Affiliation: Assistant Professor, University of Saskatchewan, College of Law
Country: Canada
Abstract: Decolonization Through Reflection in Two-Eyed Seeing Research Models
In 2023, the University of Saskatchewan College of Law and the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) entered a 3-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with a broad goal of improving child protection and the lives of Indigenous children, youth, and families across Saskatchewan. Through this partnership the Indigenous Child Protection Practicum course was developed, wherein upper year JD students were placed in projects identified by the FSIN as pressing and requiring legal reform. In the first two iterations of the course, we have been able to support 11 students in practicum placements. Through these placements and projects students have engaged in the art of reflection, where they have challenged their ideas around colonization and the normative frameworks that have driven child welfare systems nationally. In this way, the course has caused the instructors, supervisors, and students to adapt and engage with questions around how reflection can support decolonization in child protection law which continues to disproportionally impact Indigenous families. This piece proposes to engage with reflective practice in legal education in the context of Two-Eyed Seeing to promote and support decolonization.
Bio: Jamesy is an assistant professor at the College of Law with a research focus in child protection law. Jamesy received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree Cum Laude in Dance (2006) from York University and both her Juris Doctor (2012) and Master of Laws (2017) from the University of Saskatchewan. Jamesyās research during her LLM focused on child welfare in Saskatchewan. Prior to joining the College of Law, Jamesy practised law in Saskatoon with a focus on child protection matters and Indigenous governance in relation to child protection. Jamesy is passionate about policy development and governance surrounding child protection for Indigenous communities and organizations, and she is devoted to advocating for children and families facing systemic barriers in our community. Jamesy is honoured to be engaged in community lead research with the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) and to have supported the development and implementation of an MOU as between the FSIN and College of Law. Jamesy's teaching areas include property law, entertainment law, child protection law, and the development of experiential learning opportunities for law students. āÆ
Where presenting: TBA
Affiliation: Director, Professional Standards, Research, Education and Policy. College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants
Country: Canada
Abstract: Reflective Practice and Public Protection: Professional Identity Formation in Immigration Practice
This presentation with Cassandra Barber and Megan Marshall situates reflective practice at the intersection of professional identity formation, professional competence, and public protection. Taking immigration practice as its site of inquiry, it examines how reflective practice enables practitioners to interrogate their own assumptions, exercise judgment under conditions of uncertainty, and remain attentive to the technical, relational, and moral dimensions of practice. In this account, professional competence is not exhausted by technical proficiency; it includes disciplined reflection and the capacity to recognize how professional decisions are shaped by the lived realities of practitioners and those subject to immigration processes. The development of this dimension of competence becomes especially acute in the early years of practice, when the transition from learning environment to professional practice is often marked by uncertainty, readiness gaps, and heightened risk of attrition. From the perspective of a public-interest regulator, the cultivation of reflective competence is therefore integral to supporting professional identity formation, strengthening practice, and advancing public protection.
Bio: Dr. Beata Pawlowska, PhD, is a strategic research, policy, and innovation executive with more than 25 years of leadership experience advancing system change across complex academic, government, healthcare, and non-profit environments. Beata holds a Doctorate in Organizational Psychology and a Master of Arts in Business and Education. Her current research focuses on regulatory governance, evidence-informed regulation, competency development, and public protection, with particular attention to early risk mitigation and systemic change in professional regulation. At the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants, Beata provides strategic and operational leadership for the Professional Standards, Research, Education and Policy Department, supporting the College in fulfilling its statutory mandate to regulate the profession in the public interest. Prior to joining the College, she served as Director of Projects, Programs and Partnerships at Unity Health Toronto and the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto.
Where presenting: ¾ÅŠćÖ±²„ Law virtual Symposium
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Affiliation: Associate Lecturer, Catholic University of Central Africa
Country: Cameroon
Abstract: Reflective Practice Amid Institutional Disorientation: Ethical Capacity Building For Legal Professionals In The Cameroon Judicial System
Legal professionals working in contexts of institutional disorientation face ethical challenges that extend beyond formal rules and statutory recognition. The Cameroon judicial system illustrates this through the experience of court registrars, who occupy a central yet often marginalized role in the administration of justice. Despite significant legal, administrative, and ethical responsibilities, registrars operate within environments marked by inconsistent compliance, unclear hierarchies, and fragmented professional recognition, exposing them to heightened ethical risk. This paper examines how institutional disorientation shapes ethical judgement, professional identity, and wellbeing among court registrars. It advances reflective practice as a practical approach to ethical capacity building and proposes its integration into judicial training and institutional culture to strengthen professional integrity and resilience.
Bio: I am a socio-legal scholar, legal administrator, and courtroom practitioner with over a decade of experience at the intersection of judicial practice, governance reform, and access to justice in Africa. I have lectured at the Catholic University of Central Africa and conducted research on judicial ethics, digital justice and institutional accountability, integrating doctrinal and socio-legal approaches with professional practice. A 2024 Mandela Washington Fellow, I bring practitioner-informed insight into the ethical pressures facing legal professionals in institutionally fragile contexts. I founded the Get Away Corruption Initiative and The Shining Pathways to promote integrity, empowerment, and reintegration. My work advances reflective practice, professional integrity and institutional resilience.
