Public Legal Education - The Role of Law Schools in Building a More Legally Literate Society (Routledge 2021)

Abstract This article addresses the teaching of legal research methods and doctrinal analysis within a legal studies program. I argue that learning about legal research and doctrinal analysis is an important element of legal education outside professional law schools. I start by considering the ongoing debate concerning the role of legal education both inside and outside professional law schools. I then describe the way in which the research methods courses offered by the Department of Law and Legal Studies at Carleton University attempt to reconcile the tension between “law” and legal studies. In particular, I focus on how the second-year research methods course introduces students to “traditional” legal research and doctrinal analysis within a legal studies context by deploying a number of pedagogical strategies. In so doing, the course provides students with an important foundation that allows them to embrace the multiple roles of legal education outside professional law schools.

Download Full-text

LEGAL EDUCATION IN INDIA: PROBLEMS AND CHALLENGES

IIUM Law Journal ◽

10.31436/iiumlj.v20i1.78 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

B. C. Nirmal

Keyword(s):

Education Reform ◽

Legal Education ◽

Law Students ◽

Learning Needs ◽

Legal Service ◽

Law Schools ◽

Service Market ◽

Education In India ◽

Induced Changes

This article makes some observations about legal education in India by locating it within a wider context of legal education reform that is taking place in Law Schools across the world in the wake of globalizationled and globalization-induced changes in the nature and needs of legal profession. For being both intellectually challenging and professionally relevant, legal education should be more responsible than ever before to the legal needs of the community national as well as international , and the learning needs of students to become professionally competent to play their role in an increasingly transnationalized legal service market. Any effort to restructure and reorient legal education to attain these goals will be an uphill task for any school. This article begins with exploring the implications of globalization for legal education and then turns to nature, aims and objectives of legal education. The article then looks at the possible changes required to be made in the existing curriculum for undergraduate law students in order to make the legal education more relevant and meaningful for its consumers. The focus then shifts to issues concerning methods of teaching, clinical experience and assessment of students. This article then considers issues arising from the proposal of the Bar Council of India to reduce the period of Masters programme and then builds a strong case for strengthening a research tradition in Law Schools. The focus then shifts to measures that are necessary to attract and retain better faculty and also to the regulatory role of the Bar Council of India in the field of legal education. The article concludes with some reflections on the promise of a different vision of legal education.

Download Full-text

WIĘCEJ TEORII I WIĘCEJ PRAKTYKI? KSZTAŁCENIE INTERDYSCYPLINARNE I NIEDOGMATYCZNE W PROGRAMACH STUDIÓW PRAWNICZYCH AMERYKAŃSKICH UCZELNI

Zeszyty Prawnicze ◽

10.21697/zp.2016.16.1.03 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. 53

Author(s):

Tymoteusz Zych

Keyword(s):

Legal Education ◽

The United States ◽

Law School ◽

Law Schools ◽

American Law ◽

Bar Association ◽

Polish Law ◽

Interdisciplinary Courses ◽

School Curricula

More Theory, more Practice? Interdisciplinary and NonDogmatic Education in American Law School CurriculaSummaryWhile American legal education is very often invoked as a modelfor Polish law faculties, the actual role of interdisciplinary and non--dogmatic courses in the curricula of American law schools has not beencoherently analysed yet. The American example shows that the conceptof legal education has a significant impact on the development of thelegal system. Interdisciplinary courses have been present in the curricula of university law schools since the beginning of American history.Currently the American Bar Association requires law schools to includenon-dogmatic contents in their curricula to obtain accreditation. Thewidest range of non-dogmatic courses is offered by the most prestigiouslaw schools. Leading American legal thinkers of all currents emphasisethe importance of interdisciplinary and non-dogmatic subjects in theeducational process. The paper concludes with a comparative analysisof the role of interdisciplinary subjects in law school curricula in Polandand in the United States.

Download Full-text

Fighting Africa’s poverty and ignorance through clinical legal education: Shared experiences with new initiatives for the 21st Century

International Journal of Clinical Legal Education ◽

10.19164/ijcle.v1i0.128 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 1 ◽

pp. 13 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Philip Iya

Keyword(s):

21St Century ◽

Clinical Education ◽

Legal Education ◽

Community Outreach ◽

Law Schools ◽

Shared Experiences ◽

New Challenges ◽

Education In Africa

This paper attempts to establish and analyse the role of African universities generally and their law schools in particular in their fight, if any, against poverty and ignorance. In that regard, the case of legal education and specifically its clinical programmes will be analysed, and the thrust of the discussion will be directed toward the following issues: 1. The backdrop of the debate: Universities and Community Outreach Programmes; 2. Understanding the genesis and application of clinical legal education in Africa; 3. Sharing experiences of clinical education in different countries in Africa; and 4. New challenges and initiatives for the 21st Century. Each of these issues is discussed separately and seriatim in subsequent paragraphs.

