5 ways how law school pedagogy is transforming

There is no doubt that the world as a whole has undergone major transformation over the past few years. So, there is no way that schools focusing on the same old methods of educating and not willing to change with times would do students any favour.

Generally speaking, the old method of teaching with focus on core subject matter will always remain the staple of education; however, the way we need to approach the same demands a major shift in focus. That being said, incorporation of more experiential and practical model is one of the many ways that law school pedagogy has transformed now, and for the better.

Further, the overall number of students enrolling in full-time and part-time on-campus courses has witnessed a major shift demanding the best return on investment. This has happened not only in legal education but almost every sector. The reason why this change has happened so prominently is because the job market has changed itself. There is an ever-increasing demand of skilled professionals who can provide added value to the hiring firms and organisations.

Shift in focus

Students as well as hiring committees are now more interested in the ‘skills’ part of the curriculum. This is the same reason for decrease in student enrollment in the traditional courses. The present generation of students have truly embraced the benefits of technology, and more students are getting drawn towards online and distance education courses.

Distance education has gained popularity as it allows students from different geographic locations to obtain knowledge from the best of educators around the world. Needless to say, online classrooms are only one of the facets in the technological evolution of law education. There are several other notable changes that this one change has brought on. Although in legal profession, like all professions, mentoring and apprenticeship play the key role, soft skills account for most of the success rather than grades alone.

Therefore the law school pedagogy is majorly transforming in the following five ways:

1. The curriculum is now increasingly focused on the practical side of doing things and helping students experience the profession first-hand by the way of internships and apprenticeships rather than just focusing on the traditional theoretical approach.

2. Several smart teaching plans have been incorporated, wherein students can connect to professors, professionals and subject matter experts from all over the world to obtain their expertise and clarify doubts.

3. The focus has been shared with academic skills to know, learn and apply the law; to helping students gain more objective skills that prepare them from the real world. This includes participation in group discussions, witnessing real-life cases, legal research for profession or jobs, etc.

4. Many law schools are associated with law firms, which work well for all the parties involved from schools to forms as well as students. Such relationships have opened up a way to share dialogue, get live cases, real life problem solving, affective skills such as client communication and greater discussions by the way of external teachings and getting practical experience while students learn.

5. The schools are now more open to using digital tools to help students obtain the exact reference or study material while also improving the feedback, instructional and performance review methods. Structured skills curricula include soft skills, business skills, generic and specialised law practice skills with the range of drafting, argumentation and legal research, IT skills, ethical skills among more than 100 skills.

Law schools need to realise that this transformation is not a mere result of industry pressure. It is, in fact, a way to reform the education system, add value to the curriculum and create more competent and adept professionals where the learner is in control of learning while the institute and teachers act only as facilitators along with industry mentors.

(The author is Director, Symbiosis Law School, Pune)