Affiliation: PhD Student, Educational Studies, University of British Columbia
Country: Canada
Abstract: Situating Law within Systems of Power: Promoting Critical Reflexivity Through Curricular Reform
This presentation is co-presented with Ashna Hudani. As Foluke Adebisi observes, “law is very strategically placed as a discipline and profession to contemplate the transformation of the world.†Indeed, Canada’s existence is built on legal tools that facilitated colonialism, including the doctrine of discovery and terra nullius. Law and legal education are thus critical sites of power, yet students are rarely prompted to grapple with critical legal history, interrogate whose interests law serves, or reflect on their roles as future practitioners within these systems. Confronting today’s legal and social challenges, which are connected to the law’s ongoing institutional violence, requires students to situate law within systems of power and to reflect critically on their responsibilities in this field. To address this, law schools should require an introductory course on critical legal history and integrate relevant histories into all substantive courses, ensuring that law is taught in the context of its broader societal and structural impacts. Curricular reform should be paired with engagement with legal pluralism and the adoption of critical pedagogies and reflexivity, fostering the recognition that law is socially produced.
Bio: Safeera Jaffer is a PhD student in Educational Studies at the University of British Columbia. She completed her Master of Arts in the Department of Integrated Studies in Education at McGill University. Her research interests focus on engaged, critical pedagogy in higher education and anti-oppressive teaching and learning practices.
Where presenting: NTCLE
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Affiliation: Professor of Legal Practice, Nottingham Law School; Consultant, NLS Legal
Country: England
Abstract: I Accuse Myself: The Unintentional Weaponising of Reflection in a Disciplinary Context
The benefits of reflection are well documented in the literature on professional development, both on an individual basis and, more recently, based on a productive and collective endeavour (Cressey & Boud, 2006). However, this paper will focus on the unintended consequences of the use of reflection in the context of professional disciplinary tribunals and employment dismissals. To what extent could the laudable aims of reflection be unintentionally weaponised as an instrument of discipline? The impact of the alleged use of the contents of an e-reflective portfolio in both the criminal prosecution and disciplinary action against Dr Bawa-Garba, a trainee paediatrician, based on gross negligence manslaughter following the death from sepsis of a child in her care, is a case in point. Irrespective of whether the reflections formed part of either case, the potential for artefacts of reflection, such as a portfolio, to be used in such a way could have had a chilling effect on reflection in professional development, judging by the reports in the popular medical press at the time.
Reflection is now ‘baked in’ to professional competence frameworks, in Codes of Conduct, HR policies, procedures, and appraisals. Could reflective artefacts be used in everything from applications for promotion to insurance proposal questionnaires as a form of business risk mitigation, rather than for professional development and growth? Recent cases involving employment dismissals have provided a counterweight to the instrumental approach to reflection, finding that a lack of insight and remediation does not always support a dismissal (Hewson v OFSTED [2025]). However, is there a need to develop a form of ‘reflective privilege’ to support the aims of professional development and mitigate the risk of a purely instrumental disciplinary and compliance function, to protect the privacy and authenticity of the reflective process?
Bio: Professor Jane Jarman is a solicitor and professor of legal practice at Nottingham Law School and a consultant to NLS Legal. She is a specialist in professional negligence and indemnity insurance and has also advised on risk management education and training, and the development of vocational qualification frameworks in the UK and abroad. Jane contributed the chapter on legal professional privilege to the Legal Sector Affinity Group Guidance on Anti Money Laundering and is the Chair of the Independent Review Pool of the Chartered Insurance Institute."
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Affiliation: Wellbeing Coordinator, College of Law and Faculty, College of Education, University of Saskatchewan
Country: Canada
Abstract: Spheres of Influence on Culture Shift and Transformation in the Legal Profession
This paper is co-authored with Brenda Yuen, Jaime Lavallee, and Brea Lowenberger. Recent Canadian research, including the Sherbrooke Report (Cadieux et al., 2024), underscores the pervasive mental health and well-being challenges within the legal profession. These findings point to the urgent need for a systemic shift toward trauma-responsive and dignity-centered legal practice (Hicks, 2021; Maki, Florestal, & McCallum, 2023). We seek to advance the study’s findings through our own proposed study, which will use a collaborative autoethnography methodology, a qualitative research approach in which researcher-participants reflect on their lived experiences and critically analyze these experiences in a shared, structured process. Through this collaborative reflective process, we aim to unpack our personal and professional experiences to better understand the nuanced impact of trauma, healing, and dignity within the legal profession and legal education. This work seeks to contribute to a growing body of scholarship that emphasizes the importance of relational pedagogies, trauma-informed teaching, and dignity-based (Hicks, 2021) frameworks in professional fields, including law (Harris & Fallot, 2001; Krieger, 2011; Leape et al., 2012). By exploring the liminal spaces between person and practitioner, we hope to inform and inspire legal educators and practitioners seeking more humanizing, inclusive, and healing-centered approaches to justice work (James, 2020).
