Legal Profession Commons^™

Law School Culture And The Lost Art Of Collaboration: Why Don't Law Professors Play Well With Others, Michael I. Meyerson

All Faculty Scholarship

I have an Erdős number. Specifically, I have an Erdős number of 5. For the uninitiated, the concept of an “Erdős number” was created by mathematicians to describe how many “degrees of separation” an author of an article is from the great mathematician Paul Erdős. If you coauthored a paper with Erdős, you have an Erdős number of 1. If you coauthor a paper with someone with an Erdős number of 1, you have earned an Erdős number of 2. Coauthoring a paper with someone with an Erdős number of 2 gives you an Erdős number of 3, and so …

Function, Form, And Strawberries: Subverting Langdell, Jeremiah A. Ho

All Faculty Scholarship

So why do law schools place skills instruction below the dissemination of legal knowledge even though it is the practice of law that lawyers are engaged in doing and not just the mere knowing of it? Both should be equally significant. Although law teaching methodologies have shifted somewhat to accommodate the changing cognitive adaptations of the human mind in this age of digital technology, law instruction in classrooms still possess a deeply-rooted basis in legal formalist considerations of the law from the 19th century that displaces skills instruction for the advancement of the legal knowledge. Consequently, in order to further …

For Men Only: A Gap In The Rules Allows Sex Discrimination To Avoid Ethical Challenge, Michelle N. Struffolino

American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law

The billboard states: “Divorce: Men Only.” The reaction is one of confusion. Something just does not seem right. Isn’t this discrimination? Is the system willing to allow this message because the need to protect men’s rights in divorce outweighs the systemic and societal harms associated with the message?

Although this article focuses on the ethical issues associated with firms that exclude women from the pool of potential divorce clients, the existence of women only law firms is acknowledged. The analysis of the ethical issues raised by these gender specific firms is somewhat the same regardless of what gender is excluded. …

No Lawyer For A Hundred Miles?: Mapping The New Geography Of Access Of Justice In Canada, Jamie Baxter, Albert Yoon

Osgoode Hall Law Journal

Recent concerns about the geography of access to justice in Canada have focused on the dwindling number of lawyers in rural and remote areas, raising anxieties about the profession’s inability to meet current and future demands for localized legal services. These concerns have motivated a range of policy responses that aim to improve the education, training, recruitment and retention of practitioners in underserved areas. We surveyed lawyers across Ontario to better understand their physical proximity to clients and how, if at all, that proximity promotes access to justice. We find that lawyers’ scope of practice varies based on a number …

Setting Your Compass: Some Thoughts From A (Former) Djag, Charles J. Dunlap Jr.

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Teaching The Newly Essential Knowledge, Skills, And Values In A Changing World, Eliza Vorenberg, Cynthia F. Adcock, Eden E. Harrington, Elizabeth Kane, Lisa Bliss, Robin Boyle, Conrad Johnson, Susan Schechter, David Udell

Faculty Scholarship

This chapter of Building on Best Practices: Transforming Legal Education in a Changing World has contributions from many authors:

• Section A, Professional Identity Formation, includes:
  • Teaching Knowledge, Skills, and Values of Professional Identity Formation, by Larry O. Natt Gantt, II & Benjamin V. Madison III,
  • Integrating Professionalism into Doctrinally-Focused Courses, by Paula Schaefer,
  • Learning Professional Responsibility, by Clark D. Cunningham, and
  • Teaching Leadership, by Deborah L. Rhode.
• Section B, Pro Bono as a Professional Value, is by Cynthia F. Adcock, Eden E. Harrington, Elizabeth Kane, Susan Schechter, David S. Udell & Eliza Vorenberg.
• Section C, The Relational Skills of the …

A Doctor’S Duty Of Disclosure: Uksc Sets New Paradigm In Montgomery V Lanarkshire Health Board, Kee Yang Low

