1st Edition
Transforming Legal Education Learning and Teaching the Law in the Early Twenty-first Century
Paul Maharg presents a critical inquiry into the identity and possibilities of legal education, and an exploration of transformational alternatives to our current theories and practices of teaching and learning the law. His work takes the view that bodies of interdisciplinary theory and knowledge of the history of legal education are important to all stages of legal education. He also argues that new learning designs - such as transactional learning - need to be developed to help students, educators and lawyers deal with the transitions and challenges facing them now and in the foreseeable future. Throughout, discussions of theory are spliced with case studies of academic and professional legal learning, particularly in the field of technology-enhanced learning. The content of the book will be updated in a community of practice wiki at http://www.transforming.org.uk, which will also allow readers to comment and expand on the book's final chapter.
Biography
Paul Maharg is Professor of Law at the Australian National University, and Professor of Law at Nottingham Law School. He has published extensively in the areas of legal education and legal critique. He has worked with regulators, law firms and law schools in England, Scotland, Canada, USA, Hong Kong and Australia.
'Transforming Legal Education makes a compelling, and controversial, claim for the potential of ICT to democratise legal education. It should be read by anyone who believes the future of law teaching will be little different from its past.' Julian Webb, Warwick Law School and UK Centre for Legal Education 'Transforming Legal Education confirms Paul Maharg's position as a leading world authority on the future of legal education. His book is a remarkable blend of high scholarship and practical insight. It should contribute profoundly to the development of e-learning in the law.' Richard Susskind OBE, author, The Future of Law and Transforming the Law. 'This is an outstanding book, a must-read for anyone with a professional and intellectual interest in legal education. Paul Maharg has brought together insights from social, educational, legal educational and information technology histories, theories and his own mould-breaking technological innovations to produce a powerful argument for transactional learning in the transformation of legal education.' Abdul Paliwala, University of Warwick, UK 'In this enlightening and novel take on where legal education needs to go, Paul Maharg has brought together past experience and present knowledge with an eye to the fast-developing future. What makes this possible - and coherent, even inspiring - is the imaginative deployment of a synthetic conception of education. Transforming Legal Education draws upon the insights of John Dewey, but in ways that animate engagement with the latest simulation technologies, all the while holding in view the many-faceted demands of professional preparation.' William Sullivan, The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching 'This book is important for anyone who claims an interest in improving the possibilities of their students' learning.' Journal of Law and Society 'Far from being a simple text or a practical "how to" guide, the book is a thoughtful, energetic and vitally importa
