Rethinking Legal Education: Demystifying Neurodiversity And Building An Inclusive Future

Jennifer Kindred Mitchell (Baltimore; Google Scholar) & Charlie Amiot (Google Scholar), Rethinking Legal Education: Demystifying Neurodiversity and Building an Inclusive Future:

Neurodiverse (ND) students comprise approximately 1/4 of the law school population, yet traditional legal education often fails to meet their needs. This paper critically examines the prevailing challenges faced by ND students within legal education by identifying the inherent limitations of conventional teaching methods. We first examine ND students' early educational experiences, including detrimental deficit-based messaging and pressures to conform. This context illuminates why many ND law students hide their authentic selves and remain reluctant to disclose needs. We then demystify neurodiversity and common ND cognitive traits to reveal how diverse minds process information and perceive environments. Finally, the paper outlines specific strategies to build inclusion at institutional and instructional levels. Law schools can leverage strengths-based frameworks, universal design in curricula/spaces, neurodiversity informed pedagogy, and DEI efforts. Faculty can employ techniques like teaching in knowledge chunks, incorporating professional identity formation across courses, and designing authentic learning activities.

This paper contributes significantly to the discourse on legal education by arguing that embracing neurodiversity not only enhances the learning environment for all students but also cultivates a legal profession that is truly reflective of societal diversity. Ultimately, neurodiversity should be embraced as an asset. By adopting inclusive practices, legal education can nurture the promise of ND students and improve outcomes for all. This paper seeks to inspire a new paradigm that celebrates neurocognitive diversity's contributions to the legal profession.

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