Saturday, 1:30 – 3:00 pm
STEADY WORK: EXPLORING VALUES IN AN EXTERNSHIP SEMINAR, LB 237
Fred Klein, Hofstra Law School
Inga N. Laurent, Gonzaga University School of Law
Phyllis Kotey, Florida International University College of Law
Linda Smith, University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law
Leah Wortham, Columbus School of Law, The Catholic University of America
Externships provide the ideal opportunity for to explore values. On the macro level, faculty and students can explore the institutional values that affect the community (from courts to DA offices to legal aid offices to welfare offices). On the micro level, externship faculty and students can explore personal and ethical values. We will argue that the courses that accompany externships should engage in this critical exploration and critique of the institutions and the values the students encounter in the field. Individual presenters will describe the ways in which they have tried to do this by encouraging students to critique office culture, act consistent with intrinsic values, cultivate professional identity through reflection on ethical dilemmas, and audit their placement’s structures, accountability, efficacy, and level of satisfaction.