Two reports published in recent weeks have declared Chicago-Kent College of Law preeminent in using innovative curricula and programming to prepare students for the future of legal practice.

Following a survey of American law schools, the fall 2017 issue of National Jurist magazine named Chicago-Kent among 20 schools with the most “innovative curricula, programs and approaches to preparing students for the future.”

The National Jurist article quotes Daniel Martin Katz, director of the Law Lab at Chicago-Kent, who notes that tomorrow’s lawyers should understand technology, process improvement, analytics, and workflow optimization to increase the value of their services.

National Jurist also cites Chicago-Kent’s Justice and Technology Practicum, which focuses on document assembly and automation tools; its cloud-based A2J Author software, developed by students to break down complex legal information for self-represented litigants; and the Chicago-Kent Law Lab, where students use innovative technology and business processes to solve legal issues.

Other law schools on National Jurist’s list include Stanford, Vanderbilt, Cornell, Brigham Young University and the University of California Hastings.

Meanwhile, a Michigan State University initiative launched November 2 tracks the teaching of legal services innovation and technology at 38 American law schools and ranks Chicago-Kent one of two schools performing at the highest level. Published by Michigan State’s Center for Legal Services Innovation, the Law School Innovation Index assesses the teaching of 10 relevant disciplines, including project management, data analytics, and technology basics. Other top-ranked law schools include Stanford, Northwestern, Harvard, Georgetown and Michigan State.

Founded in 1888, Chicago-Kent College of Law is the law school of Illinois Institute of Technology, also known as Illinois Tech, a private, technology-focused, research university offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering, science, architecture, business, design, human sciences, applied technology, and law.