Arizona Legal Studies Discussion Paper No 09-25
SUZANNE M. RABE, University of Arizona
- James E. Rogers College of Law
Email: rabe@law.arizona.edu
STEPHEN ROSENBAUM, University of California, Berkeley - School
of Law, Disability Rights California
This
article proposes that clinical professors, and legal writing professors in
particular, consider practicing law - in real-life, non-clinical settings -
during some significant portion of their sabbaticals from teaching. This
proposal would (1) improve the learning experience for students in clinics,
writing classes, and skills classes, (2) offer a vital public service to the under-represented,
and (3) improve the overall administration of justice. At little cost, this
proposal would foster a richer engagement by clinicians and legal writing
professors with the world of legal practice. This idea could also infuse
increased life and meaning into our law school classes. The Carnegie
Foundation’s study of legal education and the Best Practices Project of the
Clinical Legal Education Association – along with their recommendations of a
greater emphasis on clinics and trial or practice simulations – have generated
much discussion within the academy. By challenging readers to consider
alternative sabbatical engagements that would later enrich the classroom
experience with a practitioner’s focus, our article addresses many of the concerns
expressed by the Carnegie Foundation and by the Best Practices Project.
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