Teaching Lawyering With Heart in the George Washington University Law School Domestic Violence Project

13 Pages Posted: 6 Nov 2015 Last revised: 23 Sep 2016

See all articles by Joan S. Meier

Joan S. Meier

George Washington University - Law School

Date Written: 2016

Abstract

The Domestic Violence Project (DVP) began as an experiment and has become my favorite model for teaching law students about domestic violence work. The heart of the course is its emphasis on developing awareness of and compassion for the personally and emotionally challenging dimensions of this work. I achieve this (i) through a dialogue between students’ journals and my written responses, (ii) by inviting students to produce a creative project, and (iii) by teaching reflexively about vicarious trauma. Many students experience this course as an oasis of holistic professional and personal growth within the often dispiriting experience of law school.

Keywords: Domestic violence, trauma, clinical teaching, holistic teaching, hybrid clinic

Suggested Citation

Meier, Joan S., Teaching Lawyering With Heart in the George Washington University Law School Domestic Violence Project (2016). Violence Against Women 2016, Vol. 22(12) 1484-1495, GWU Law School Public Law Research Paper No. 2015-47, GWU Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2015-47, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2685926

Joan S. Meier (Contact Author)

George Washington University - Law School ( email )

2000 H Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20052
United States

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