Better Together: Building Community in the LRW Classroom

Better Together: Building Community in the LRW Classroom emphasizes the importance of building a strong community within the Legal Research and Writing (“LRW”) classroom. A robust LRW community helps mitigate the stress associated with the course and equips students to manage the rigorous demands of law school. Given the challenges facing today’s law students and the unique challenges that characterize LRW, developing community in the LRW classroom should be a primary focus of effective law school training. This Article highlights the work of Thomas Hawk and Paul Lyons, who have studied the concept of “pedagogical caring” in higher education.

The Article also provides concrete steps LRW professors can take to build community in class, including the implementation of curricular components, active teaching methods, and activities beyond the classroom. The positive impacts of a strong LRW classroom community are achievable through small changes and will help students develop resilience and training for years to come. Applying the principles of “pedagogical caring” to the LRW Classroom makes students more receptive to constructive feedback, better prepares them for law practice, and leverages the social nature of the human brain. Most importantly, building community is central to student success.