New class in leadership aims to broaden law students’ prospects

An innovative class in leadership that strives to teach law students at the University of Alberta about one of their important potential roles in society has received warm reviews after its first iteration.

Lawyers and Leadership, offered to upper-year law students for the first time in Fall 2020 by Paul Paton, the former dean of the University of Alberta Faculty, focused on lawyers in leadership positions, examining their key decision-making, communications and planning.

In addition to having students study leadership theory and ethical rules governing lawyers in leadership roles, Paton aimed to have aspiring lawyers who may one day also be leaders focus on self-reflection and growth as they assessed leadership styles, approaches and competencies.

A major research paper and presentation required students to discuss and study their own prior leadership experiences and think about how they can improve their skills in the context of topics that ranged from analysis of the collapse of Canadian law firm Heenan Blaikie, to leadership failures in the Volkswagen "dieselgate" episode, to whistleblowing by government lawyers. Others presented profiles of former Supreme Court of Canada Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin, former First Lady Michelle Obama, and an assessment of Kim Kardashian-West and the power of celebrity leadership in justice reform.

Guest lecturers who are leaders in their legal spheres also directed students to concentrate on traits that successful leaders embody, which led to discussions about different leadership practices and theories, as well as about the challenges of diversity and gender in leadership roles. Former Law Society of Alberta president (now Justice) Robert Armstrong, Bennett Jones senior advisor and Bank of Canada lead director Claire Kennedy and Lt Cdr Kat Aubrey-Horvath, Deputy Judge Advocate Kingston, Canadian Armed Forces, were among the visitors.

Student feedback

Second-year law student Case Littlewood took the course because he believes strong leadership is going to play a critical role in our future, and recognizes the importance of knowing how to evaluate leadership.

“The course showed me the importance of the little things for effective leadership,” he said. “Really excellent leaders are able to master these details, increasing both their effectiveness and the effectiveness of their organization.”

Said Pat Hart, an LLM student who also took the course, “There's an adage that I heard from a senior lawyer once — ‘Law school teaches you how to think like a lawyer, but it doesn't teach you how to be a lawyer.’ (This is) a course that offers insights about how to be a lawyer, and how to be a leader.”

Noting that the COVID-19 pandemic exposed which leadership styles were more effective than others, and how leadership skills can measurably impact and alter the spread of disease, Paton said, “I can think of no better time to study leadership than during a pandemic.”

How it started

The idea for the course originated four years ago when Paton was invited to an American Association of Law Schools inaugural Section on Leadership breakfast meeting to discuss how law schools might prepare lawyers and law students to serve in leadership roles. Paton and former Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell envisioned a potential collaboration between the Faculty of Law and the Peter Lougheed Leadership College class at the U of A, with students from PLLC and across disciplines engaging a multidisciplinary look at leadership skills development and the place of law and lawyers as leaders and advisors.

While that concept was prepared and ready to launch, other forces intervened and Paton reconceived it as a Faculty of Law enterprise during his sabbatical in the United States following the completion of his term as dean in June 2019.

Paton developed the course for law students because he saw a gap in the curriculum.

“Business schools have been teaching leadership for a while; law is late,” he said.

Diversity

In addition to studying diversity, the diverse makeup of the Fall 2020 cohort with a large percentage of women and students of colour, and many first-generation law students underscored to Paton the value of leadership courses in professions that have been historically exclusionary toward those groups.

Without a privileged position in the legal profession and in society overall, many in these groups seek additional resources and references to ensure there is no knowledge gap when stepping into the next stage of their careers.

“Law schools can and should play a key role in preparing all students to lead. First-generation, female, BIPOC and LGBTQ+ students especially want more training and embrace it,” said Paton. “Leadership skills development prepares students not only for leadership positions, but to be better lawyers, whatever direction their careers take them.”