Order in the Classroom: Training Future Lawyers in High-Tech Courtrooms
Arizona Attorney, Vol. 37, p. 41, 2001
2 Pages Posted: 29 Dec 2009
Date Written: 2001
Abstract
In a typical law school clinic or trial advocacy class, professors don't lecture very much. Instead, the students participate in simulated exercises that cover a wide range of professional lawyering activities, including client interviewing, fact investigation planning, client counseling, mediation, negotiation, deposition strategies and pretrial and trial techniques. A typical simulation might last 30 minutes. After it ends, the clinic professor will use the rest of the class time to guide the class in a discussion of the simulation just presented. The professor has a number of decisions to make on how best to teach from that simulation. Although some key pedagogic goals can be prepared ahead of class, many of the teacher's goals must be decided as the simulation unfolds-and one can never be sure what will happen during a simulation exercise. This is challenging, exciting, on-the-spot teaching that can be enhanced by state-of-the-art technology.
Keywords: Legal education, clinical education, legal instruction
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