In an increasingly polarized world, Baylor Law School is taking proactive steps to equip future legal professionals with an essential skill set: the art of civil discourse. Starting this year, every first-quarter law student will participate in Baylor Law School’s newly developed Civil Discourse Workshop, a pioneering initiative led by Baylor Fellow and Professor of Law Leah Teague.
The Civil Discourse Workshop is the latest initiative in Baylor Law School’s long-standing commitment to developing professional and ethical lawyer leaders. The training aims to provide aspiring lawyers with the skills to listen well and have civil, professional discussions on contentious or emotional subjects. Early emphasis on these abilities helps Baylor Law School develop ethical leaders and capable advocates who can work and engage constructively with various viewpoints and diverse perspectives.
Why Civil Discourse Matters
By the nature of their unique roles, lawyers are often asked to enter into high-stakes disputes. As Professor Teague explains, the adversarial nature of legal practice “can test a lawyer’s commitment to professionalism.” She emphasizes the workshop’s significance: “Lawyers’ individual and collective conduct not only shapes public opinion of the legal profession but also significantly influences public perception of the entire legal system.”
In a society where public discourse has become increasingly combative, lawyers are uniquely responsible for modeling civility and engaging in respectful conversations, even on contentious topics. Teague believes that instilling these values early in student’s law school journeys will help Baylor Law graduates become professionals who can “negotiate, debate, and disagree without being disagreeable.”
The workshop aligns with the American Bar Association’s Standard 303(b), which emphasizes professional identity formation as a core component of legal education. “At the earliest possible moment, we want law students to recognize and own their responsibility to conduct themselves with honor and integrity,” Teague says.
A Unique Program with Student Leadership at Its Core
Baylor Law School’s Civil Discourse Workshop integrates innovative and interactive exercises to teach students essential skills in active listening, respectful engagement, and the identification of common ground. A notable aspect of this program is the participation of upper-level law students, who facilitate small group discussions among their fellow students through guided dialogue and collaboration. Students in Teague’s Leadership Engagement and Development (LEAD) class tested the material, trained to facilitate discussions, and served as peer mentors to the participating first-year students. “The 1L students enjoy the opportunity to seek advice and guidance from those further along in law school,” Teague notes.
How it Works
A listening exercise emphasizing the value of polite and engaged dialogue opens the workshop. The students pair off, one with a story to share, the other to listen attentively. The listener is told to grow disruptive or disinterested during the activity, and the roles are reversed in a second round. This simple yet powerful activity illustrates a critical lesson: active listening is essential to effective communication.
Next, students participate in a values-based discussion, exploring how shared principles such as compassion, justice, liberty, and security can lead to different conclusions depending on how those values are prioritized. Teague explains, “While a community may agree that values such as compassion, justice, liberty and security are all important, individuals may differ on how to address an issue. For example, an individual who believes the community should strictly enforce immigration laws is likely to prioritize justice and security, but that does not mean they do not care about humanity. Conversely, someone who believes the community should assist those who are here illegally is likely to prioritize compassion and individual liberty, and yet still want to live in a safe and just community.”
Finally, students engage in small group discussions on topics where reasonable people may disagree. Guided by trained LEAD facilitators, these conversations offer students a safe environment to practice civil discourse and explore diverse viewpoints.
The Broader Impact
The Civil Discourse Workshop is more than just a new program at Baylor Law School; it exemplifies its long-standing commitment to incorporating professionalism, leadership, and ethics into the curriculum. Through her participation in the Baylor Fellows Program, Teague hopes that student feedback about the workshop will inspire similar efforts across campus.
The Baylor Fellows Program recognizes outstanding teachers across disciplines and provides them with opportunities to experiment with new approaches to teaching. “We are learning so much from one another,” Teague says of her collaboration with other Baylor Fellows. “Our hope is that our collective work will be useful to other departments and inspire innovative ways to incorporate these techniques into classes and programs throughout the university.”
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