Law Commons^™

In response to the demands of prospective law students, pressure from outside law organizations, and forces from within the legal academy, law schools are offering more skills training for students and more job security for Legal Methods professors. As a result, Legal Methods professors’ primary responsibilities in the legal academy are changing from a single focus of teaching to a dual focus of teaching and scholarship. Although the changes are welcomed, the task of producing scholarship remains especially difficult for Legal Methods professors because in many instances they still lack the necessary funding and time to fulfill this new obligation. …

Students’ reactions to feedback are intriguing. Why is it that some students resist, and in fact almost resent, receiving suggestions for improving their work while others are grateful and clamor for more help? This short article examines the role of gratitude in legal education. It suggests that students who engage in disciplined optimism, i.e., positive attitude and hard work, are more likely to succeed in law school than students who avoid feedback and self-handicap their efforts.