Fundamentals of Lawyer Leadership, First Edition

Leadership is a mindset, not a title or position. In Fundamentals of Lawyer Leadership, we explore the aspects of leadership that law students can develop and improve during their time in law school. This textbook begins with the underpinnings of leadership, what it means, and how history guides our view of it. In Part One – Leadership of Self: Growing into Leadership, the leadership journey requires a look inward to examine who you are, what type of lawyer you want to be, and how you will lead. In Part Two – Leadership with Others: Effective Group Dynamics, the book covers topics such as building and nurturing relationships, developing emotional and cultural intelligence, establishing effective teams, and inspiring others. Finally, in Part Three – Leadership within Community: Service and Impact, the book examines the role of the lawyer in society and how you can use your skills to have influence even when you are not in charge. Contributing your energy to worthy causes about which you are passionate will bring purpose and satisfaction to your life. Just as developing legal skills is a life-long endeavor, growing as a leader is a process that evolves over a lifetime.

Highlights of this new coursebook:

• Thorough discussion of core leadership topics as they relate to lawyers.
• Learning objectives and journal prompts for each topic. We believe that journaling is the most effective way to integrate leadership topics into each student’s unique leadership style.
• Relevant and accessible applications. Each topic has at least one interactive exercise that can be used in class to compliment the concepts covered in the text.
• Professionalism and ethics woven throughout this book. Students see where many principles of leadership and professionalism are grounded in the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct.
• Real world scenarios. Many of the examples and lessons come from practicing lawyers, and these perspectives give students a glimpse into the practice of law and prepares them for situations they may face.
• Career advancement tips. The topics covered in this leadership book not only prepare law students to be successful as a leader in the community, but also better prepare students for success in the profession, whether building their own practices or moving up the ladder in their firms/companies.
• Modular formating. This book was written in modules so that it can be used beyond a dedicated leadership course. Topics can be used for professional development programming or clinical training.
• Knowledge beyond law school. This book is excellent for organizations, firms, and companies, in module form or the whole book, to teach leadership development for practicing lawyers. Anyone teaching leadership development will find something in this book to help them.

Professors and students will benefit from:

• A framework for teaching leadership development concepts: Leadership of Self, Leadership with Teams, and Leadership within Community.
  • By thinking about leadership development in these three stages, students begin with a focus on identifying and understanding their strengths and weaknesses and develop a plan to strategically improve where beneficial.
  • The book provides a roadmap for teaching these concepts in an easy-to-understand manner that allows for flexibility and adaptability to each professor’s vision of a leadership course for law students.
• Text Designed for both new and experienced professors.
  • This book gives law professors the structure and resources to lead students through discussions of leadership topics. Many will find they are familiar with the concepts even though they did not take a similar class in law school or may not have received formal leadership training.
  • Many examples relate to law school settings and the leadership lessons that can be learned from those experiences.
• Emphasis on Professional development, lawyers’ ethical obligations, and service and other themes throughout the chapters to reinforce the importance of each to a lawyer leader.

• Comprehensive coverage of the skills that lawyers need upon graduation and as they transition into the workplace.
• Discussion of the role of lawyers in society that teaches students to learn to think about the traditional role of lawyers as leaders in society and how that role has developed and changed over time. The book also discusses the need for leadership from lawyers in the future.
• Exploration of the potential for lawyers acting as leaders to influence others. This book explores ways to look for those opportunities and be better prepared for them.
• An enriching experience for students to experience significant personal growth as they discover more about who they are and which of their characteristics and traits are strengths and weaknesses in different circumstances.