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The Socratic Method
Most law schools in the United States teach by the Socratic question and answer method. Under this system of legal instruction, students are assigned cases and statutes to read, brief and then in class presentations are made. Students are questioned by the professor about the assigned cases and statutes regarding the facts, rule of law or the courts reasoning.
Law schools use the Socratic Method in order to teach students how to analyze and make legal arguments, how to properly read and brief cases and, lastly, how to prepare for the pressures and rigors of a legal
practice. For an article on how the Socratic Method is not only utilized at law schools, but indeed is spreading to business schools, medical schools and beyond, go to Harvard Magazine .
The virtual classroom used by California School of Law provides students with all of the benefits of the Socratic method. The program is not self-study, text messaging or a chat room, nor is it watching a DVD or video download, or a lecture with an opportunity to text message questions, as is done at many other distance learning law schools. In California School of Law’s virtual classrooms students and faculty discuss and argue rules of law.
Similarly, California School of Law student study groups enable students to share ideas, research results, test strategies and develop valuable networking relationships, perhaps for a lifetime, just as they would at a traditional residential law school.
At the California School of Law you will be challenged, as is necessary to develop highly-tuned analytical verbal and writing legal skills. But the School’s curriculum, workload and pace are designed for persons who are holding down full time jobs or have family commitments that would make it difficult or perhaps impossible for them to attend a traditional residential law school.
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