By Felicia Bennett, Holloran Center Coordinator
The Holloran Center has hosted dozens of workshops over the past 20 years, and each one serves as a community gathering, a touchpoint in the evolution of the Professional Identity Formation movement, and a source of ideas and inspiration for us at the Center and for our participants. The most recent workshop that took place on February 28 and March 1 was no different. We welcomed a small but mighty group of 29 legal education professionals. There was representation from the faculty to the dean level along with several program directors and representatives of the Law School Admissions Council, AALS, and the American Bar Association. As a participant noted, there is something “magic” about breaking down silos across geography and discipline to bring people together under the organizing principle of PIF.
Our workshop’s theme was “Current Issues in Professional Identity Formation.” As law schools around the country work to integrate PIF into their curricula to address ABA Standard 303(b), there are many positive developments and, conversely, new challenges to making changes in a change-averse profession. Co-Directors Jerry Organ and Neil Hamilton set the stage by talking about the importance of a coherent and whole-building approach to PIF and how to overcome pushback from both students and faculty. Discussions also explored incorporating the rule of law into students’ professional identities and fostering upper-level collaborations with career services, clinics, and externships.
Perhaps the most energizing portion of the Workshop was four speed-sharing sessions in which our participants presented on how they are engaging PIF at their own institutions. The themes covered included:
- Models for the integration of PIF
- Structuring a first-year PIF course
- Mentoring (lawyer/judge, faculty and peer)
- Specific exercises to engage students in PIF concepts
During these presentations, it was exciting and humbling to see that what began as an idea about how to educate lawyers better has transformed into an organizing principle for many legal educators. We look forward to seeing some of the ideas generated at this Workshop, from large projects such as the formation of a PIF nonprofit to small but impactful changes such as PIF outreach to specific academic communities, come to fruition in coming years.
We are grateful to everyone who joined us here in Minneapolis to further the movement and foster deep, supportive connections with one another. We are also thankful for the support of our own community, namely Dean Dan Kelly – who offered opening remarks – and Uyen Campbell, Director of Mentor Externship, who spoke to the group about the award-winning program she leads.
As one participant noted in our closing session, ‘This is more than a conference—it’s the sharing and sense of community that make it so worthwhile.’
If you have any questions or if you would like to stay informed about future Holloran Center Workshops, we encourage you to contact us. You can reach all members of the Center by emailing holloranctr@stthomas.edu, or you may contact Jerry Organ, the driving force behind our Workshops, at jmorgan@stthomas.edu.