Bio: Dr. Judy Jaunzems-Fernuk, RTC, MTC, is the Wellbeing Coordinator in the College of Law at the University of Saskatchewan, and a Faculty member and Researcher in the College of Education. Judy brings over two decades of educational expertise and clinical practice to her endeavours, and has a keen interest in the intersections of mental health, leadership, and education. Therapeutic and healing-centred practices are her current focus. Judy believes self-care and personal well-being are essential for strong leadership, especially for those in caregiving professions, i.e., anyone in a position that holds humans at the heart of their work.
Where presenting: Canadian Association of Law Teachers (CALT) Conference
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Affiliation: Senior Lecturer in Law, Director of Student Wellbeing, University of Sheffield
Country: United Kingdom
Abstract: Reflective Practice as a Critical Element of a Proposed New Legal Wellbeing Pedagogy
This presentation is co-presented with Rachael Field. This paper discusses reflective practice as a critical component of a proposed new Legal Wellbeing Pedagogy (LWP) (Jones, Strevens & Field, 2025). The LWP draws upon the theoretical basis of positive psychology, particularly Self-Determination Theory and its Basic Psychological Needs sub- theory, to create a learning and teaching framework specifically focused on promoting positive wellbeing for both academic law staff and law students, thus reimagining the legal curriculum as a vehicle to facilitate thriving and flourishing in an evidence-based and sustainable manner. The LWP addresses cognitive, experiential and affective engagement with legal education. It provides a clear framework for the integration into the law degree of challenge and growth, independence and meaning, collaboration and connection. The LWP promotes a holistic approach to wellbeing by highlighting the role of empathy, reflection, values and ethics as key inter-connecting concepts. This paper explains how the LWP conceptualizes the teaching of reflective practice as a metacognitive skill supporting students to make sense of the challenging, complicated content of the law curriculum, and promoting their personal and professional awareness, as well as their engagement. The paper offers practical ways for legal academics to incorporate and promote reflection throughout the legal curriculum.
Bio: My research focus is on emotions and wellbeing in legal education and the legal profession. I also write training materials for law students and legal professionals on these topics (for example, the Law Society of England and Wales). An essential part of promoting emotional literacy and wellbeing within law is integrating different forms of reflection. I am the lead author on a recently published article in the European Journal of the Legal Profession on an innovative new model named Legal Wellbeing Pedagogy, which explicitly integrates wellbeing as a core component.
Where presenting: Queen's Law virtual Symposium
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Affiliation: Associate Professor (Teaching) & Deputy Director (Teaching & Learning), UCL's Centre for Access to Justice, University College London
Country: England
Abstract: Reflecting on Reflection: Supervision, Assessment and Beyond
This presentation is co-presented with Rachel Knowles. At University College London’s Centre for Access to Justice, we have integrated reflection on pro bono work at both a curricular and extra-curricular level. Our main CLE module was initially assessed by way of written reflective submissions on connections between theory and practice, as well as skills development. We have now moved to include reflective oral assessments to offer diversity in assessment, enhance employability, and respond to challenges presented by AI. We also offer a written reflective skills development framework scheme for extra-curricular pro bono. Within the context of increased attention from professional regulators on supporting legal practitioners reflect on the development of their legal skills as well as the psychological impact of their work, we intend to explore some possible approaches on how best to measure the effectiveness of our supervision and assessment methods for reflective practice and the challenges associated with each. We would welcome dialogue on how this could be shaped as well as on the integration of reflective practice more broadly across the curriculum to help create a more robust and coherent connection between legal education and the legal profession.
