Clinical Legal Education at a Generational Crossroads: Shades of Gray

Abstract

Many law professors have noticed a change in the law students and professors entering the profession. This change is often attributed to a generational shift. Law professors have debated how generational differences impact clinical pedagogy and interactions with their colleagues. This essay is a dialogue with my Gen-X and Baby Boomer colleagues on how the generational shift impacts clinical legal education. Through examining my path to clinical legal education as a Millennial on the cusp of Gen-X, I explore fundamental questions that have pervaded clinical education since its inception. These questions include whether the public service mission, on which clinical legal education is based, is outdated given the desires of Millennial law students, whether servicing indigent clients is essential to clinical legal education, and whether the Millennial law student seeks experience and skills over the social justice mission. Through this examination, I conclude that the reasons why Millennial students seek clinical experiences can not be generically summarized. Given the diverse characteristics of the Millennials, in order to develop a holistic, practice-ready attorney, my mission is to equip my students with the necessary skills to succeed as lawyers with a passion for their practice while maintaining an awareness of the social, political, and economic spheres in which they practice.