Seattle University Collaborative Projects - International Academy of ...

Preparing Law Students for the Emotional Dimensions of Lawyering: TwoStudents’ Perspective for Needed Change in Legal Education (Part Two)Sarah Murillo, Phoenix School of Law (scmurillo@phoenixlaw.edu)Empathy, active listening, compassion…these are traits which law school, in its traditionalsocratic form, fails to instill in its students. Legal education should prepare students for theemotional dimensions of lawyering; that is, for the impact that a client’s emotional well-beingwill have upon their lawyer’s practice of the law. Studies have shown that students are critical ofthe content of legal education, calling it “too theoretical” and “indifferent to real world issues."This is why legal education needs to shift from the traditional framework and seek creative,collaborative, holistic, and positive, client-centered solutions to legal disputes. By incorporatingthese principles of therapeutic jurisprudence and comprehensive law into the classroom, lawprofessors can provide their students with important insights into some of the difficult problemsraised when dealing with clients. Rather than teaching law students to “think like a lawyer,”students will learn to identify in their clients critical issues such as grief, anxiety, depression,anger, etc. In doing so, they can develop a plan to assist the client in resolving and/or dealingwith such issues; as well as better understand how these issues will affect the clients’ case andthe way the lawyer should handle it. In this forum, we hope to give attendees the law student’sperspective as to ideas and suggestions for influencing this change in legal education. This ispart two of a two-part presentation.Psychoethical Soft Spots and Opportunities in Law School Pro Bono ProjectsChristina A. Zawisza, University of Memphis (czawisza@memphis.edu)My presentation will expand the TJ universe by applying the TJ methodology of psycholegal softspots and opportunities to “professional responsibility” by constructing psychoethical soft spotsand strategies to teach public service values to law students. I will apply this expansion to theAlternative Spring Break (ASB) model at my law school, where, for three years, I have mentoredstudents in public service projects. Rather than vacationing, students have represented lowincome people in pro se divorces, advanced directives, U-visas and community projects such ashuman trafficking legislation, predatory lending legislation, and non-profit managementcounselling. Using professionally produced video of three ASB’s, I will discuss the followingbenefits of appreciating psychoethical soft spots and opportunities: Hands-on clientrepresentation; Reconnection to the service motivations of law students; Real world training withexperienced attorneys; Modelling effective organization, management, and problem solving;Creating a lifelong desire to engage in public service as a psychoethical soft spot and strategy.434