Download Full-text

O Papel Atual das Escolas de Direito Ante as Mudanças Sociais e as Exigências Jurídicas do Mundo Pós-Moderno

Cadernos do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Direito – PPGDir /UFRGS ◽

10.22456/2317-8558.72949 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Marcus Geandré Nakano Ramiro ◽

Suelyn Moraes Giordani

Keyword(s):

Common Good ◽

Legal Education ◽

Social Changes ◽

Law Schools ◽

Legal Requirements ◽

The Face ◽

The Common ◽

Democratic Rule ◽

Education In Brazil

O PAPEL ATUAL DAS ESCOLAS DE DIREITO ANTE AS MUDANÇAS SOCIAIS E AS EXIGÊNCIAS JURÍDICAS DO MUNDO PÓS-MODERNO THE CURRENT ROLE OF THE LAW SCHOOLS IN FRONT OF SOCIAL CHANGES AND THE LEGAL REQUIREMENTS OF THE POSTMODERN WORLD Marcus Geandré Nakano Ramiro*Suelyn Moraes Giordani** RESUMO: Este artigo apresenta uma breve análise sobre a educação jurídica no Brasil, destacando as deficiências de suas Escolas de Direito ante as grandes mudanças sociais e as exigências jurídicas atuais. Demonstra ainda a necessidade do desenvolvimento conjunto dos enfoques zetético e dogmático do fenômeno jurídico como caminho para a compreensão do bem comum e consequente colaboração na consolidação do Estado Democrático de Direito. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Educação Jurídica. Cursos de Direito. Exigências Jurídicas Atuais. Enfoque Zetético. ABSTRACT: This article presents a brief analysis on legal education in Brazil, highlighting the deficiencies of its Law Schools in the face of major social changes and current legal requirements. It also demonstrates the need to jointly develop the zetetic and dogmatic approaches to the juridical phenomenon as a way to understand the common good and consequent collaboration in the consolidation of the Democratic Rule of Law. KEYWORDS: Legal Education. Law Courses. Current Legal Requirements. Zetetic Aproach. SUMÁRIO: Introdução. 1 As Deficiências Atuais das Escolas de Direito Brasileiras. 2 As Mudanças Sociais e as Exigências Jurídicas Atuais. 3 O Enfoque Zetético e Dogmático do Fenômeno Jurídico. 4 A Busca pelo Bem Comum como um dos Pressupostos à Consolidação do Estado Democrático de Direito. Considerações Finais. Referências.* Doutor e Mestre em Filosofia do Direito e do Estado pela Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo (PUC-SP). Professor e Coordenador do Curso de Direito da Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná (PUC-PR), campus Maringá. Conselheiro e Presidente da Comissão de Educação Jurídica da Subseção Maringá da Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil (OAB/PR).** Bacharel em Direito pela Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná (PUC-PR).

Download Full-text

Improving Access To Justice Through Legal Aid: Exploring The Possibilities Of ‘Exceptional Case Funding’ Clinics In University Law Schools

International Journal of Clinical Legal Education ◽

10.19164/ijcle.v28i1.1128 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 28 (1) ◽

pp. 68-110

Author(s):

Emma Marshall

Keyword(s):

Legal Education ◽

Safety Net ◽

Exceptional Case ◽

Access To Justice ◽

Legal Assistance ◽

Legal Aid ◽

Law Schools ◽

Legal Advice ◽

British State

This article focuses on the role of universities in establishing law clinics to assist individuals to make Exceptional Case Funding (ECF) applications. The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) removed many categories of civil matters from the scope of legal aid, reducing the number of people entitled to state-funded legal advice and assistance. To replace provision for the categories removed from scope, LASPO introduced ECF to provide a ‘safety net’ for cases where human rights would be breached if legal assistance was not available. To obtain legal aid through the ECF scheme, legal aid providers or individuals must apply to the Legal Aid Agency, the department of government within the Ministry of Justice that deals with the administration of legal aid. The article considers how analysis of ECF clinics can contribute to knowledge about the work of universities in facilitating access to justice through clinical legal education, particularly in the context of cuts to legal aid expenditure. It argues that ECF clinics present an opportunity to involve students while engaging — rather than replacing — the responsibility of the British state to provide legal aid.

