Law Professor, Dr. Leigh-Davis, Blasts the Historical Way Law School is Taught

Dr. Leigh-Davis was the sole person in a televised roundtable discussion, who did not favor the Socratic Method.

Recently, a group of 8 university professors were questioned about the best teaching methods. One of the group, law professor and media personality, Dr. Leigh-Davis, spoke of the Socratic Method of teaching, with disfavor. “I have been forced by universities to use the Socratic Method. However, I prefer not to use this method of teaching,” stated Dr. Leigh-Davis during the roundtable discussion.

The Socratic Method is named after Greek philosopher Socrates, who taught students by asking question after question, seeking to expose contradictions in the students’ thoughts and ideas to then guide them to arrive at a solid, tenable conclusion. The principle underlying the Socratic Method is that students learn through the use of critical thinking, reasoning, and logic, finding holes in their own theories and then patching them up.

Notably, Dr. Leigh-Davis pointed out, “Yale University is unequivocally the top U.S. law school; however they have a terrible bar passage rate in California. Undoubtedly, this is because Yale continues to enforce the use of the Socratic Method.” Although all of the other 7 attendees disagreed with Dr. Leigh-Davis; she did not waiver. Dr. Leigh-Davis explained, “It is something I have felt strongly about for a long time. On the first day of my torts class, I give the students an outline of all the rules of law and issues. Thereafter, I explain to them, how each section corresponds to the other. Then, I require the students to analytical explain the materialization of those rules and issues in the court cases they read. Teaching should not be a secret, or a guessing game.”

Although everyone present disagreed with Dr. Leigh-Davis, it is notable that Dr. Leigh-Davis was the only one who knew historical facts about the successes and failures of the Socratic Method. “Most importantly, things must change with the times, and young people today have the most disparaging attention spans. The fact the S.A.T. test had to be made easier, is proof we are not dealing with the same law school students as yesteryear. Growing up, I was obsessed with Greek mythology and I love to read Socrates, Aristotle, Plato, Aristophanes, and all of the Greek philosophers. However, the Socratic Method is an antiquated method of teaching,” concluded Dr. Leigh-Davis.

In an effort to obtain a broader perspective on the legal community’s feelings about the Socratic Method, Dr. Leigh-Davis will be speaking at several upcoming ABA (American Bar Association) events.

Dr. Leigh-Davis is a law professor, retired attorney, anthropologist, and popular legal analyst and legal correspondent, who regularly appears on NBC news, CNN and Fox news. More information can be obtained on Dr. Leigh-Davis’ official website.

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