Document Type
Presentation
Start Date
12-6-2019 9:00 AM
End Date
12-6-2019 9:35 AM
Description
Many perceive LRW courses as important for practice yet largely distinct from the core “doctrinal” courses that purport to teach students how to “think like a lawyer.” However, a remarkably consistent core of skills and methods of thought unify all first-year courses. If these core skills and methods are at the heart of all first-year courses, then the professors who should cover them in class have to acknowledge they exist and work together to teach them. In short, to break down barriers, LRW professors have to bring to the surface the framework underlying core law school learning objectives – a framework that necessarily transcends all first-year classes and requires a joint effort of equals to address adequately.
The Foundational Skills and Methods that Unify all First-Year Courses
Many perceive LRW courses as important for practice yet largely distinct from the core “doctrinal” courses that purport to teach students how to “think like a lawyer.” However, a remarkably consistent core of skills and methods of thought unify all first-year courses. If these core skills and methods are at the heart of all first-year courses, then the professors who should cover them in class have to acknowledge they exist and work together to teach them. In short, to break down barriers, LRW professors have to bring to the surface the framework underlying core law school learning objectives – a framework that necessarily transcends all first-year classes and requires a joint effort of equals to address adequately.
Comments
Scott Rempell joined the South Texas College of Law Houston faculty in 2010. He is currently a Professor of Law. He teaches Legal Research & Writing courses, as well as immigration law and asylum & refugee law.
Professor Rempell’s scholarship has focused on immigration, administrative law, and judicial process, though more recently he has decided to focus on legal analysis and writing. In addition to his scholarly publications, Professor Rempell is the author of Five Grounds, a novel that tells the story of three immigrants’ harrowing journeys to the United States. Professor Rempell has also taken an active role in helping students to bridge the gap between curricular design and career objectives. In particular, he helps run South Texas College of Law Houston’s Pathways to Practice initiative.
Prior to joining the faculty, Professor Rempell worked as an appellate attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Immigration Litigation, where he authored 75 appellate briefs and argued 9 cases in the United States Courts of Appeals. He also first chaired a trial in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas.
Professor Rempell graduated magna cum laude from American University Washington College of Law, where he served as the Editor-in-Chief of the American University International Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif. Professor Rempell received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan.