Focus on Pedagogy, Wellness, Professional Identity

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UW Law faculty contribute to the advancement of law through their scholarship, teaching and service.

By Jennifer Fan
Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development

In a few weeks, UW Law embarks on a new academic year. The beginning of the school year is always a time of excitement with new students and faculty joining our institution and the return of colleagues and upper division law school students.

While the pandemic brought great change and upheaval to our community, our faculty remained steadfast and dedicated to the advancement of law and support of our students. As an institution, we have demonstrated remarkable resilience. It is in this spirit that I wanted to share the pedagogical, wellness and professional identity advancements that UW Law faculty have undertaken.

Through e-books, casebooks, and articles in professional publications, our faculty have incorporated their scholarly endeavors to enrich the educational experiences of our students. Whether it is Prof. Zahr Said’s free casebook on tort law, Profs. Xuan-Thao Nguyen and Bob Gomulkiewicz’s casebook on licensing intellectual property, Prof. Toshiko Takenaka’s research handbook on patent law for the U.S., Europe and Japan, or Prof. Peter Nicolas’ casebook on evidence, our faculty continue to innovate in teaching, help to demystify the law, and make their books more accessible (and in some cases, free) to our students. Our faculty are also writing casebooks in new areas of law, such as Ryan Calo’s Robot Law II, which is forthcoming. In addition, our legal writing faculty have contributed extensively to the Write to Counsel column in NW Lawyer.

At UW Law, we not only value teaching, but also prioritize student wellness and the development of professional identity. We have far exceeded the ABA standards in these two areas. Even before the revisions to ABA Standard 508 that addresses student wellness, UW Law offered bold leadership in the arena of student mental health. It was one of the first law schools (and remains one of the few) to hire a dedicated mental health therapist.

Under the leadership of Associate Dean for Students Anna Endter, this new position was created in spring 2021 to provide students with free and confidential one-on-one therapy in partnership with the UW’s Counseling Center. Mental health has even been incorporated in our curriculum — this winter, Elizabeth Porter, Interim Toni Rembe Dean, and Dean Endter will co-teach a class on the topic called Reflective Lawyering.

In terms of the development of professional identity required under ABA Standard 303(b), UW Law offers a host of trainings beginning with orientation and a perspectives course offered in the first year of law school and culminating in clinical and externship opportunities. As an example, Introduction to Perspectives on the Law gives 1Ls the opportunity to understand the law through different lenses while tying what they learn to the first-year doctrinal curriculum.

I am inspired by the work of my colleagues in the areas of pedagogy, wellness and professional identity and look forward to sharing the many ways UW Law faculty contribute to the advancement of law through their scholarship, teaching and service.

I wish all of you a successful start to the school year!

Open Access casebooks

Traditional casebooks/teaching materials

Legal Writing & Education Articles/Presentations

Wellness

Jennifer S. Fan is associate dean for research and faculty development; faculty director of the Entrepreneurial Law Clinic; and faculty advisor for the Law, Business, and Entrepreneurship track. She also teaches business organizations. Fan is the 2019 recipient of the Philip A. Trautman Professor of the Year Award given by the student body.

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