Integrating Spiritual Perspectives with the Law School Experience: An Essay and an Invitation

This Essay will reflect on the ways in which the traditional life of law schools may be colored by a new emphasis on spirituality. 10 This Essay will not delve into an extensive theological thesis about the definition of spirituality or the practical and philosophical nuances of the spiritual life. Rather, the pages that follow are an invitation to begin a discussion of spirituality within the life of American law schools. This Essay begins with a discussion of spirituality in professional life generally.

It will become apparent very quickly that there are difficulties in defining what spirituality is and in understanding its most appropriate role in professional life; yet, it should also be readily apparent that the desire for renewed spirituality is rapidly gaining attention across a wide and diverse range of professional fields. It is against this backdrop that the Essay will then move to a more particularized discussion of spirituality in the context of law practice and legal education. Specifically, it will draw attention to some of the complexities of the legal profession that may make it particularly difficult to incorporate spiritual perspectives in this arena. Law schools-like the legal profession generally-face particular problems when they attempt to integrate spirituality in law school life.