Law Commons^™

Every Silver Lining Has A Cloud: Defensive Pessimism In Legal Education, Emily Zimmerman, Casey Laduke

Catholic University Law Review

This Article presents the results of the first empirical research project to investigate law students’ use of defensive pessimism. Previous researchers have suggested that defensive pessimism may benefit law students academically. Defensive pessimism is a strategy that involves setting low expectations and reflecting extensively on what could go wrong in connection with a future event in order to manage anxiety and improve performance. However, up until now, law students’ use of defensive pessimism has not been empirically studied.

We investigated law students’ use of defensive pessimism. Contrary to the suggestions of other scholars, we did not find statistically significant relationships …

Reflecting On The Past, Preparing For The Future: A Q&A With Aals President Paul Marcus, Jim Greif, Paul Marcus

Popular Media

No abstract provided.

International Law In National Schools, Ryan M. Scoville

Indiana Law Journal

Why is international law ineffective at times in achieving its aims, such as preventing human rights abuses, forestalling armed conflict, and ensuring global cooperation on matters ranging from the environment to nuclear proliferation? This Article offers original empirical research to suggest that an important and underappreciated part of the answer lies in legal education. Conducting a global survey on the study of international law at thousands of law schools in over 190 countries, the Article reveals significant cross-national disparities in the pervasiveness of international legal training, and draws on other research to highlight similar variations in instructional quality, topical emphases, …

Changing The Modal Law School: Rethinking U.S. Legal Education In (Most) Schools, Nancy B. Rapoport

Dickinson Law Review (2017-Present)

This essay argues that discussions of educational reform in U.S. law schools have suffered from a fundamental misconception: that the education provided in all of the American Bar Association-accredited schools is roughly the same. A better description of the educational opportunities provided by ABA-accredited law schools would group the schools into three rough clusters: the “elite” law schools, the modal (most frequently occurring) law schools, and the precarious law schools. Because the elite law schools do not need much “reforming,” the better focus of reform would concentrate on the modal and precarious schools; however, both elite and modal law schools …

College Graduation As An Entrance Requirement To Law Schools, W. Harrison Hitchler

Dickinson Law Review (2017-Present)

No abstract provided.

Rat Race: Insider Advice On Landing Judicial Clerkships, Ruggero J. Aldisert, Ryan C. Kirkpatrick, James R. Stevens Iii

Dickinson Law Review (2017-Present)

For many, the judicial clerkship application process is, to quote Sir Winston Churchill, a “riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” It is a frenzied “Pamplona-like” atmosphere that begins on Labor Day +1 and continues unabated for several weeks. The initial week is the make or break point in the application review process because it is then that the judge starts to read each application and makes a “yes” or “no” evaluation. If his vote is a “no,” then no further action is taken. If it is a “yes,” the application passes to the law clerks, who then begin …

中国法律检索教育新发展, Liying Yu, Ning Han

Ning Han

本文通过问卷调查揭示中国法律检索教学领域的最新状况和发展趋势。该调查是作者2008年调查的继续，以期发现近年来国内该项教学的进展和变化。作者希望以中美法律图书馆员的视角对中国法律检索教学中诸如课程设置、教学方式、学分、考核评估等方面进行具体观察和分析；同时，对法律职业与法律教育者之间的反馈系统、学生对法律检索能力的认知、全国性指导标准等相关方面也有涉及。文章指出，当前，中国法律检索教学局限与机遇并存，特别是伴随信息与数据时代对社会经济文化的全面影响，中国法学教育改革适逢其时，法律检索教育也会不可避免地提到议事日程。而且，作者乐观地认为，中美法律图书馆员在其中的积极与促进作用也是无可替代的。

The Path To Lawyer Well-Being: Practical Recommendations For Positive Change (The Report Of The National Task Force On Lawyer Well-Being), Part Ii, Recommendations For Law Schools, David Jaffe

David Jaffe

Borrowing From Bob Dylan, "The Times They Are A-Changin' ", Paul Marcus

Popular Media

No abstract provided.

92nd Henry M. Campbell Moot Court Competition Final Round, University Of Michigan Law School

Event Materials

Program for the final round of the 92nd Moot Court Competition.

In Praise Of Legal Scholarship, Tamara R. Piety

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

No abstract provided.

