Thoughtful Practitioners and an Engaged Legal Community: The Impact of the Teaching of Procedure on the Legal Profession and on Civil Justice Reform

What difference does the teaching of civil procedure as an academic subject make to the practice of law, to the professional community in which lawyers practice, and to civil justice reform? In this article, proceduralists from Canada, England and Wales, the United States and Australia analyze the broader implications of teaching civil procedure as an integral feature of an academic legal education rather than as a part of vocational training. They consider ways in which the approach taken to the teaching of procedure in their legal system has influenced the evolution of the profession during a decade of increased public interest in the civil justice system and has had an impact on the approach taken to civil justice reform