Vulnerability in Contracting: Teaching First Year Law Students About Inequality and its Consequences

“Eye-opening,” “disheartening,” and “inspiring” are some of the words used by law students who met in 2008–2009 to discuss their mosaic of experience in the field doing public interest work. These students had returned from placements under the first mandatory public interest requirement to be introduced in a Canadian law school (the Osgoode Public Interest Requirement, OPIR). OPIR arose from questions about the relationship between what is learned in law school and what is required to be a professional. Academics have challenged each other to do more to instill an “ethos of professionalism” during law school. Others have suggested that law students who do not receive exposure to the world outside the walls of the law school carry an “idealized conception of the profession” and are often unaware of the many practice contexts available to them. Others have warned that if ethical and professional responsibilities are not modeled and articulated for students, that teaching only the “law of lawyering” does not prepare students for becoming ethical lawyers. Teacher-educator Lee Shulman has bluntly accused law schools of “failing miserably” at connecting its lessons in how to “think like a lawyer” with how to “act like a lawyer.” For years, there have been similar concerns raised about the decline of professionalism among lawyers, both in Canada and in the U.S. A survey of Osgoode graduates revealed that students wanted more opportunities to engage with the community and to experience non-traditional forms of law practice. Osgoode Hall Law School grappled with many of these questions, and in 2007 it approved changes to the curriculum, including a new first year Ethics course (Ethical Lawyering in a Global Community, ELGC) and OPIR. In addition to the more traditional first year mandatory course load, Osgoode Hall law students must also complete ELGC, a minimum of 40 hours of public interest work and then engage in a discussion or written exercise reflecting on their experiences. These reflections are a valuable lens for seeing the profession and the administration of justice through the eyes of first and second year law students. Their experiences remind us in the profession that learning can flow in both directions.

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The Impact of Legal Education: An In-Depth Examination of Career-relevant Interests, Attitudes, and Personality Traits Among First-Year Law Students

American Bar Foundation Research Journal ◽

10.1111/j.1747-4469.1979.tb01033.x ◽

1979 ◽

Vol 4 (4) ◽

pp. 791-868 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

James M. Hedegard

Keyword(s):

School Environment ◽

Law School ◽

Law Students ◽

Personality Characteristics ◽

First Year ◽

First Year Students ◽

School Class ◽

Career Plans ◽

The Impact ◽

Behavioral Styles

This article examines in detail patterns of change in career-relevant interests, attitudes, and personality characteristics among first-year students in one law school. The data presented suggest that a single entering law school class can be viewed as a varied group in terms of career plans and potential behavioral styles. Moreover, immersion in the law school environment may accentuate this initial variability. Although some studies have suggested that, overall, first-year law students experience a drop in law interests, including interests in altruistic and “socially conscious” career activities, the methods of analysis used in this study suggest alternative interpretations of some aspects of such changes. In addition, the author believes these methods shed greater light on the overall process of professional development in law school.

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Research knowledge in undergraduate school in Brazil: a comparison between medical and law students

Einstein (São Paulo) ◽

10.1590/s1679-45082010ao1702 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 273-280 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Antonio José Souza Reis Filho ◽

Bruno Bezerril Andrade ◽

Vitor Rosa Ramos de Mendonça ◽

Manoel Barral-Netto

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Educational Institution ◽

Law School ◽

Law Students ◽

First Year ◽

Research Experience ◽

Research Knowledge ◽

First Year Students ◽

Research Activities ◽

The Impact

ABSTRACT Objective: Exposure to science education during college may affect a student's profile, and research experience may be associated with better professional performance. We hypothesized that the impact of research experience obtained during graduate study differs among professional curricula and among graduate courses. Methods: A validated multiple-choice questionnaire concerning scientific concepts was given to students in the first and fourth years of medical and law school at a public Brazilian educational institution. Results: Medical students participated more frequently in introductory scientific programs than law students, and this trend increased from the first to the fourth years of study. In both curricula, fourth-year students displayed a higher percentage of correct answers than first-year students. A higher proportion of fourth-year students correctly defined the concepts of scientific hypothesis and scientific theory. In the areas of interpretation and writing of scientific papers, fourth-year students, in both curricula, felt more confident than first-year students. Although medical students felt less confident in planning and conducting research projects than law students, they were more involved in research activities. Conclusion: Medical graduation seems to favor the development of critical scientific maturity than law graduation. Specific policy in medical schools is a reasonable explanation for medical students’ participation in more scientific activities.

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Inclusive team assessment of off-campus and on-campus first year law students using instantaneous communication technology

The Law Teacher ◽

10.1080/03069400.2010.524032 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 44 (3) ◽

pp. 309-333 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Pauline Collins

Keyword(s):

Communication Technology ◽

Law Students ◽

First Year ◽

Team Assessment

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