In this time of declining law school enrollments and seismic changes in the profession, there is increasing pressure on clinics to adapt and survive in difficult circumstances. The presenters are clinical professors at heavy-caseload, intensive “live client” clinic law schools with historic roots in social justice. In this stormy climate in legal education, the presentation will provide new ideas about embracing the “new normal” while maintaining a strong foundation in social justice in preserving “live client” clinics.
Presenters will discuss:
1) How to break down silos between clinical and doctrinal faculty by understanding the tension between teaching, scholarship, and service and modeling collaborative behavior. We will discuss our success in providing new experiential components in traditional doctrinal classes.
2) Modeling community service as a critical foundation in our profession while moving forward with pivotal partnerships and representing new client bases as the needs arise.
3) How clinicians can take leadership roles in graduating “practice-ready” lawyers; we will demonstrate new programs geared towards technology, legal business skills, and advancing social justice.
4) How to deal with new expectations in clinical pedagogy, such as outcome-based assessments and required experiential curricula.
Attendees will reflect independently and collaboratively on changes affecting their clinics and how they are transforming to meet the new normal and continue to promote social justice through “live client” representation.
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