On April 15 and 16, Elon Law professor Faith Rivers James participated in Santa Clara University School of Law's Leadership Initiative Roundtable. Scholars, law school administrators, professional development experts, and practicing lawyers gathered at the conference to share their views on educating law students and lawyers for leadership roles.
Rivers James presented an overview of Elon Law’s Leadership Program at the conference, noting that since Elon Law’s inception, leadership and professionalism have been at the center of its mission and purpose. Students at Elon Law are able to master the fundamentals of the law through a rigorous core curriculum, while developing legal skills and knowledge of the business and ethical dimensions of law practice through the school’s Leadership Program and Preceptor Program.
Rivers James teaches Elon Law’s second-year course Public Law and Leadership. Law students work collaboratively in the course to address legal problems for nonprofit organizations and government agencies in the central North Carolina region. Under the supervision of law professors, students work in model law firms, employing client interviewing techniques, legal research methods, and written and oral communication skills to develop memoranda and presentations for their clients. In-class discussions explore the interpersonal aspects of team leadership. Executive coaches assist students in assessing their individual leadership styles and establishing goals for interpersonal development. Students emerge from the class with a view of the skills expected of lawyers in the profession and in public leadership roles.
Professors from the University of Maryland School of Law and Santa Clara Law also presented at the conference through a panel entitled Law School Leadership Education Initiatives. During the panel, presenters identified and discussed leadership education initiatives at their particular law schools. They also described how law schools are contributing to knowledge about leadership in the legal profession. Speakers also linked initiatives at their schools to imparting and developing leadership competencies in law students.
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