http://bestpracticeslegaled.albanylawblogs.org/2009/05/07/the-role-of-critical-theory-scholarship-in-best-practices/ A Vision and a Road Map Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:22:48 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ http://bestpracticeslegaled.albanylawblogs.org/2009/05/07/the-role-of-critical-theory-scholarship-in-best-practices/#comment-6354 Thu, 12 May 2011 11:20:00 +0000 http://bestpracticeslegaled.albanylawblogs.org/?p=869#comment-6354 Great points about language use Mary! And,Carolyn, this course is a great illustration of what is described in critical race literature as “praxis”! What an exciting opportunity for your students! Clinics with a social justice focus provide a myriad of opportunities to be critical and to consider the theoretical framework for our client’s experiences. My colleagues Barbara Creel and Christine Zuni Cruz do a masterful job of this in the Southwest Indian Law Clinic!

]]> http://bestpracticeslegaled.albanylawblogs.org/2009/05/07/the-role-of-critical-theory-scholarship-in-best-practices/#comment-1314 Mon, 11 May 2009 12:50:40 +0000 http://bestpracticeslegaled.albanylawblogs.org/?p=869#comment-1314 Peter Knapp and I have created a course at William Mitchell called “The Practice of Theory: a critical theory course for clinic students.” It is a seminar open to students who are currently in a client representation clinic, or have taken such a clinic previously. The course is designed around four theory units — Critical Lawyering Theory, Narrative Theory, Feminist Legal Theory, and Critical Race Theory — each of which is paired with a practice unit — interviewing, case theory, counseling and persuasion. So we spend one week on, say, Critical Lawyering Theory (a reading or two), and then the following week applying that theory to a hypothetical client situation involving, say, interviewing.
We just taught the course for the first time this past semester, and found it fun and exciting and challenging beyond our wildest dreams. The theory-practice spiral is a fascinating and rich tool to enhance students’ understanding of their power and role as lawyers, and therefore fits beautifully within the best practices framework.

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