Bio: Drawing on several years of practice as a criminal law barrister and extensive experience teaching across academic and vocational programmes in the UK, I bring a practitioner-informed, pedagogically grounded perspective on reflective practices for law students. Since joining UCL in 2018, I have served as Deputy Director (Teaching & Learning) at the Centre for Access to Justice (CAJ), where my work sits at the intersection of legal pedagogy, pro bono practice and interdisciplinary approaches to the study of law. I convene undergraduate clinical legal education (CLE) modules and lead CAJ’s extracurricular Pro Bono Skills Development Framework, supporting students to develop practical lawyering skills and critical reflective habits that promote ethical, human-centred practice. My contribution to the symposium will include sharing insights from CAJ’s models of reflective practice, and assessment and thoughts on methods of evaluation, and to learn from others engaged in similar work.
Where presenting: Queen's Law virtual Symposium
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Affiliation: Professor, University of Saskatchewan
Country: Canada
Abstract: Using Reflective Practice to Support the Growth of Interpersonal Communication and Negotiation Competencies
Teaching negotiation skills can feel resource intensive. Interpersonal communication, listening and negotiation skills are best acquired through a cycle of learning – a cycle that involves applying theory, receiving feedback, reflecting, setting goals and trying again. This cycle can be employed inside the ordinary classroom (as opposed to a practicum or internship/externship course), but without a whole team of instructors, how can simulation-based learning activities and assignments actually deliver on skill development? I will explain how we have structured our Negotiation courses as a portfolio of experiences and structured reflective exercises, using reflective practice as the vehicle to support skills growth in those other competencies as well. Our framework integrates reflection on self, the capacity to provide and receive feedback from others, the ability to gather information from others and to fit that information back into a critical and analytical framework, to reflect on one’s written work and video-recorded negotiations against a self-identified backdrop of criteria for success.
Bio: Michaela Keet is a full professor, and has researched, taught and practiced in the area of dispute resolution for thirty years. She is a nationally recognized educator in Negotiation and has published a book and dozens of articles, which ultimately explore the lawyer’s role in settlement processes, as well as the skills and structures that best meet client needs. She has conducted several funded studies on the experiences of students in the acquisition of skills in law school, on the experience of clients as they encounter lawyers and neutrals in justice processes, and on the perspectives of mediators and judges. She is currently co-leading a large review of the University of Saskatchewan’s Law curriculum, viewed through a competency-based lens. Thinking critically about the roles of lawyers and the skills that support responsiveness and growth in those roles is at the heart of her career.
Where presenting: Queens' Law virtual Symposium
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Affiliation: Director & Professor, Institute of Health Sciences Education, McGill University
Country: Canada
Abstract: Professional Knowledge and the Epistemology of Reflective Practice: Engaging a Continuum of Reflection
In this session, I reflect on my journey with reflective practice in the health professions to engage a dialogue about how reflective approaches may offer generative possibilities across professions. I have inquired into reflective practice as a generative force in health professions education and practice for over two decades. My scholarship engages a continuum of reflection from cognitive reflection, to embodied reflection, to critical reflection, to critical reflexivity, to contemplative reflection. Reflective practice can be employed as a practical approach to professional development, as an epistemological stance that values knowledge generated through practice, as a critical stance that interrogates systems and challenges inequities, and as a foundation for meaningful engagement with the moral complexities of professional life. I’ve been interested in its potential as a transformative approach to teaching and learning in the professions, its epistemological affordances in reconceptualizing our view of professional knowledge, and its potential for raising learners’ and practitioners’ awareness of justice issues.
Bio: Elizabeth Anne Kinsella, PhD, is Director and Full Professor in the Institute of Health Sciences Education (IHSE) within the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at McGill University. Dr. Kinsella’s scholarship centers on reflective practice and philosophies of knowledge in health professions education, practice, and research. Her work explores epistemologies of practice, epistemic justice, practical ethics, phronesis, and embodiment in health and social care contexts. She is also engaged in the arts and humanities as a means of fostering diverse forms of reflection within health and social care. Dr. Kinsella has published over 150 papers and a workbook, and edited three books: Professional Development and Reflective Practice: Strategies for Learning Through Professional Experience; Phronesis as Professional Knowledge: Practical Wisdom in the Professions; Embodiment and Professional Education: Body, Practice, Pedagogy; and Mobilizing Knowledge: Critical Reflections on Foundations and Practices.
