Holloran Center for Ethical Leadership in the Professions

Generative AI has the potential to transform the legal profession. It is already used to perform routine legal tasks, and may be “used to gain even more efficiencies” in the near future. In the face of this major change, legal educators have the dilemma of ensuring students "learn the skills to question and critique the products of AI while maintaining a commitment to the values of responsibility, service, and integrity.” In the most recent Holloran Center blog post, Barbara Glesner Fines discusses the challenges facing legal education as we prepare students for a world where they will use AI tools. In the face of this change, “intentional opportunities for professional identity formation” during law school are critical. Read the full post here: https://lnkd.in/gMKmRZWZ #ustlawmn, #legalethics, #lawschool, #lawstudents, #legal, #legalfield, #baradmission, #professionalism, #professionalidentity, #genai, #aiandlaw     

The George Washington University Law School’s award-winning Inns of Court and Foundations of Practice programs present an innovative way to integrate professional development and identity formation into the law school experience. Todd Peterson, professor at GW Law, notes that “[their] students show a surprisingly strong connection to their Inn’s namesake and their Inn identity” and, despite these two programs making up the voluntary half of their PIF curriculum, over half of their 1Ls participate. In our newest blog post, Peterson provides context and history around this program, and shares a number of documents which detail the structure and goals of the Inns of Court program. We hope this inspires you to think outside the box about how professional development and PIF programs can be integrated into the culture of your law school! Read the full post here: https://lnkd.in/gZF57ZHK #ustlawmn, #legalethics, #lawschool, #lawstudents, #legal, #legalfield, #baradmission, #professionalism, #professionalidentity,  #innsofcourt, #gwlaw

Have you ever thought that the definition of “professional identity formation” in Standard 303(b)(3) is a little vague? Have you wondered if PIF skills are “hard” or “soft” skills? When facing questions from colleagues, have you struggled to clear up misconceptions around what PIF is and what it isn’t? Marni Goldstein Caputo and Kathy Luz, both of Boston University School of Law, provide clear answers to these questions. According to Caputo and Luz, professional identity formation: ➡ “is NOT an Amorphous Concept” - PIF involves the development of “hard and character-based skills”   ➡ CAN be incorporated into the 1L curriculum, especially in the Lawyering Skills setting   ➡ “[i]s not the same as professionalism or professional responsibility”  ➡ Is “meaty and meaningful” Their post on the Holloran Center blog dives into these concepts and more, offering a framework for understanding professional identity formation as a distinct and measurable process of character skills development for law students.  Read the full blog post here: https://lnkd.in/gAXj3Ei7    #ustlawmn, #legalethics, #lawschool, #lawstudents, #legal, #legalfield, #baradmission, #professionalism, #professionalidentity #standard303   

Creative exercises can “be an excellent tool for capturing snapshots of perspectives and as a catalyst for reflection and conversation about professional identity,” writes Barbara Glesner Fines. In our latest blog post, Glesner Fines presents an exercise she uses regularly in her Professional Responsibility course: asking students to draw their image of a professional. In the process, she explores how ideas about what it means to be a professional have changed over time and how to implement this exercise in your own courses.  Read the full post here: https://lnkd.in/g4qb87jc #ustlawmn, #legalethics, #lawschool, #lawstudents, #legal, #legalfield, #baradmission, #professionalism, #professionalidentity 

The pressures of the legal profession place significant demands on lawyers and future lawyers. Under the strain of high-stakes deadlines, maintaining proper nutrition often becomes a lower priority, leading to missed meals and insufficient eating. Stephanie Kupferman and Colette Schmidt are back with a second installment in their wellness series on this topic. Eating disorders often carry a heavy stigma, particularly in professions where maintaining a certain image of "fit, healthy, and well-dressed" is strongly emphasized. In this post, they shed light on this important issue, which remains a “silent struggle” for many students and colleagues. Through data and personal stories, they advocate for a more mindful approach to diet and eating culture. Read the post here: https://lnkd.in/gPjsGdn8 #ustlawmn, #legalethics, #lawschool, #lawstudents, #legal, #legalfield, #baradmission, #professionalism, #professionalidentity, #wellness, #wellbeing 

How do we integrate professional identity formation into doctrinal classes without taking away from the time needed to cover essential course materials? Associate Director of the Holloran Center David Grenardo gives an example from his Contracts course in our most recent blog post. “Having finally realized all I needed to do was add a short reflection to provide an intentional and meaningful PIF opportunity, I found the benefits of the exercise (both intended and unintended) to be staggering,” he shares. Read the full post here: https://lnkd.in/gaVQRfDm #ustlawmn, #legalethics, #lawschool, #lawstudents, #legal, #legalfield, #baradmission, #professionalism, #professionalidentity, #doctrinal 

Different identities are visible in different settings. How does “covering” an identity or keeping a trait invisible by “passing” affect professional formation? Rosa Castello of St. John's University School of Law writes about an exercise she created for her Law & Literature course to explore this concept after reading the book “Covering: The Hidden Assault on Our Civil Rights” by Kenji Yoshino.  “What I learned from my students enlightened me,” Castello writes. “We make assumptions sometimes as professors about who our students are and what they should be like to enter the profession. This exercise showed me more clearly who our students actually are and what they cover or think they must cover to be law students and lawyers. It was an intentional and thoughtful way to think about and explore with them why we cover parts of ourselves or feel we need to “pass” in the legal profession.” Read the full piece here: https://lnkd.in/gNR6kKZE #ustlawmn, #legalethics, #lawschool, #lawstudents, #legal, #legalfield, #baradmission, #professionalism, #professionalidentity, #stjohnslaw  

“With great fulfilment comes monumental responsibility”: In our latest Holloran Center blog post, Stephanie Kupferman and Colette Schmidt, both of Vermont Law and Graduate School, write about the unique professional challenges faced by lawyers and law students which make mental health awareness so vitally important in the field. We’re excited that this is the first of a series of posts on wellbeing by Stephanie and Colette, who aim to "provide you with advice and tips based on not only our experiences, but also science." Read the post on our blog – and then, step away from the computer for a walk and some fresh air! https://lnkd.in/gc_C2iPB #ustlawmn, #legalethics, #lawschool, #lawstudents, #legal, #legalfield, #wellbeing, #baradmission, #professionalism, #professionalidentity, #vermontlaw, #mentalhealth, #lawyers 

The way we treat one another is a vital part of our professional identities. We're proud of David Grenardo for making waves in the national conversation about civility rules!

We are grateful to everyone who joined us for our second summer Workshop on Professional Identity Formation this past weekend! It is a privilege to work with motivated legal education professionals in all types of roles on their journey towards both implementing PIF at their schools and growing in their own identity formation.  The sharing of ideas that took place this summer will hopefully generate inspiration and momentum to continue implementing professional identity formation in our institutions. The creation of community, however, is the most vital takeaway from our Workshops! As Workshop participants shared during our final evening together: You are not alone. There is power in collaboration, and we can rely on this community to provide energy and support.  A huge thank you to the 19 schools and 63 individuals who gave so much of their time and energy to our Workshops and to each other this summer. We can’t wait to see what this community can accomplish!