ABSTRACT
Upon first glance into almost any American law school classroom, the observer is struck by the distinctive nature of the interactions which routinely occur there. It is quickly apparent that instruction in law school is characteristically different from teaching in other types of university classes where lecturing is the primary format (Stevens, 1971; Goffman, 1981). Central to the uniqueness of law school training are the locally organized pedagogic interchanges which make for the real time practice, development and material display of a distinctively legal competency and expertise.1,2 What is being taught and learned in law school is not just the substantive legal curriculum, but more generally, a mode of professional conduct.
