Royals left fielder, Alex Gordon, has one of the most intense and effective pregame routines in baseball. A signature part of that routine is something his teammates refer to as “power shagging.” “Gordon will take his position in left field and react to every ball hit in his vicinity as if it occurred in a game situation, going through all the motions of his crow hop and chasing after every ball in the gap as if it were the ninth inning of a tied game.”[1] This warm-up has proven so effective that Lorenzo Cain has also started doing it, and the team has developed a training video that incorporates the drill for all of its affiliates. The moral of this story is that simulating or participating real life situations is an essential and extremely effective component of any professional training.
By participating in the clinics, internships, and externships offered by UMKC Law, you will have the opportunity to apply the law, theories, and skills you learn in the classroom to interactions with real clients facing real legal issues. Under the supervision of clinical faculty, you will receive the benefits of hands-on legal training, the opportunity to develop relationships with lawyers and legal organizations in the community, exposure to various areas of the law, and the satisfaction of providing much-needed legal assistance to under-represented individuals and organizations. In the course of assisting actual clients, you will learn fact-finding, analytical, and rhetorical skills that are essential in the practice of law. You will learn to be a better listener and how to ask the right questions so you can effectively communicate with those clients. You will be expected to make judgments, exercise discretion, and accept responsibility in the representation of your clients, and you will learn how to balance your clinical responsibilities with other law school and personal commitments. This experience is invaluable and cannot be simulated in a law school classroom.
Next Thursday, October 8, the Career Center will be hosting a Clinic & Externship Opportunities Workshop from 11:30 a.m. – 12:20 p.m. in the Student Lounge. You will hear from various professors and clinical supervisors about the many opportunities offered through UMKC Law. Click here for a complete list of these opportunities, and join us on the 8th to learn more.
The Career Center strongly encourages every student to participate in at least one clinical opportunity before leaving UMKC Law. On a scale of 17 to 38, the importance of obtaining practical experience now is a 38. Go Royals!
[1] Alden Gonzalez. “Don’t try this at home: Gordon’s pregame regimen unimaginable.” MLB.com, October 12, 2014.
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