 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Humanities
- ISSN: 2155-7993
- Journal of Modern Education Review
The Preparation of Legal Professionals to Provide Voice and Power to Vulnerable Populations in Society
Paula E. McBride
(University of Georgia, USA)
Abstract: The foundation of public interest law is social action in which legal professionals work in service to society (Davis, 2007). The primary purpose of the study was to identify and describe characteristics of preparedness needed to educate law students for the practice of social action. While this qualitative multicase study addressed the concept of preparedness for public interest lawyers, one emerging theme was public interest lawyers dedicated to working for social justice at the individual and systemic level. The overall study was framed by the theories of learning from experience, social action, and reflection in action. The study was conducted with seven public interest lawyers working full-time for a non-profit public interest organization in the United States. Data from interviews, observations, and documents were analyzed using the constant comparative method. In this paper, a brief description is provided for the three highlighted cases. This paper presents the concept of actively educating legal professionals to work for the public interest through a dedication to policy reform; addressing inequities within the law, and community education and outreach.
Key words: legal education, public interest law, legal profession, learning for social action, social justice, multicase study, professional education
