Roskopina Y. Professional Training of Lawyers in Universities of the USA

This thesis is a theoretical study of the problem of professional education of students who major in legal fields in universities of the USA. To achieve the set goals the author reveals the theoretical preconditions and sociocultural background of the origin of American legal education, exposes its philosophical and pedagogical determinants, and specifies the features of its development. The structure and content of American legal education are analyzed within the framework of a propound methodology. The stages of development of legal education are singled out and described according to the followings criteria: the changes of priorities of public educational and social policy, appearance of educational establishments of a new type, logic of development of the system of legal education. The content of legal education is exposed as a system of theoretical knowledge, mental abilities, practical habits and skills. The author brings into focus the methods of activities acquired by future legal specialists in the process of curricular and extracurricular work, and forms of legal professional training within legal clinics.