Uses of Values in Legal Education

Values are a vital source of meaning in human life. They both constrain and enable behavior. They may be unconsciously inherited or consciously reflected upon. The challenge is to take the greatest advantage of value-informed teaching and learning in the context of a pluralist education and society. The values that legal education imparts or generates can impact the character of legal professionals. The work of jurists impacts the quality of public discourse. Legal education has been under severe threat after a period of tremendous growth across the common law world. Legal markets are unstable. Information technology drives the specialization of labor to new levels. The rising costs for students and falling returns to the human capital generated by legal education make the prospect of a legal education less enticing. Enhanced engagement with values offers the best hope for a positive and coherent response to these pressures by legal educators. This book discusses the necessary application of values in legal education. The incorporation of values into legal teaching - and a reflection upon values as an integral part of the student learning experience - can facilitate the formation of robust and effective individual student identities. When this leads to an alignment of student values with life plans, it can generate a sense of whole-heartedness in activity that enriches life. Students with clear and considered ethical ideas can become effective ethical agents beyond the educational setting.