Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Professor Daniel B. Rodriguez, Dean of the Northwestern Law School, for a discussion of the challenges facing law schools. Tracing his intellectual journey, Dean Rodriguez discusses his research interests at the interface between federalism, changes in the law and the impact of politics. He then analyzes how a law school dean balances the concerns of students, alumni, practicing attorneys, the bar association and state government while meeting the challenges of a new economic environment. He also addresses reconciling the perception of the lawyer as iconic hero, the reality of the legal profession as a guild with rigorous requirements and the lack of undergraduate prerequisites for pursuing a legal education. He concludes with an analysis of the role of the lawyer in a world undergoing major transformation because of globalization and technology. Series: "Conversations with History" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 29537]