Download Full-text

Legal Education and the Role of Law Schools in Defining and Training Lawyers for Public Interest Practice in the Twenty-First Century

CUNY Law Review ◽

10.31641/clr030203 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 139

Author(s):

James A. Cohen ◽

Bonnie Forest ◽

Robert F. Drinan ◽

Deborah L. Rhode ◽

William L. Robinson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Interest ◽

Legal Education ◽

First Century ◽

Law Schools ◽

Twenty First Century ◽

And Training

Download Full-text

LL.M. Programs: The Frosting on the Cake of Legal Education?

German Law Journal ◽

10.1017/s2071832200016370 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 4 (7) ◽

pp. 735-746 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Helmut Kohl

Keyword(s):

Practical Knowledge ◽

Legal Education ◽

Law School ◽

Professional Organization ◽

Law Schools ◽

Administrative Services ◽

The Law ◽

Almost All ◽

University Degree

It is the primary task of Law Schools around the world to educate young promising adults who choose the responsible profession of a lawyer, be it in the role of an attorney, a lawyer in administrative services, in industry, or a judge. Apparently, in almost all countries, admission to these important professional roles is highly regulated, be it by law, be it by professional tradition or be it by a mixture of both of these factors. It generally requires a university degree and/or the successful passing of an examination administered by the State or a professional organization. For a law school, which feels any responsibility towards its students, legal education must first of all aim to equip them with the methodological, theoretical and practical knowledge, insights and basic skills necessary to fulfill the requirements for these degrees and exams, hoping at the same time that these requirements are those that enable the former students to properly, conscientiously and ethically perform their important roles in their respective national societies. Accordingly, the law of my home state requires that “the aim of legal education is the enlightened lawyer who thinks critically and acts rationally and is aware of his or her responsibility as a guardian of a free, democratic, social state, governed by the rule of law, and is able to recognize his or her obligation to further develop the law.”

Download Full-text

Clinical legal education and Indigenous legal education: what’s the connection?

International Journal of Clinical Legal Education ◽

10.19164/ijcle.v11i0.77 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

pp. 51

Author(s):

Anna Cody ◽

Sue Green

Keyword(s):

Legal Education ◽

Law School ◽

Law Students ◽

Law Schools ◽

Indigenous Students ◽

Education Courses

In this article we will examine some of the steps that UNSW law school has taken to address Indigenous disadvantage in, and exclusion from, legal education. The article focuses on the role of clinical legal education within Indigenous legal education. Two concrete examples will be discussed: a clinical subject specifically designed for 1st year Indigenous students and a class given by an Indigenous academic for later year law students within the general clinical legal education courses. The first is discussed to demonstrate how clinical legal education can improve the experience of Indigenous students within law schools. The second example highlights the challenges of attempting to “Aboriginalise” the curriculum of law courses.

Download Full-text

‘Does Law Matter to Anthropology?’

Journal of Legal Anthropology ◽

10.3167/jla.2018.020208 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 86-91

Author(s):

Sally Engle Merry

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

The United States ◽

Legal Anthropology ◽

American Anthropological Association ◽

Law Schools ◽

Relevant Question ◽

Law Faculty ◽

Way Of Thinking ◽

Legal Training

This provocative question became the basis for a spirited discussion at the 2017 meeting of the American Anthropological Association. My first reaction, on hearing the question, was to ask, does anthropology care whether it matters to law? As a discipline, anthropology and the anthropology of law are producing excellent scholarship and have an active scholarly life. But in response to this forum’s provocation article, which clearly outlines the lack of courses on law and anthropology in law schools, I decided that the relevant question was, why doesn’t anthropology matter more to law than it does? The particular, most serious concern appears to be, why are there not more law and anthropology courses being offered in law schools? It is increasingly common for law faculty in the United States to have PhDs as well as JDs, so why are there so few anthropology/law PhD/JD faculty? Moreover, as there is growing consensus that law schools instil a certain way of thinking but lack preparation for the practice of law in reality and there is an explosion of interest in clinical legal training, why does this educational turn fail to provide a new role of legal anthropology, which focuses on the practice of law, in clinical legal training?

Download Full-text