1 / 13

Helping Prepare Law Students for Real-World Practice

Helping Prepare Law Students for Real-World Practice. [Insert Name of Organization] [Insert Name of Speaker]. Today’s Conversation. This will be more of a conversation among colleagues than a lecture We will focus on helping faculty increase teaching of “practical problem-solving”.

dewey
Download Presentation

Helping Prepare Law Students for Real-World Practice

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Helping Prepare Law Students for Real-World Practice [Insert Name of Organization] [Insert Name of Speaker]

  2. Today’s Conversation • This will be more of a conversation among colleagues than a lecture • We will focus on helping faculty increase teaching of “practical problem-solving”

  3. Premises for Today’s Conversation • There is a need to increase practical skill training • Increase familiarity with broad range of skills • Enhance learning of doctrine through application • Legal education reform is a HUGE topic we can’t fully cover today • This can be a sensitive topic touching feelings and identity of most faculty

  4. Appreciating Each Other • Important to appreciate colleagues focusing on producing scholarship and teaching doctrine • Their work is – and will continue to be – important • Important to appreciate colleagues focusing on teaching skills • They often feel under-valued, vulnerable, and/or invisible • Reform process can involve difficult conversations • Use techniques in “Difficult Conversations” book

  5. We Need to Work Together • Each member of the faculty – and the staff – plays an important role in the educational program • We should appreciate the complementary contributions we each make • We need faculty who emphasize teaching doctrine, legal skills, transactional work, and clinics • Both scholarship and teaching are important

  6. The “Curse of Coverage”(The Elephant in the Room) • Phrase from Barbara Glesner Fines • Dilemma for most faculty trying to provide most possible instruction with limited time • “Mile wide, inch deep” instruction • Challenge grows as doctrine mushrooms • How much do students learn and retain? • Hidden messages about what is important or not

  7. LEAPS • Legal Education, ADR, and Problem-Solving Project of ABA Section of Dispute Resolution (leaps.uoregon.edu) • Incorporate more “practical problem solving” (PPS) • Interpersonal skills (e.g., communication) • General lawyering skills (e.g., interviewing, factual and legal research, writing, analyzing options) • Dispute resolution and prevention • Professionalism

  8. Potential Benefits • Greater identification with range of legal roles including interviewer, advisor, planner, negotiator, and dispute process innovator, in addition to courtroom advocate • Increased integration of doctrinal and skills instruction • Increased student learning and retention of knowledge about legal doctrine and skills

  9. Some LEAPS Suggestions(which you may already do) • Shift some hypos from appellate argument to client counseling or negotiation • Focus on problems instead of only cases & doctrine • Use simulations inside or outside class • Videos / guest speakers • Informally collaborate with colleagues • Get advice and examples from LEAPS consultants - civ pro, clinics, contracts, criminal, family, labor and employment, prof. responsibility, property, torts

  10. How Do You Teach PPS? Many faculty regularly incorporate PPS in their courses • How do you do it? • What works well? • What challenges do you have? • How have you dealt with the challenges?

  11. Barriers to Teaching More PPS • “Not role of law school or doctrinal courses” • “I don’t have the practical experience” • “I don’t have the time” • “This won’t help students pass the bar” • “I can’t assess students’ learning of PPS” • “Students will resist” • “It’s too difficult logistically”

  12. Overcoming Barriers to Teaching PPS Some ideas: • Start by making small changes • Get help from colleagues at your schools or others • Ask a colleague to observe your class • Observe a colleague’s class • Take advantage of materials produced by others • Seek support from dean to develop new materials • Use creative assessment methods

  13. Overcoming Barriers – Cont’d • If you are interested but think, “Yeah, but …” • … see detailed suggestions on LEAPS website

More Related