Legal professionals need a reflective legal education that emphasizes self-assessment and self-care, supports life-long learning, encourages the development of professional relationships through engagement in the larger legal community, and teaches the importance of pro bono and community service. We will also address ways to help students develop coping tools, resiliency, and ownership during a challenging legal climate.
As practicing lawyers actively engaged in the legal community and bar associations, we bring to our externship pedagogy the importance of ongoing dialogue and engagement with other lawyers to continuously develop as professional, effective, and successful lawyers in this evolving legal landscape. In this workshop, we will explore (1) expanding on the traditional idea of field work -expanding the experience to networking through bar associations, community organizations, and professional groups; (2) ways to mold students’ professional identity through fieldwork and networking; and (3) establishing mentor relationships that can influence your legal journey.
We will share examples of curricula and group reflection activities and framework for specialty externship programs that foster an integrated reflective practice. We plan to incorporate digital content into our presentation including Ted Talks, interactive polling, and Zoom breakout sessions.