“Newish Clinicians” Navigating the (New) Normal – Experiences, Strategies, and Opportunities

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Session Type: AALS Programs

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At
conferences, in the media and in faculty meetings, there seems to be endless
chatter about the “new normal” in law schools.
But what does this “new normal” mean for “newish” clinicians, for whom
the “new normal” may be the only normal they’ve known?  How does the dramatic drop in law school
applicants, heightened financial pressures, a contracting job market, new ABA guidelines,
and a related transformation in the design, branding and pedagogical goals of
many of our clinics impact those who have only recently jumped into clinical
academia?
This
panel is designed to foster a candid and open space for “newish” clinicians,
and the more experienced clinicians who serve as their mentors and allies, to
explore the ways in which this transformation in legal education may present
unique challenges and opportunities for “newish” clinicians.   We use the term “newish” liberally and
subjectively – those who see themselves in the formative, earlier years of
their clinical careers.
The
session will explore three broad questions:
(1) What are some unique challenges for newish clinicians in the new
normal? (2) What are effective strategies for addressing these challenges? and
(3) What opportunities may flow from the new normal?  The panelists and participants will explore
challenges, strategies and opportunities within the following broad and
interrelated categories: (a) Clinic Mission and Pedagogy, (b) Students, (c)
Regulatory and Administrative Changes, and (d) Professional Development and
Promotion.