won't offer an online juris doctor program. He also noted that a traditional law school experience features immersion and interactions that students can only get in a classroom.

"It's very hard to do that in an online environment," he said.

Sylvester was named dean of the College of Law in March 2012, after serving as interim dean for 10 months. Previously, he was associate dean for Faculty Research and Development, responsible for building an environment that fosters faculty scholarship, organizing speaker series, mentoring junior faculty, and seeking innovative ways to increase the faculty's visibility.