Where presenting: ¾ÅŠćÖ±²„ Law virtual Symposium
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Affiliation: Family Justice Clinic Director, University of Idaho College of Law
Country: USA
Abstract: Beyond a Case Plan: Applying the Structure of Reflective Supervision for Mental Health Providers to Clinical Legal Education
Over the last 100, and especially the last 20 years, advocates within and outside of social work, medicine, and psychology/mental health have worked to decolonize hierarchical supervision and decision-making structures to center human needs. This reform has produced the practice of āreflective supervision.ā While some clinical educators, especially those serving clients in crisis, utilize elements of reflective practice or the term āreflective supervision,ā most would benefit from an updated understanding of the approach. In clinical psychology, reflective supervision differs from clinical supervision, which is goal, outcome, policy and timeline oriented. Reflective supervision regularly explores emotional, relational, and personal issues. This enhances self-awareness, fosters empathy, and helps manage the impact of trauma, and benefits clients as providers improve their self- awareness, understanding of personal biases, empathy and relationship-building skills. This presentation examines reflective practice in clinical psychology and offers an updated version of the framework for attorney-supervisors who are not mental health providers.
Bio: Anya Perret, J.D., MSEd, is the Director of the University of Idahoās Family Justice Clinic. After college, Professor Perret worked for five years in the child welfare system. Disturbed by the biases and harms inherent in that system, she attended law school, graduating from the University of Pennsylvania. She worked for nearly five years representing children and parents separated in the foster care system. She recently completed her first year as the Director of the Family Justice Clinic, where she and her students work to provide holistic, trauma-informed civil legal assistance to victims of family and sexual violence.
Where presenting: ¾ÅŠćÖ±²„ Law virtual Symposium
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Affiliation: Founder of Just Brilliant LLC, Adjunct professor at Quinnipiac and Seton Hall Law Schools
Country: USA
Abstract: Reflective Practice Playbook: Multi-ModalāÆExperiential ActivitiesāÆto GuideāÆIntegrativeāÆReflective DevelopmentāÆināÆLegal EducationāÆand Law Practice
Co-presenting with Susanne van der Meer and J. Kim Wright. This paper guides legal educators in designing a reflective curriculum that moves from abstract technical mastery toward law as a living ecosystem rooted in human values. We will provide instructions for a series of reflective exercises and tools, supported by stories and photos from practitioners, thematic evidence and references for further exploration. Using the metaphor of the Integrative Law Garden, the overarching perspective is how law students need fertile soil, deep roots, and nourishment to serve with purpose and resilience in their future law practice. Integrative law sustains the soil through emerging competencies such as emotional intelligence, cultural humility, reconciliation, trauma-informed lawyering, and foresight. These competencies can be developed through experiential reflection. Reflective self-awareness helps (future) lawyers to identify what strengthens or weakens their roots, and how values like curiosity, compassion, and creativity can support sustainability and growth. The multi-modal approach of this playbook - verbal, visual, and somatic ā brings nourishment to grow adaptive expertise in real world situations. Educators will find evidence-informed, practical, and inspiring reflective strategies grow a more human-centred, regenerative legal profession.
Bio: Kara McCarthy Perry, J.D., is an integrative lawyer, educator, and scholar working at the intersection of law and wellbeing. Drawing on two decades of corporate law experience alongside training in yoga, meditation, Yoga Nidra, and laughter yoga, she brings embodiment directly into legal education. Kara teaches at Quinnipiac University School of Law and Seton Hall University School of Law, where she integrates contemplative and experiential methods into courses on negotiation, professional identity, and lawyer wellbeing. Her scholarship explores embodied negotiation, relational contracting, spiritual intelligence, and reflective practice as foundations for sustainable practice and meaningful professional lives. Beyond the classroom and conference room, Kara leads embodied workshops focused on lawyer wellbeing and teaches yoga in studio and community settings, helping translate reflection from idea to lived experience. She serves in leadership roles with the Institute for Wellbeing in Law and Mindfulness in Law Society. Through her work, Kara supports law students and legal professionals in cultivating clarity, connection, and purpose. She is also the founder of Just Brilliant LLC.
