school in the first place . “ Like many , I went to law school with hopes and aspirations of eventually being able to help other people in some way . Social Justice Lawyering appealed to me because it provided me with the opportunity to begin helping others and making a difference in the community while still in law school . I am humbled and honored to be a part of the first ever Social Justice Lawyering class , especially in a time where inclusion , acceptance , and empathy are needed most in our society ,” she said .
Carlin ’ s acknowledgement that “ inclusion , acceptance , and empathy ” are now direly needed in our communities , hearkened to the political , societal , and democratic turmoil occurring in the United States , where the absence of all three behaviors is readily apparent . It also puts into stark relief the importance of offering a course like Social Justice Lawyering at the law school . Make no mistake about it , our future lawyers - and in many cases , they are our future leaders in government , the private sector , and non-governmental organizations - are looking for ways to put their valuable legal skills and minds to work to foster a society or community that is democratic and participatory , respectful of human diversity and group differences , and in which the distribution of resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable , and all members are physically and psychologically safe and secure , recognized , and treated with respect . Our law students ’ desire for this type of coursework and practical experience aligns not only with the ideals of social justice , but with the spirit of Rule 6.1 .
The drafters of the ABA Model Rules of Professional Responsibility and North Dakota ’ s Professional Rules of Conduct clearly understood how important it is that all lawyers , whether practicing probate or civil rights law , take an active role in ensuring underrepresented and marginalized individuals and communities are supported by the legal profession . One of the goals many of my colleagues and I have when preparing law students to enter law practice and become members of our state bar , is to provide students with the lawyering skills necessary to competently and ethically represent clients . As legal educators , we often refer to this teaching goal as preparing students to be practice-ready professionals . Practice-ready can mean many things to many legal educators and practicing attorneys , but to me , in part , it means preparing law students to use their skills to question the status quo and affect change in the legal system and our institutions to more fairly and equitably administer justice . The Rules of Professional Conduct support this idea . In Social Justice Lawyering , students not only have the opportunity to become practice-ready professionals by gaining critical intensive legal writing skills and practical experience , but they also gain the values of our profession instilled in Rule 6.1 . Once graduated , students carry these skills and values with them to the benefit of their future employers and communities .
During the first Social Justice Lawyering class session , to introduce the concept of social justice lawyering , I asked the students what they thought Dr . Martin Luther King Jr . meant when he now famously said , “ The arc of the moral universe is long , but it bends toward justice .”
There was a pregnant pause while students thought about their answers . And then , they astutely surmised that the arc of the moral universe cannot bend toward justice if people , including lawyers ,
do not actively pursue the ideals of equal justice for all . As UND ’ s President Armacost recently noted in a message sent to the UND community , it was also Dr . King who said , “ The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically . Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education .”
And so too , is it one of the goals of a legal education . I am continually impressed by our law students ’ ability to answer Rule 6.1 ’ s call to action , whether through participating in law student organizations ’ public interest service efforts or seeking out courses to hone their legal skills into finely crafted instruments for change . With a year like no other behind us , and a new year full of challenges in front of us , the students in my Social Justice Lawyering course give me hope that legal professionals of the future will join hands with people in their communities to form alliances that will one day bring about Dr . King ’ s vision of the arc of the moral universe more fully bent toward equal justice for all .
Jennifer J . Cook is an assistant professor of law at the
UND School of Law . She teaches legal research , writing , and advocacy in the first-year law course Lawyering Skills and upperlevel law courses in Privacy Law and Social Justice Lawyering . The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely the author ’ s own and do not reflect the views or opinions of the UND School of Law .
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