Inside Law School: Two Dialogues About Legal Education

Alexander D. Gregor is director of the Centre for Higher Education
Research and Development at the University of Manitoba and co-editor of
Postsecondary Education in Canada: The Cultural Agenda.

Lyon, a veteran law professor, has organized this study of legal
education as an intertwined pair of conversations—one between two
longstanding professorial colleagues who teach first-year classes in
criminal law, and the other between two first-year law students.

What emerges is a useful comparison of two fundamentally different
perspectives on the nature and purpose of professional education. On the
one side is a career-preparation orientation that emphasizes the content
and skills of the trade and is based primarily on logic and reason; on
the other side is an approach that depends more on intuition and values
and is concerned with the profession’s role in the larger society, as
well as its responsibilities with respect to Canadian and global social
issues.

As the discussion progresses, we gain insight into the workings of law
school and the personal experiences of its students. Lyon’s book will
appeal to those interested in legal education, the role of law in
society, and the broader issue of professional education in contemporary
society.