Emory Law School has received a $1 million challenge grant from a retired law professor for its Center for Transactional Law and Practice, which teaches students how to be deal lawyers through a curriculum that combines theory and practice.

“It's a difficult legal market and students are graduating with significant debt,” said William Carney, who is making the donation with his wife, Jane. “Graduates need practical knowledge, and the center gives young transactional lawyers a realistic understanding of what they need to do on day one.”

Sue Payne, the center's executive director, said that when she was a law student, there were no classes to prepare her for transactional work in a firm. As a young lawyer, she said, “It was always sink or swim—'We need this tomorrow and you figure out how to do it.'”