Name: Penny L. Willrich
Title: Director of Lawyering Process
School: Phoenix International School of Law
Mailing Address:
15011 N. 75th Street
Scottsdale, Arizona 85260
Phone: 480-682-3409
Email: pwillrich@phoenixlaw.org
Home Page: http://www.phoenixlaw.org/
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Summary Description:
Elements of professionalism are incorporated in the first year curriculum of PhoenixLaw by every professor and specifically in the Lawyering Process Program (LP). Each student is informed of the expectations regarding professionalism and ethics through the LP Course Materials Guide. In each class, points can be attributed or deducted from the final grade accordingly for lack of professionalism or unethical behavior.
In the Fall of 2005, a Professionalism Seminar, hosted by PhoenixLaw and taught by Attorney Lynda Sheely, former Director of the State Bar of Arizona’s Professionalism Committee and Maria Baher, Director of the State Bar of Arizona Member Assistance Program. This seminar was mandatory for all students, held on a Saturday and was for a period of approximately three hours. The aim of the seminar was to provide the students with a “live”dose of the reality of practice, ways to increase efficiency in practice, reducing bar complaints, identifiable malpractice risk, managing and maintaining a law office, and assist attorneys in dealing with issues that affect professional performance.
The philosophy and mission of PhoenixLaw is to graduate practice ready lawyers. At every opportunity we are infusing practice ready concepts in the presentations in class or assignments distributed. We have recognized the challenges and obstacles that are faced by lawyers entering the practice in the 21st century. We want them to be prepared to meet the rigors of practice in a balanced way. We want them to adhere to the highest standards of integrity. Practice readiness means honesty and taking responsibility.
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Program History:
PhoenixLaw is the third law school to be established in Arizona. It is the first law school in the state to offer a part-time evening program, part-time day program and a part-time evening program. It is also the first law firm in the state to offer a practice-ready curriculum. Our goal is to have graduates have the equivalent of 12-18 months of practice experience upon graduation. We recognize that students’ understanding of professionalism as they commence their legal studies is limited. Therefore, it is important for us to incorporate by discussions and problems involving professionalism and ethics.
PhoenixLaw surveyed Arizona bar members in 2005 to determine what the most important values needed to be successful. Professionalism was ranked very high by the bar of Arizona. In the skills area, legal research and writing were among the highest skills sets identified. We have taken the values and skills identified by the bar and incorporated them into best practice objectives for our classes.
Classes are structured to provide opportunities for discussion. Sample discussions include:
Communication skills within and without the law firm.
Communication with clients through mock interviews, with feedback from the volunteer client.
Communication with those who do not speak English.
Client confidentiality.
Role plays that involve principles of advocacy and professionalism.
Hypotheticals that challenge competency.
Reading and briefing cases that concern writing and research skills.
A continual process of self-assessment through student conferences, surveys and self-assessment questionnaires.
A Date and Time Stamp requirement for all assignments that are submitted.
Firm meetings that allow the students to make presentations from client interviews.
Collaboration through teamwork.
Oral and written critique of written work that provide positive statments of support and also constructive feedback on use of non-sexist language, validity of research citations, completeness of research, and presentation of the written document.
Each student is required to take two diagnostic assessments. These assessments are used as tools to the writing skills of each student and where improvement is needed. Students are treated as colleagues in the law from the very first class. Faculty members take every opportunity to provide “teaching moments”as it the subject matter of professionalism arises during the course of a class period.
During the course of the semester students were asked to observe in the Maricopa County Superior Court and evaluate the performance of the attorneys. This allowed the students to gain insight on actual courtroom practice. Several students also attended the Thurgood Marshall Inn of Court to view the debate between James Hamm (a convicted murder, law graduated, and who had passed the bar but was denied admission) and the State Bar representative from the Commission on Character and Fitness.
Students in LPII - The Art of Oral Advocacy were provided with the opportunity to discuss appellate practice when an appellate attorney from the United States Attorney’s office who regularly appeared in federal court.
In the LPI - Prediction and Analysis, the students were synthesis and analysis by having the opportunity to interview volunteer clients. In addition they were required to serve as prosecutors and defense attorneys. Many of the students acknowledged the difficulty of switching between roles.
Each day students are given five minutes at the beginning of class to “Share Your Baggage.” This is an opportunity to get things off their chest, whether it is a complaint about a substantive issues related to the course or something as mundane as hating the traffic congestion. This period of sharing was a way of assisting the students to remove the baggage that they brought in the door with them so that they could focus on the subject matter of the class period.
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Expanded Program Description (Optional):
The Lawyering Process Program of PhoenixLaw is quickly developing into the starship for training lawyers in the elements of analysis, research and professionalism. The program and the law school in general have the support of the local bar and bench. In the LPII program, the students were required to draft a brief to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and prepare a 15 minute oral argument. The students appeared before actual sitting state trial court judges, court commissioners, municipal judges and private attorneys.
The standards and expectations are very high. We continue to develop innovative ways of teaching professionalism. We have just developed the “Principles of Advocacy”workshops which will be a series of lectures and discussions with private attorneys on a variety of subjects dealing with practice ready concepts. Professionalism is a key ingredient to principles of advocacy.
Our current school enrollment is 104 students. Approximately 60 students will be enrolled in LPI or LPII in the Spring Semester.
We have not graduated any students as yet. PhoenixLaw has completed its first full year of operation.
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Supporting Materials:
Lawyering Process Program Overview (pdf)
Lawyering Process Program FAQ (pdf)
Lawyering Process Course Materials Guide (pdf)
Sample Lawyering Process Syllabi and assignment schedule
--LPI (pdf)
--LPII (pdf)