Reflections on Legal Education in the Aftermath of a Pandemic

Abstract

This essay considers two significant changes to legal education in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. First, on-line programs will expand, based on the largely successful experiment in delivering legal education on-line during the pandemic. But this expansion must be thoughtful and deliberate. The legal education curriculum could include more on-line courses, but only if the learning outcomes and the pedagogy are aligned with on-line education. Experiential courses may not be the best fit for on-line given the specific learning outcomes and the benefits of in-person instruction in those courses. Second, student well-being will receive more attention in legal education. Our experience with the pandemic reinforced the critical importance of well-being, not only for our students, but also for our profession. Student well-being should be integrated into the legal education curriculum.

Keywords: clinical, on-line, well-being, COVID, pandemic, legal, ABA standard 303