Trends in Juridical Science Education: Interdisciplinary Approaches and Global Perspectives

Juridical science education is a significant and separate part of the entire global system of higher education.

It is characterized by specific features of development, management, circumstances, and forms of manifestation of general patterns.

Wooden statue of Lady Justice holding scales and a sword

Let’s look at trends in the modern stage of development of the juridical sphere of education.

The juridical science education should be obtained according to state standards of higher professional education in classical universities at law faculties, legal academies, and broad-based institutes.

Of course, it is not easy to obtain a juridical education; many students have problems due to the numerous assignments they get.

That’s why they turn to experts who write papers for college students quickly.

In this way, students can deal with their assignments more efficiently.

The trends in the development of juridical science education are currently characterized not only by the dynamics of the development of individual elements that make up juridical education (juridical disciplines) but also by the changes that have occurred in the system of higher education as a whole since the beginning of this century.

Such changes, as a rule, are completely stable, are recorded through the results of empirical research, and can also serve as distinguishing features from an earlier form of the juridical science education system.

Interdisciplinary Approaches

The concept of interdisciplinarity in scientific knowledge, which remains relevant today, and the accumulated experience of its implementation in the practice of state and legal life in modern society have objective foundations.

It seems that the increased attention to this section of the scientific and practical plan – interdisciplinary research and development – is by no means accidental.

This issue has been brought to the agenda by life itself, by those modern trends that we observe in the economy, science, and production.

Probably, it has always been so, but at present it is especially obvious that with the help of purely specialized knowledge, it is impossible to solve all the issues of state and legal construction.

It is not simply intended to be maintained at a certain level but is planned to be implemented as a kind of breakthrough, creating a state and law of a modern technological type, ready to respond to all existing and expected global challenges, capable of ensuring large-scale modernization transformations in any country.

Without a doubt, the ideology of an interdisciplinary approach in the field of juridical science education today requires in-depth doctrinal development.

The results of this scientific process should be increasingly clearly expressed in the field of higher education, in particular, in the field of university juridical education.

Only in this direction can we, perhaps, see positive prospects for state and legal specialties, students can receive a high-quality fundamental juridical education, and certified specialists can find a worthy application for their knowledge, be in demand, and be successful in their profession.

Globalization of Juridical Science Education

More and more law students around the world study law not only in their home countries but also on exchange programs abroad (the Erasmus program in Europe, many semester exchange programs in Asia, the United States, Canada, and South America), and increasing numbers of students obtain master’s and doctorates abroad.

Certain areas of legal practice have become internationalized – human rights, international trade, and international private arbitration.

At the same time, critics suggest that “convergence,” if it exists in international law (and in international legal education), is the product of particular lines of influence based on the strength of both colonial and postcolonial hegemony, first of the United Kingdom and now of the United States and the rest of Europe.

Juridical Science Education and Technology

The legal community is experiencing a major change in juridical science education due to the use of technology both to solve legal problems and as a means of legal education.

Some scientists argue that the legal profession (as well as other professions) will eventually be displaced by the use of technology, forms, templates, interactive online dispute resolution, transaction planning, document management, filing legal documents, and even defending some minor criminal cases (e.g., traffic violations).

Many law schools are radically expanding or transforming their curricula to include law and technology (intellectual property, law and engineering, law and machine learning, and legal artificial intelligence).

But what legal processes will be conducted in the future with partial or full use of the latest technologies (“techno-lawyering”)?

Big data and its intelligent analysis will be useful for identifying patterns of behavior that can document legal and illegal activity (discrimination, insurance claims, speeding, etc.).

Technology will be useful in litigation, document preparation, registration, tax returns, property applications, and some other interactions with the state (e.g., vehicle licenses).

But what about legal issues that still require interpersonal interaction and human and legal judgment: immigration, family law, discrimination, individual problems that require human attention, and complex legal advice?

Many legal issues require personal and individual attention rather than memorized or “ready-made” solutions.

There are still many types of cases (e.g., interpretation of new laws) that are based on precedents and case law.

It is important to remember that law and juridical education are constantly changing human constructs.

Together, they are designed to satisfy a variety of human needs – to ensure order in society, justice, to promote human flourishing and new ideas, and to regulate, socially control, and punish those who do bad things or harm others.

Juridical Education = Being a Lawyer

The teaching of legal ethics and professional responsibility in American law schools has generated an important philosophical and applied science about what it means to be a “good lawyer” and a “good person.”

Concerns about whether the “role morality” of particular professions, such as lawyers, should differ from that of “ordinary people,” have generated an important set of questions and answers.

These questions about whether the lawyer’s role is solely to be a “zealous” advocate for their client, to administer justice, or to bear some responsibility to the legal system as a whole, or to others, remain an issue that often differs from one legal culture to another.

Chelsea Wilson
Chelsea Wilson is the Community Relations Manager for Washington University School of Law’s distance learning LLM degree program, which provides foreign trained attorneys with the opportunity to earn a Master of Laws degree from a top-tier American university from anywhere in the world.

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