Spring 2013 Course Schedule

Supervised Extshp Sem (LAW-769-009)
Drane

Meets: 06:00 PM - 07:50 PM (W) - Room 403

Enrolled: 9 / Limit: 15

Administrator Access


Notices

This is a three credit class to be taken at the same time as an externship (Law-899-009). There are two parts to registering for an externship: 1) Register on-line for the seminar as you would for any class. 2) Register for the field placement by going to the Externship Page www.wcl.american.edu/externship and submit a Externship Fieldwork Application, which generates the necessary forms. Please note that in addition to the scheduled seminar, the class will meet in small groups for an extra hour every other week. The time/place of this extra meeting will be determined during our first class.

Description

Learning How To Be a Lawyer: Reflections on Legal Practice Supervised Externship Seminar: Law school is in large part about learning to be a lawyer, and this is best exemplified by the externship experience. In this three-credit graded seminar, we will explore the meaning of being a lawyer and a member of the legal profession. We will talk about the variety of roles lawyers may play in society and the wide range of experiences available to those with law degrees. We will do so through the prism of students’ field placements in non-profit organizations, courts, government agencies, and/or private law firms doing pro bono work. We will explore lawyers’ ethical obligations and the unique responsibilities that come with having specialized skills, including the obligation to protect the rights of others - whether the most vulnerable in society or the most affluent, individuals or organizations. We will talk about the nature of the lawyer-client relationship and the unique challenges associated with client-centered representation. We’ll address diversity and difference in the legal profession, both in the workplace and among the profession’s leaders. We’ll also reflect on how lawyers’ personal values may impact their professional decisions and career choices. Finally, we’ll talk about how to forge a professional path and be professionally fulfilled while also maintaining a healthy work-life balance. This will be an interactive seminar, where we will learn from each other’s experiences in order to develop and refine our own sensibilities about what type of lawyer we want to become. The diversity of students’ field placements and a high level of student preparation will guarantee us healthy and informative class discussions.Guest speakers will be featured throughout the semester to talk about their professional paths and experiences, and to help us reflect upon our seminar topics.

Textbooks and Other Materials

The textbook information on this page was provided by the instructor. Students should use this information when considering purchases from the AU Campus Store or other vendors. Students may check to determine if books are currently available for purchase online.

There is no required text for this course. Instead, students will be assigned readings in the form of journal articles, newspaper clippings, book excerpts and other media. A “Course Schedule and Assignments” document will be posted on MyWCL and updated frequently to reflect the required reading and other course assignments. (The date of the latest revision will be noted.) Required readings will be made available electronically at least one week in advance on MyWCL. Students are responsible for checking MyWCL regularly for updates, announcements, and readings. Reading and assignments for the following week will also be reviewed at the conclusion of each class.

First Class Readings

Please review the course Syllabus prior to the first class. In addition, students should complete the Class 1 Assignment posted on MyWCL, which is a one-page information sheet, to be submitted with a copy of the student's current resume.

Syllabus

Use your MyAU username and password to access the syllabus in the following format(s):