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Montgomery v Lanarkshire Health Board (“Montgomery”)1 is about a baby being born with severe disabilities. Expectant mothers of small build and suffering from diabetes,2 such as the plaintiff, run the risk of shoulder dystocia, that is – the situation of the baby’s shoulders being unable to pass through the pelvis in a normal delivery.3 In this case, the patient was not told of the risk of shoulder dystocia as, in the doctor’s opinion, the possibility was very small. The doctor was not inclined to warn as most mothers, if told would opt for a ceasarean section and that would deprive …

Judicial Rhetoric & Lawyers' Roles, Samuel J. Levine

Scholarly Works

Notwithstanding the rich scholarly literature debating the proper roles of lawyers and the precise contours of lawyers’ ethical conduct, as a descriptive matter, the American legal system operates as an adversarial system, premised in part upon clear demarcations between the functions of different lawyers within the system. Broadly speaking, prosecutors have the distinct role of serving justice, which includes the duty to try to convict criminal defendants who are deserving of punishment, in a way that is consistent with both substantive and procedural justice. In contrast, private attorneys have a duty to zealously represent the best interests of their clients, …

The Law And The “Spirit Of The Law” In Legal Ethics, Samuel J. Levine

Scholarly Works

This article aims to explore the notion of the lawyer’s ethical responsibility to go “beyond” the letter of the law and to comply with the “spirit” or “purpose” of the law. The article suggests that, notwithstanding its promotion of admirable principles and goals, a spirit of the law model may prove inconsistent with basic legal and ethical obligations of lawyers. The lawyer’s duties as fiduciary, as agent, and as zealous advocate, responsible for representing the best interests of the client, preclude the lawyer from focusing on the spirit and purpose of the law rather than on the aims of the …

Designing A Solo And Small Practice Curriculum, Meredith R. Miller

Scholarly Works

There is a reality commonly ignored by the curriculum in most law schools: the largest segment of law graduates will eventually be solo or small firm practitioners. Even before the Great Recession, nearly two thirds of lawyers in the United States practiced in solo or small firms. Since 2008, trends show an increase in the number of recent law graduates that “hang a shingle.” According to a 2012 report of the American Bar Association, about three-quarters of lawyers in the United States work in private practice. Of those attorneys, about seventy percent are in solo or small firms. Many find …

Is This The Law Library Or An Episode Of The Jetsons?, Ronald E. Wheeler

Faculty Scholarship

In this brief essay penned for the inaugural online edition of the Journal of the Legal Writing Institute, Professor Wheeler discusses his vision for the future of law libraries and the future of legal research, legal research instruction, law teaching, and law related technologies.

From Thinking Like A Lawyer To Acting Like A Lawyer: Externships Provide Invaluable Experience, Austen L. Parrish

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

What The Jobs Are: New Tech, New Client Needs Create A New Field Of Legal Operations, William D. Henderson

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

Class Counsel As Litigation Funders, Morris A. Ratner

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Disruptive Innovation: New Models Of Legal Practice, Joan C. Williams, Aaron Platt, Jessica Lee

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Morality Of Law Practice, Geoffrey C. Hazard Jr.

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Called To Serve: Five Habits Of Effective Board Members, Dana M. Malkus

All Faculty Scholarship

In any given year, a single nonprofit organization has the potential to positively impact hundreds of lives. Given their training, passion, and community standing, young lawyers are often a great asset for such organizations. At the same time, nonprofit organizations can provide excellent training and networking opportunities for young lawyers.

With a relatively modest investment of time, you can provide the kind of board service that brings substantial impacts for our communities. Whether you currently serve on a board or are simply considering doing so in the future, developing the following five habits will help you more effectively advance your …

2014 Year In Review: 2 Law Schools Welcome New Deans While A Third Experiences Abrupt Departure

Austen Parrish (2014-2022)

No abstract provided.

Trending@Rwu Law: Dean Yelnosky's Post: Ending 2014 With An Exclamation Point; Looking Forward To January..., Michael Yelnosky

Law School Blogs

No abstract provided.

Newsroom: A Top 10 Law School For Pro Bono, Roger Williams University School Of Law

Life of the Law School (1993- )

No abstract provided.