Note: The add/drop date for this course is Monday, January 6 at 10:00 PM.
Course Location: Please see the "Intensive Course Schedule" under Schedules and Timetables (http://www.law.utoronto.ca/academic-programs/schedules).
Note: Attendance at intensive courses is mandatory for the duration of the course.
This interactive, experiential, and reflective course will provide an introduction to what it means to center relationships in the way we practice law and other aspects of our work as legal professionals. Relational lawyering promotes habits of mind and practices rooted in interconnectedness and mutuality. This approach translates into a focus on three overlapping spheres we are constantly engaging with as legal professionals and as human beings: the personal; the interpersonal; and the systemic.
At the personal level, students will be invited to bring their authentic selves into the classroom, including their dreams and aspirations alongside their questions and uncertainties about their professional paths. They will be introduced to tools that can improve their self-awareness and wellbeing and support them in building a fulfilling career in a profession that can often take a toll on mental health and well-being.
Interpersonally speaking, as legal professionals we are often engaged in conflict, both formal and informal. Students will become more aware of their communication and conflict styles, and will learn compassionate, mindful, and trauma-informed ways of communicating and transforming conflicts across differences.
Finally, at the systemic level, students will be introduced to alternative ways of conceptualizing the law – such as restorative and transformative justice, and conscious contracts – that challenge fundamental assumptions in areas such as criminal and contract law. In this sphere we will explore possibilities for reimagining legal systems and processes, so they align more closely with our core values and aspirations.
