German law school models Campbell curriculum

     When the law faculty at Wismar University in Wismar, Germany, wanted to develop courses to teach lawyers how to practice law, as well as how to think like a lawyer, they came to Buies Creek. Or rather, they brought Buies Creek to Wismar.
     Professor William A. Woodruff of the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law at Campbell University just returned from Wismar after making several presentations to the Wismar law faculty on integrating theory and practice in the law school curriculum. The project began last summer when Professor Adreas Bruecker of the Wismar faculty was visiting Duke University School of Law on a research grant seeking to develop innovative ways to integrate theory and practice. A chance encounter with Campbell Law Professor Jean Cary resulted in Bruecker’s visit to Buies Creek and a meeting with Dean Willis Whichard and Woodruff.
    Woodruff explained to Bruecker Campbell’s innovative curriculum that develops critical analytical skills and understanding of legal theory while also teaching would-be lawyers how those analytical skills and legal theory work together to solve legal problems for clients. Campbell’s “think like a lawyer and do like a lawyer” philosophy was just what the Wismar faculty was looking for and the invitation for Woodruff to travel to Germany followed.
    “My time is Wismar was terrific,” Woodruff said. “The German system of legal education and training is somewhat different from the typical American law school, but there is still the need to teach law students how all the legal theory and doctrine applies to real problems. Wismar, like Campbell, wants to be on the cutting edge of training new lawyers how to practice law and not just how to think about the law.”
     Over the course of four days Woodruff presented a seminar to the Wismar faculty on ways to develop simulated clinics and practical application exercises, met with the curriculum development committee, advised individual faculty members on how to integrate simulation and live-clinical experiences into their courses, and presented an overview of theory-practice integration to a group of lawyers who advise and cooperate with the law school in curriculum development.
    “The Wismar faculty was very interested in and excited by the possibilities that lie ahead,” Woodruff said. “No one else in Germany is thinking they way they are and they can be the model for the rest of the country. I’m proud Campbell could help. It was an honor and privilege to participate in their work.”
    The seaport town of Wismar is located along the Baltic Sea in the former East German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
     Woodruff, who lived in Germany from 1962-1966 when his father was stationed there in the U.S. Army, and from 1971-1974 when he was an Army officer, was particularly excited about the trip. “I remember Germany as the front line of the Cold War,” Woodruff said. “It was very gratifying to see the great changes that freedom and reunification has brought. It was particularly gratifying to be talking about teaching lawyers how to practice their profession under a democratic system that follows the rule of law in a place formerly governed by a totalitarian system.”


Bulletin 0100-12/19/05