The Stanford Center on the Legal Profession, founded in 2008, supports research, teaching, programs and public policy initiatives on crucial issues facing the bar. Building on the legacy of its predecessor, the Keck Center on Legal Ethics and the Legal Profession, the Center focuses on issues of professional responsibility and the structure of legal practice. Central concerns include how to enhance access to justice, sustain ethical values, improve bar regulatory structures, and effectively respond to the changing dynamics of legal workplaces.
In support of that mission, the Center promotes research by Stanford professors, students, and post-graduate fellows, as well as collaborative projects with other institutions. It also encourages new courses and joint teaching, and provides innovative materials and web-based resources for curricular integration of issues related to the legal profession. In collaboration with other institutions at Stanford and leading universities, the Center offers lectures, panels, workshops, conferences, and continuing education programs. Through such efforts, the Center seeks to connect theory with practice and advance policies that will address the challenges of a rapidly changing legal profession.