Category: Uncategorized

  • Experiential learning & simulated clients

      Just finished reading a fine report on experiential learning, with simulated clients at the core of the analysis.  The report is published by the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System (IAALS), as part of its legal education initiative, Educating Tomorrow’s Lawyers, and is entitled Ahead of the Curve: Turning Law Students…

  • Title & abstract of Wellness talk

    A couple of people have asked for title and abstract of my piece (not available via Forum website, maybe later – so busy commenting on others I forgot to post mine).  Anyway here it is below.  It will form one of two chapters on Eynsham County Primary School, in a book that I’m writing on…

  • Wellness in Law Forum: Final thoughts

    I arrived in Australia a day before the Forum began, with a cold + jetlag, so apologies for more typos, inexplicables, etc than usual.  In the wrap-up Stephen Tang thanked the committee and others; and we thanked Stephen and his colleagues — great job!  Looking ahead, it was announced that the College of Law, Sydney…

  • Wellness in Law Forum, day 2: session 6b: Starting Well – The first year experience

    Final parallel session of the Forum.  First up, Joanne Stagg-Taylor, Griffith U., on ‘Starting the conversation: embedding approaches to hope and wellness in the first year experience’.  She summarised the stressors for anxiety and depression in first year students, eg competition with other students, doing poorly on a course, family care for 5+ hours a…

  • Wellness in Law Forum, day 2: plenary 2 & panel discussion

    This plenary by Laura Helm, Law Institute of Victoria (Human Rights & Admin Law) – ‘Changing minds: towards a mindful profession’.  She’s talking on research on the causes of depression and anxiety in lawyers; the framework for response — prevention and cultural change; LIV strategies, and the way forward.  She cited the stats from Courting…

  • Parallel session 4b: Emotion, empathy and relationships

    I’m chairing so comments will be shorter.  First up, Jenny Richards, Flinders U., on ‘ Developing a sociolegal theory of criminal lawyering: increasing wellbeing through holistic engagement with clients’.  She focused on both her work as a lecturer at Flinders, and as a lawyer at the Criminal Bar.  Managing client emotions were a key need…

  • National Wellness for Law Forum, 5-6 February, day 2 keynote

    Day 2 of this Forum.  After opening remarks by Stephen Bottomley, Dean of ANU College of Law, keynote is by the Hon Justice Shane Marshall, Federal Court of Australia, Ambassador, Wellness and the Law Foundation.

  • Parallel session 1B – International Perspectives on Wellness for Law

    First up, Liz Lee from ANU College of Law and Rachel Spearing, from the Bar Wellness project and member of staff at Portsmouth, on Wellness in UK legal education and practice: voices of first year law students to members of the Bar.  Liz conducted about 30 interviews on the subject when she recently spent study…

  • National Wellness for Law Forum, 5-6 February, Keynote

    Liveblogging the fourth Forum, in the China in the World Centre at ANU, having arrived here a couple of days ago from -4 conditions in Glasgow, and with a lurgy, so doubly fuzzy.  All three readers of this blog, you need to bear with me.  Twitter handle: #wellnessforlaw. Eloquent Acknowledgement of Country and introduction by…

  • Conference final thoughts

    The sessions were pretty short — 15 mins, no questions.  Julian mentioned he was bursting to ask questions, make comments, and that was my experience too.  But interestingly, the constant roll of presentations allowed us to see the comparisons and contrasts, the common points between the presentations.  There were some stand out approaches to assessment,…

  • 50 years of assessment in legal education – liveblog, pm

    Post-lunch now, and Penny English, Anglia Ruskin U first up, on ‘Using posters as a means of summative assessment’.  She defined it from Handron 1994 as ‘an experiential learning activity that stimulates curiosity and interest, encourages exploration and integration of concepts and provides students with a novel way of demonstrating understanding.’  As she pointed out,…

  • 50 years of assessment in legal education

    This is a conference hosted by the Association of Law Teachers at the Institute for Advanced Legal Studies, today, and part of their 50th anniversary celebrations (there’s a 50 Years of Legal Education conference later in the year), which are looking back as well as looking forward to the future(s) of legal education.  Maybe it’s…