Mission Statement
Lawyering is the study of “law in use” and of the choices we make when we practice law.
Through a series of experiential, collaborative exercises, Lawyering students broaden and deepen their understanding of legal concepts by engaging critically in the kinds of interactive and interpretive work that are integral to practice. Learning is fostered in five ways:
Learning Through Experience
The Lawyering Program’s methodology, like the case study method used in business and medical schools, is grounded in the theory that the act of doing, followed by reflection and discussion, deepens understanding and solidifies learning. The Program uses simulated exercises to encourage future lawyers to approach legal problems by planning, executing, and critically reflecting on the consequences of choices they make. Each simulation is an opportunity to experiment and learn in a safe environment; the object is not perfect performance but enhanced professionalism through reflective practice.
Learning Collaboratively
Students develop skills more effectively when they work collaboratively. This explains the success of the informal study groups that law students often form. In each of the Lawyering Program’s exercises, students work in pairs or in small groups. They solidify knowledge through discussion and debate. They develop versatility and practice perspective-taking by exchanging ideas with peers who have varied strengths, views, experiences and identities.
Learning Through Reflection
The Lawyering Program emphasizes critical thinking about lawyers’ work by encouraging students to reflect on their own work and that of their colleagues, after each simulation. Small group conferences provide a context for building confidence and for developing the professional habits of productive self-assessment and constructive critique of colleagues. Moreover, carefully structured peer review enhances motivation, for students work with the knowledge that their efforts will be thoughtfully scrutinized, both by faculty and by peers. The insights that students bring to and take from the reflection process are as important as the strategies they formulate and execute prior to and during each Lawyering exercise.
Learning Through Difference and Developing Multicultural Competence
An essential component of understanding and solving legal problems is recognizing and attending to how large and small issues of social difference and identity have pervasive effects on professional practice. Lawyering simulations are therefore designed and taught with the goal of helping students develop intra- and interpersonal awareness and multicultural competence.
Learning Beyond the Lawyering Program
Our aim is for our Lawyering students to continue the process of thoughtful inquiry and self-evaluation after they leave law school and begin to practice law. Therefore, faculty members forego prescribing theories in favor of encouraging student theorizing and avoid how-to formulas in favor of critical analysis of experiences. Because each practice simulation is followed by self-evaluation and critical feedback, Lawyering students become skilled practitioners who, over the course of their careers, will constantly reconsider and refine their approaches to legal problems.