Legal Realism Revolutionizes Legal Education Towards Social Justice Goals
The article discusses how legal education can benefit from a focus on real-world legal practices rather than just studying cases. It explores the idea of "law in action" versus "law in books" and how clinical legal education can bridge this gap. The researchers argue that traditional legal education's emphasis on appellate cases and a disconnect between studying law behavior and practicing law have hindered the adoption of clinical lawyer-schools. They suggest that a new approach called "New Legal Realism" can help by examining law from the perspective of marginalized groups, questioning traditional research methods, and engaging with the real world. This shift aligns with the social justice goals and reflective practices of clinical legal education.