Essays as “clinical” pedagogy: a Hegelian approach to essay writing

Abstract

Current debates in clinical legal education (CLE) exclude essay writing as a legitimate form of “clinical” pedagogy. This article argues that essay writing should be classified as a form of CLE due to its potential to mirror legal practice and enhance students’ reflective capacities. By incorporating Hegelian dialectical reasoning, the paper proposes a structured approach to legal essay writing that includes thesis, antithesis and synthesis. This method encourages students to engage deeply with legal arguments, reflecting on their merits and counterarguments. The dialectical approach aligns with constructivist teaching methodologies, promoting critical thinking and practical skills relevant to legal practice and beyond. The article outlines the theoretical basis of this model and provides a practical framework for its implementation in legal education. It further connects this pedagogical strategy to the development of transferable skills that prepare students for professional legal environments. Through this dialectical method, the paper advocates a more holistic and nuanced understanding of legal concepts, bridging the gap between academic theory and practical application, and, thus, making the case for the incorporation of Hegel-inspired essay writing into the definition of CLE.

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ORCID for Marc Johnson: orcid.org/0000-0002-6922-549X

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