The Role of Law Schools in Educating Judges to Increase Access to Justice
Date
2011
Authors
Buhai, Sande L.
Kumari, Ved
Omaka C., Amari
Rosenbaum, Stephen A.
Routh, Supriya
Taylor, Anne
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Pacific McGeorge Global Business & Development Law Journal
Abstract
This article' examines the role of judges as public citizens creating access to
justice and, in particular, the roles that law schools play in educating judges to
better perform their crucial role. This article takes a cross-cultural look at the
issue, with contributions from professors and lawyers in India, Nigeria, and the
United States. Of course, many of the institutional processes are different in
various parts of the world, but there are certain commonalities that make for very
interesting comparisons. In some places, individuals can become judges directly
following the completion of law school. In other jurisdictions, the process is
lengthier and may take many years and require much experience as a practicing
lawyer. Other differences include the process of choosing judges by examination,
by election or by appointment. However, the commonalities between the systems
allow us to use the different experiences to shed light on the problem. The
common issue is that, in most places, law schools pay scant attention to what it
means to be a judge and how judges work in the courtroom, even though judges
are the most important functionaries in the court process, as they have the power
to make the final decision.
Description
Keywords
Citation
Buhai, S.L., Kumari, V., Omaka C., A., Rosenbaum, S.A., Routh, S. & Taylor, A. (2011). The Role of Law Schools in Educating Judges to Increase Access to Justice. Pacific McGeorge Global Business & Development Law Journal, 24(1), 161-199. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/globe/vol24/iss1/10/