Faculty Diversity as a Clinical Legal Education Imperative

Clinical legal education has rapidly evolved from a novelty or boutique offering in law school curricula to a relatively settled and accepted component of the academy. Much has been written about the composition of law and university faculties, the value of faculty diversity in university and traditional law school educational settings, and proposals for reform. However, scant attention has been paid to the composition of the increasingly significant cadre of law professors engaging in clinical teaching and scholarship and the educational and social consequences of the demographic distribution of clinical faculty positions. In this article, Professor Dubin examines and analyzes the demographic data on clinical faculty representation, the major rationales for clinical faculty diversity, and the obstacles to attaining greater diversity.

He concludes with a series of recommendations for reform.