The Best Practices book suggests that a law school curriculum should focus on knowlege, skills and values that are relevant to the practice of law. I believe that cross-cultural knowledge, intercultural communication and self-awareness are very important to the effective practice of law and will become even more important as our world continues to shrink. The following is a little excerpt from an email Professor Joe Harbaugh sent me about my article Making and Breaking Habits:
I was amused by the “political correctness”/faculty agenda reactions of some of your students; in the field of business, the experiential and survey research on negotiation over the last decade is dominated by cross-cultural studies. For many lawyers, these aren’t “soft” issues; they’re about as tough as they get! Today’s lawyers must be conscious of and astute about the questions you address if they are to adequately represent their clients. Indeed, many of them also may be required to “teach” their clients about the importance of being culturally conscious to successfully conclude a transaction or resolve a dispute.
I love getting support for teaching about these issues! Thanks Joe!
Filed under: Best Practices & Curriculum, Best Practices, Diversity & Social Justice, Who is Using the Best Practices Book? | Tagged: cultural competence, cultural knowlege, intercultural communication, self awareness | Comments Off on The Importance of Training Cross-Cultural Practice Skills
Best Practices for Legal Education 