After just over 2 years of pandemic mayhem and virtual or hybrid environments, the Introduction to Transactional Skills Program (ITS) was back live and in person this semester. The annual program concluded on Friday, September 30th with every ITS final negotiation session occurring simultaneously, live, and in person. The program was followed by a reception where Temple Law students, professors, and alumni from all over Philadelphia convened.
According to faculty coordinator Professor Andrea Monroe, this year 172 students participated, 17 faculty members taught small section classes, including our Temple University Great Teacher Award nominee Professor Monroe, herself, 15 upper-level students who TA’d the small section classes, and a team of IT superheroes and partners from the law school’s administrative staff, who made it all run smoothly.
ITS, for those who don’t know, is Temple Law’s three-week immersion in interviewing, negotiating, and drafting, all in the context of a business deal. Students work in pairs to represent either a chef or his financial partner as they try to open a restaurant in Philadelphia. The students engage in two client interviews and three negotiations involving a term sheet, an employment agreement, and a final “surprise” issue that is revealed on the last day. In each case, our burgeoning transactional lawyers are required to find creative ways to pivot quickly and solve problems in order for their clients to achieve their commercial goals.
While transactional in process, students learn substantive skills valuable to all legal practices, including client interviewing, negotiation, and communication. For most students, ITS is the first opportunity in law school where they are exposed to the “real-life” practice of law and representing a “real” client. Students learn the soft skills of dealing with a difficult client and where to give and take in negotiations.
With each new year of ITS, Professor Monroe increasingly appreciates the program’s larger role in helping students think about their own legal identities and building a sense of community at the law school. She characterizes ITS as a class about relationships—relationships with clients, opposing counsel, and colleagues. Likewise, she highlights the opportunity for students to meet members of the Temple Law community, including alumni who return on the day of the final negotiation and serve as judges. She remarks that, “in those early weeks of law school when the life of a new law student can feel like a small fishbowl, ITS serves as a reminder of the enthusiasm, kindness, and generosity of our larger community.”
In its 11th year, ITS remains a unique program in legal education that allows bright-eyed first-year Temple Law students to get a taste of transactional work that ultimately may leave them hungry for more.
For more information about the program, listen to our Temple 10-Q Podcast featuring an interview with Professors Eleanor Myers and Andrea Monroe here.