The Big Bad Wolf: Helping Students Conquer Their Fear Of The Bar Exam Through P.A.S.S.- Preparation, Assessment, Self-Regulated Reflection, And Support, Alicia Jackson

Journal Publications

In light of the national decline in bar pass rates, coping with and addressing a law school’s bar passage rate is viewed by some as an insurmountable undertaking. However, I see it as an invaluable opportunity to redefine who are as law professors. Most importantly this challenge provides an opportunity for us as educators to train future attorneys to become self-aware, confident, and component to handle the challenges presented by the legal profession.

tion (“ABA”) has made it quite clear to accredited law schools and those seeking accreditation that bar passage is now a paramount factor in retaining and obtaining …

Not For Free: Exploring The Collateral Costs Of Diversity In Legal Education, Spearit

Articles

This essay examines some of the institutional costs of achieving a more diverse law student body. In recent decades, there has been growing support for diversity initiatives in education, and the legal academy is no exception. Yet for most law schools, diversity remains an elusive goal, some of which is the result of problems with anticipating the needs of diverse students and being able to deliver. These are some of the unseen or hidden costs associated with achieving greater diversity. Both law schools and the legal profession remain relatively stratified by race, which is an ongoing legacy of legal education’s …

Paying It Forward To Build The Perfect Lawyer, David Spratt

Articles in Law Reviews & Other Academic Journals

No abstract provided.

Contemporary Teaching Strategies: Effectively Engaging Millennials Across The Curriculum, Renee N. Allen, Alicia Jackson

Journal Publications

American Bar Association ("ABA") Standard 314, Assessment of Student Learning, requires law schools to "utilize both formative and summative assessment methods in its curriculum to measure and improve student learning and provide meaningful feedback to students."' This article will connect multiple formative assessments to Bloom's taxonomy to demonstrate how law teachers can transform and enhance student learning, while promoting key steps in the self-regulated learning cycle. First, it is imperative law teachers understand the education background and social landscape that our students, mostly Millennials, bring to law school. We can acknowledge that our Millennial students are different, but what does …

Winning! 5 Key Strategies For An Effective Conference Presentation, Renee N. Allen, Alicia Jackson

Journal Publications

With all of the hard work and thoughtfulness devoted to planning for conference presentations, it is safe to say, everyone wants a winning presentation! The five key strategies for developing an effective presentation are (1) proper planning, (2) work backwards when designing your presentation, (3) diversify your delivery methods, (4) engage your audience, and (5) provide takeaways.

The 2016-17 Survey Of Applied Legal Education, Robert R. Kuehn, David A. Santacroce, Margaret E. Reuter, Sue Schechter

Faculty Works

This report presents the results of the 2016-17 Center for the Study of Applied Legal Education (CSALE) Survey of Applied Legal Education. The survey was composed of four parts – a Master Survey directed to each ABA accredited U.S. law school; Law Clinics and Field Placement Course Sub-Surveys distributed by the schools to the persons responsible for each distinct law clinic or field placement course at the school; and a Faculty Sub-Survey distributed by the schools to each person teaching in a law clinic or field placement course. Ninety-four percent of law schools and over 1,100 clinical teachers participated in …

Risks And Rewards Of Externships: Exploring Goals And Methods, Linda F. Smith, Jeff Giddings, Leah Wortham

Utah Law Faculty Scholarship

This article explored the risks and rewards of designing and teaching in an externship program, the goals one might have, and the methods one might use. We have argued that it is important to pay attention to the principles of intentional design when developing an externship program. In particular, we have identified and challenged the assumption that skills development must be the predominant goal for externships. This is a common assumption on the part of legal education regulators in our respective home countries, the USA and Australia, as well as in England and Wales. Skills development can, but does not …

The Power Of The Public Defender Experience: Learning By Fighting For The Incarcerated And Poor, Patrick C. Brayer

Faculty Works

This Essay discusses how public defender apprenticeships impact law students and help mold their future careers. Brayer discusses the tangible advantages that the apprenticeship imparts on students as well as the transferable skills that students gain. Brayer then analyzes the internal and professional growth of students that participate in this apprenticeship. Brayer situates this growth within the context of Chief Justice John Marshall’s own similar experience, arguing how the public defender experience focuses and matures aspiring lawyers.

Get Real: Why And How Clinicians Should Record, Transcribe And Study Actual Client Consultations, Linda F. Smith

Utah Law Faculty Scholarship

This article will argue that the legal academy has much to learn by recording, transcribing and systematically studying student-client and attorney-client consultations. Clinical faculty can utilize conversation analysis and other social science techniques to do this. Social scientists and medical providers have studied doctor-patient conversations in this way over many years. Through this systematic study researchers have reached conclusions about effective doctor-patient consultations that form the basis for teaching these skills in medical school. This article will highlight some of these studies and their findings. Some have contended that attorney-client conversations simply cannot be recorded and studied in the same …

International Legal Education And Specialist Certification [Year In Review], Marissa Moran, Diane Edelman, Richard J. Peltz-Steele

Publications and Research

The American Bar Association (ABA) promulgates rules and regulations that apply to all United States law schools with ABA-accreditation and approval. Those rules apply specifically to schools offering programs leading to a J.D. degree. In August 2016, the ABA Council approved certain changes to the ABA Standards and Rules of Procedure for Approval of Law Schools, which became effective on August 9, 2016. The changes affected not only J.D. programs, but also study abroad programs offered by ABA member schools.