We Have a Dream: Integrating Skills Courses and Public Interest Work in the First Year of Law School (and Beyond)

Abstract

The clinical and legal writing faculty at the Seattle University School of Law are experimenting with collaborative teaching projects that bring real clients and real legal problems into the first year curriculum. These “integrated skills projects” engage first year students with legal writing faculty, clinical faculty, and public interest work. These projects provide first year students with exceptional training in practical skills, generate remarkable student satisfaction, and re-ignite student passion for the practice of law. This essay (1) introduces a “continuum” of integrated legal skills projects, featuring applied examples of activities that range from discrete to more ambitious; (2) surveys the benefits that we have seen at Seattle University School of Law from the various collaborative projects we have engaged in; and (3) offers some practical tips for getting started with collaborative projects