Where presenting: ¾ÅŠćÖ±²„ Law virtual Symposium
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Affiliation: Assistant Professor, Radboud University
Country: Netherlands
Abstract: The Ethical Lawyer of the Future: Challenges and Opportunities for Fostering Reflection on Broader Societal Context in a Law School
This presentation is co-presented with Aurora Canova. Reflection on the broader social context of legal problems is increasingly recognized as essential in legal education, particularly during rule-of-law crises. However, traditional legal education models are ill-fitted to integrate such reflection. This presentation is a case study of obstacles and opportunities for embedding reflection on societal context at the law school of Radboud University (Netherlands), based on interviews with staff and students and our experience at the Radboud Law Clinic. Although the law school adheres to the traditional positive law-oriented teaching model, both staff and students acknowledge the importance of reflecting on broader societal issues. Challenges for integrating such reflection include not only curricular inflexibility and traditional assessment methods, but also failure to demonstrate relevance and connect reflection to students' personal experiences. Radboud Law Clinic seeks to address these challenges by offering experiential learning opportunities that foster critical global citizenship. Understanding these challenges and opportunities can help traditionally oriented law schools embed meaningful reflection on societal context into their curricula.
Bio: I have been working on clinical legal education and professional (criminal defence) lawyering, including reflective practice, both as a practitioner and academic, for more than two decades. I have published nationally and internationally on these topics. I am currently involved/play a leading role in several initiatives, which aim to promote innovation in legal education, including experiential learning, interdisciplinary learning, and the study of law in context. These include the Dutch-Flemish Association for Law & Society (VSR) (of which I am a Board Member), the Maastricht-Radboud initiative on global citizenship education (which I co-established), and the OA journal Law & Method, the European Network for Clinical Legal Education. In the past, I have overseen the development of a highly successful professional training program for criminal defence lawyers, based on reflective practice, which was replicated in several counties. More recently, I have helped establish and run the Radboud Law Clinic.
Where presenting: ¾ÅŠćÖ±²„ Law virtual Symposium
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Affiliation: Adjunct Professor and Instructor, Georgia State University College of Law
Country: USA
Abstract: Purple Reign: How the Artistry of Prince Helps Law Students - and the Professors that Teach Them - Explore Professional Identity.
What will you bring to the profession? Who will you be in the profession? What good will come from you being in the profession? Many law students suspect there is something akin to a hidden wholeness in the vocation of law, an essence that can be coaxed out of its secret cave and made a part of an identity worth pursuing. Recent American Bar Association standards requiring teaching professional identity promises law students that part of their legal education will reward their yearning for professional meaning. Alongside is the sense that a pall hangs over the legal profession questioning its responsive capacity to governing schisms. Law professors need an inspired and creative means of engaging these twin pedagogical concerns. Adapted from The Reflective Lawyer course at Georgia State University College of Law, this article describes four dynamic areas that shape the contours of divining meaningful professional presence, tapping the lyrical artistry of Prince as tour guide for the journey. It also urges law teachers to embrace the attending moral-centric plea of reflective identity to strengthen the capacities of lawyers at a time when purpose and moral meaning is sorely needed.
Bio: Derrick Alexander Pope is a self-described composer and conductor of ideas. He teaches Legislative Drafting, Legislative Advocacy, and The Reflective Lawyer at Georgia State University College of Law, having also previously taught Race, Ethnicity, and the Law, and Probate Practice and Procedure. Pope is the founder and managing director of The Arc of Justice Foundation, Inc. and host of its critically acclaimed podcast, Hidden Legal Figures. From a career that spans private legal practice, providing counsel to officials in the legislative and executive branches of government, and teaching, Pope brings to this symposium a singular perspective on how reflective practice invites lawyers to locate āmissing moral meaningā in their work, to explore the greater dimension that supplies the vocation of law its justice-aimed purpose, and to promote wellbeing by reframing the differences believed to exist between personal and professional values from a conflict of laws to a compliment of laws.
Where presenting: ¾ÅŠćÖ±²„ Law virtual Symposium
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Affiliation: Senior Lecturer, Central Queensland University
Country: Australia
Abstract: Navigating the Complexity of Polycrisis as Legal Educators: Reflective Practice as a Transformative Process
This presentation is co-presented with Alexandra McEwan. Educational initiatives designed to develop law studentsā reflective capacity offer opportunities for reflective practice in teaching and research. To illustrate this potential, we present a reflective enquiry of an international study tour in which students developed their understanding of wildlife law and protection via cultural immersion and applied legal research. We conducted research to understand student experience using transformative learning theory, and over three years, completed a cycle of data analysis and publication. Our understanding and relationship to this project evolved through challenge and conversation. Now, we turn the analytical lens upon ourselves to ask: āWas the experience transformative for us?ā. In answering this question, we elucidate how our research facilitated our reflective practice and our understanding of polycrisis as an embodied reckoning of multiple power flows and pressures on our practice. We consider how reflective competence can support educators to navigate dimensions of polycrisis, including the implications of educational travel in the context of climate change and postcolonialism, and the impacts on regional student cohorts.
Bio: Luke is the Head of Clinical Legal Education at Central Queensland University. His research considers the potential of, and risks arising from, new technologies such as self-help tools, social media, and videoconferencing, and how these impact community legal services and legal education. He has experience of clinical legal education and pro bono legal practice in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia.
Where presenting: ¾ÅŠćÖ±²„ Law virtual Symposium
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Country: Australia
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Where presenting: Australasian Law Academics Association (ALAA) conference