I have no doubt that many of you will find this syllabus of interest. Thanks to the course professor Dan Bowling for permission to post it here. Excerpt:
Course Title and Description: WELL-BEING AND THE PRACTICE OF LAW
Professor: Daniel S. Bowling, III. law.duke.edu/fac/bowling; [email protected]; [email protected]; twitter@BowlingDan
“The practice of law is not fully intelligible without reference to (the) great philosophical issues in ethics . . . (N)either is the practice of law fully intelligible without reference to the inner mind of each of us who engages in the practice of law.” - Geoffrey C. Hazard, Jr.
"Well-being and the Practice of Law," will examine why the “pursuit of happiness,” a phrase written by a lawyer, has proved futile for many members of the legal profession and those aspiring to its ranks.There is considerable data (that predates the current recession in the legal market) indicating that lawyers and law students suffer from greater rates of depression and anxiety than other professions, along with accompanying social maladies such as substance abuse and stress-related illness. There is also considerable evidence of high career dissatisfaction among lawyers, and many others are leaving the profession or performing well below their capability. This seems unfathomable given the high levels of education, affluence, and respect lawyers enjoy (or will enjoy), factors which predict happiness and job satisfaction in other areas of life. Importantly, research indicates these problems begin in law school; that something happens between graduation from college and the beginning of practice that negatively impacts life satisfaction at a rate far beyond other professional or graduate educational models.
The class also focuses on a very important, but under-explored, question: what is the impact of all
of this on legal professionalism? Are well-being and professionalism interrelated? Or, in layperson’s terms, is a happier lawyer a better, more ethical one? If so, why and what should legal institutions do about it?
The class will present the research to date on lawyers and psychological health. We will examine the scientific data and academic literature on lawyer maladies, and look for holes in the collective wisdom where it exists and why many lawyers are quite content. While acknowledging the very real problems of the profession, we will address the question many lawyers and law professors legitimately ask – so what: who said lawyers are supposed to be happy? Finally, we will review actions law schools, bar associations and law firms can take to improve the collective health of the profession, as well as the productivity and engagement of its individual practitioners.
In particular we will explore psychological traits and character strengths and the importance of aligning them with career choices in law practice and life. Accordingly, we will offer (free, voluntary, and non-intrusive) personality and strengths-oriented testing for members of the class through Professor Bowling’s affiliation with the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania. The measurements are the same that are the subject of ongoing longitudinal studies at two separate law schools, data from which will be shared with the class. One thing that will not be a central focus of this class will be “blowing up” the current economic and/or pedagogical model of legal education and practice. Although there are many good reasons to do so, one might argue, and we will certainly discuss these and other institutional issues during this class, our central focus will be on what individuals can do to find life satisfaction in the law and thrive in the legal profession as it exists today.
To summarize, here are the major themes you will study, discuss, and upon which your writing assignments will be based:
1). What is going on with lawyers? Why is happiness in the law so elusive for so many?
2). Is it possible for professionalism and the highest ethical behavior to flourish under these circumstances? If not, should legal institutions encourage well-being?
4). What are the roles role personality, emotions, and character strengths play in the lives of lawyers? Should firms and lawyers take personality into account in career choices, assignments, etc.?
5). What does scientific research into “happiness” have to offer us, and how can you apply it in your own life and career?
6). How can these issues be articulated in a persuasive manner to leaders of legal institutions? What actions would you encourage law schools and firms to take?
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