Categories: Law Practice Skills

Instructor(s)

Klingele, Cecelia

Course Data

Room 3247
T 4:35pm-5:50pm

Pass/Fail: Yes

Course Description

This new service learning course will teach law students how to effectively translate complex legal information for lay audiences. It will engage students who have an interest in community legal affairs, by connecting them to identified groups within the community that have a need and desire for basic education on specific legal topics. By asking students to connect with community groups and develop a simple presentation or series of presentations responsive to the identified area of educational need, the course will help law students develop a deeper personal understanding of community-relevant legal topics, and the learn to more effectively communicate with non-expert audiences.

Students will meet with the instructional team face-to-face for 75 minutes, about once per week on campus. Key lessons will be active listening, identifying legal topics relevant to needs expressed in non-legal language, presenting complex legal ideas in a clear and age-appropriate manner, measuring the effectiveness of a presentation, and incorporating feedback from community members. Students will be expected to consult with community partners, develop a presentation responsive to their needs, and give a presentation on at least two different occasions throughout the semester. Students may present in groups or alone, and may offer several separate presentations, or participate in a series of presentations (such as through the Street Law program).

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