Where presenting: Queen's Law virtual Symposium
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Affiliation: Director and Associate Professor, UCL Centre for Access to Justice, University College London
Country: England
Abstract: Reflecting on Reflection: Supervision, Assessment and Beyond
This presentation is co-presented with Sonia Kalsi. At University College London’s Centre for Access to Justice, we have integrated reflection on pro bono work at both a curricular and extra-curricular level. Our main CLE module was initially assessed by way of written reflective submissions on connections between theory and practice, as well as skills development. We have now moved to include reflective oral assessments to offer diversity in assessment, enhance employability, and respond to challenges presented by AI. We also offer a written reflective skills development framework scheme for extra-curricular pro bono. Within the context of increased attention from professional regulators on supporting legal practitioners reflect on the development of their legal skills as well as the psychological impact of their work, we intend to explore some possible approaches on how best to measure the effectiveness of our supervision and assessment methods for reflective practice and the challenges associated with each. We would welcome dialogue on how this could be shaped as well as on the integration of reflective practice more broadly across the curriculum to help create a more robust and coherent connection between legal education and the legal profession.
Bio: Rachel is the Director of the UCL Centre for Access to Justice and an Associate Professor (Teaching). As part of this role, she also runs the UCL integrated advice clinic (UCL iLAC), where she practices as a solicitor specializing in community care and education law. Rachel specializes in representing children & young people directly and through this developed an interest in trauma-aware legal practice. Through working in clinical legal education, she has developed an interest in how we train the next generation of lawyers to be trauma-informed and resilient during a time when students are increasingly struggling with their mental health.
Where presenting: Queen's Law virtual Symposium
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Affiliation: Centre for Professional Legal Education, Bond University
Country: Australia
Abstract: The Reflective Practitioner in a Digital Legal World
This presentation will be co-presented with Rachael Field and Tammy Johnson. The rapid integration of GenAI, digital platforms, and technology‑enabled service delivery is reshaping legal practice and professional identity. This roundtable discussion, hosted by the Centre for Professional Legal Education (CPLE), examines the role of reflective practice in preparing students and early career lawyers for uncertainty, complexity, and ethical judgement in a digital legal environment, one in which digital and GenAI tools are fully embedded in everyday legal practice, rather than emerging at the periphery. In an environment increasingly shaped by efficiency‑driven digital tools, reflective practice functions as a counterbalance that preserves human judgement, empathy, and professional self‑awareness in technology‑mediated legal practice. The discussion draws on the existing body of scholarship to explore how reflection assists lawyers in navigating ethical grey zones, professional accountability, as well as the limits of automated tools. The format is of this session designed to support collegial exchange and shared reflection, offering space for law academics to consider common challenges and emerging practices across Australian legal education.
Bio: Professor Nick James is the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Law at Bond University. He is a former commercial lawyer and has been practising as an academic since 1996. He is a successful leader and innovator and is passionate about legal education and the role of law schools in modern society. His areas of teaching expertise include climate law, enterprise governance, business law, company law, law in context, and animal law. He has won numerous awards for his teaching including a National Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning, and he is the author of several leading textbooks. He has written numerous journal articles, book chapters and conference papers in the areas of legal education, critical legal theory, disruption of the legal services sector by emergent technologies such as AI, and the impacts of climate change. Professor James is Co-Director of the Bond University Centre for Professional Legal Education (CPLE), Co-Chair of the Council of Australian Law Deans (CALD), and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law.
Where presenting: Australasian Law Academics Association (ALAA) conference
Affiliation: Centre for Professional Legal Education, Bond University
Country: Australia
Abstract: The Reflective Practitioner in a Digital Legal World
This presentation will be co-presented with Nick James and Rachael Field. The rapid integration of GenAI, digital platforms, and technology‑enabled service delivery is reshaping legal practice and professional identity. This roundtable discussion, hosted by the Centre for Professional Legal Education (CPLE), examines the role of reflective practice in preparing students and early career lawyers for uncertainty, complexity, and ethical judgement in a digital legal environment, one in which digital and GenAI tools are fully embedded in everyday legal practice, rather than emerging at the periphery. In an environment increasingly shaped by efficiency‑driven digital tools, reflective practice functions as a counterbalance that preserves human judgement, empathy, and professional self‑awareness in technology‑mediated legal practice. The discussion draws on the existing body of scholarship to explore how reflection assists lawyers in navigating ethical grey zones, professional accountability, as well as the limits of automated tools. The format is of this session designed to support collegial exchange and shared reflection, offering space for law academics to consider common challenges and emerging practices across Australian legal education.
