This course provides an in-depth exploration of the foundational communication and analytical skills essential to effective legal interviewing and counseling. Legal representation is not merely about case theory or courtroom argument—it begins with the first client meeting and is shaped by a lawyer’s ability to listen, extract facts, develop trust, and collaboratively assess legal and non-legal options.
The course focuses on client-centered representation, active listening, cultural competence, cognitive biases, decision theory, and ethics in counseling, drawing from both legal practice and interdisciplinary insights from psychology, behavioral economics, and therapeutic jurisprudence.
Students will leave the course equipped with theoretical frameworks and practical strategies for building rapport, eliciting facts, managing emotions, and delivering advice in a manner that empowers the client and adheres to professional norms.
Course Objectives:
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
-
Identify the essential phases and objectives of legal interviewing and counseling.
-
Apply active listening, empathy, and questioning strategies to extract accurate client information.
-
Understand the psychological, cultural, and ethical dimensions of the attorney-client relationship.
-
Evaluate decision-making theories and biases that impact both clients and lawyers.
-
Deliver complex legal advice in a clear, accessible, and ethical manner.
-
Recognize professional boundaries and ethical obligations, including informed consent, confidentiality, and competence.
-
Develop strategies for dealing with difficult clients, emotional trauma, and high-stakes counseling.
