The unsustainability of legal practice: the case for transformation of legal education and legal educators

Abstract

Individualistic, competitive, adversarial…the legal profession faces calls for systemic change as we see an exodus of our brightest minds, high levels of mental distress amongst students and practitioners and a profession that, as a cornerstone of the justice system, is unable to sustain itself let alone deal with global issues of sustainability. The required transformation starts in law school and this paper explores both conceptual approaches in a law curriculum to engender student transformation, and the means by which legal academics’ own practice may be transformed within the framework of the law, as well as in terms of practical skills and resultant professional identity.