Bio: Tammy is an Associate Professor of Law in the Bond University Faculty of Law. Her work focuses on advancing innovative approaches to legal education, integrating practical skills, critical analysis, and technology to prepare students for the evolving legal profession. Tammy’s doctoral research examined health law and the regulation of commercial surrogacy in Australia, contributing to policy and ethical debates in this complex area. She has also published on property law, succession law, the intersection of law and technology, and legal education. Today, Tammy leads initiatives that bridge academic learning with professional readiness, fostering excellence in legal education. Her sustained commitment to innovation and student engagement has been recognised through multiple teaching excellence awards, including accolades for pioneering curriculum design and enhancing the student experience. Associate Professor Johnson is Co-Director of the Centre for Professional Legal Education (CPLE) and an Executive Committee Member of the Australasian Law Academics Association (ALAA).
Where presenting: Australasian Law Academics Association (ALAA) conference
Affiliation: Senior Lecturer and National Coordinator, Rosebank International
Country: Australia
Abstract: An Integrated Pedagogical Framework for South African Legal Education: A Proposed Model Combining Reflective Practice, Problem-Based Learning, and Transformative Constitutional Principles
The 2018 Council on Higher Education review of South Africa’s LLB degree identified significant gaps in graduates’ critical thinking, problem-solving, and social justice awareness. Traditional legal education has been widely criticised for failing to prepare students for the ethical and social complexities of legal practice, particularly within South Africa’s transformative constitutional framework. Despite extensive scholarship on transformative legal pedagogy, no integrated framework currently combines reflective practice and problem-based learning (PBL) within this context. This study proposes a comprehensive pedagogical framework tailored to South African legal education, integrating transformative constitutionalism, reflective practice, and PBL to address identified competency gaps. A mixed-methods approach was employed, including a systematic review of international pedagogies and a comparative analysis of legal education reforms in Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Initial findings indicate that combining reflective practice and PBL enhances critical thinking and professional identity formation. The proposed framework introduces four core elements: transformative legal education as a foundation; PBL for skills development; reflective practice for ethical reasoning; and forward reflection to foster social justice awareness and innovative responses to complex societal challenges. This model offers both practical implementation strategies and a pathway for long-term curriculum reform aligned with South Africa’s constitutional imperatives.
Bio: Amanda Kinners is a Senior Lecturer and National Coordinator at Rosebank International. She has a Baccalaureus Procurationis from the University of South Africa (UNISA) and an LLM from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). Her research interests include Teaching and Learning, Family Law and Race and Identity, and she has published in these areas. Amanda lectured at the University of KwaZulu-Natal before joining The Independent Institute of Education (IIE). Before assuming her current role, she served as a Senior Head of Programme at the IIE’s Central Academic Team.
Where presenting: Australasian Law Academics Association (ALAA) conference
Affiliation: Senior Lecturer in Law, AI in Legal Education Coordinator; Adelaide Law School, Adelaide University, Adelaide, Australia
Country: Australia
Abstract: Educating the Reflective Lawyer in an AI Powered World
Current law graduates are entering legal practice at a time when the rapid and ongoing integration of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is causing major disruption to the industry. Students must learn to reflect on which uses of GenAI are valuable to provide excellent client service, while recognising uses that are unethical and dangerous to their future professional reputation and career. Structured AI literacy development mapped throughout the law degree is an effective way to address this issue for commencing students. However, it is not enough for continuing students who were mid-way through their degree when GenAI ‘hit’. A rapid response strategy is essential to equip those students with the reflective skills to navigate the AI powered legal profession. Adelaide Law School has implemented a strategy of providing targeted student guidance on GenAI use and ethics rapidly across the program, co-created with students. It includes resources for all students (podcasts, masterclasses) and an educator toolkit to support academics with teaching students the skills they need to operate as successful, reflective legal professionals. This paper will reflect on the experiences of implementing the rapid response strategy to upskill law students and support educators to shape reflective lawyers in an AI powered world.
Bio: Cornelia Koch is a Senior Lecturer at Adelaide Law School, The University of Adelaide, and the School’s AI in Legal Education Coordinator. She is also an Education Specialist. Cornelia has a strong interest in the impact of Generative AI (GenAI) on legal education and legal practice. She is keen on investigating the many and varied opportunities and challenges that GenAI presents for students, educators, and legal practitioners.
Where presenting: Australasian Law Academics Association (ALAA) conference