Steve Kourabas
Faculty of Law
The class that made the law make sense
How one educator is helping students move beyond memorising rules — to question power, build confidence, and see their place in the legal system.
What are you doing differently in your field that you believe is driving real change?
Corporations law is often taught in a very technical manner. You go through the very comprehensive legislation and read it like a checklist of rules about how to run companies. This is how I learnt the subject – we literally read the legislation in class. I take a different approach. We study Corporations Law as a series of relationships and we consider the corporation as a social institution that has at its core, power. This means that we can ask 'why' the law operates in a particular way, and ‘who’ is trying to pursue what aims? So, for instance, if we are looking at the role of corporations on climate change: Who do our corporations' laws empower?; What are their motivations?; How does this affect others in society; and do we think that things should be different? In this way, students are operating as legal professionals with a broader role in society.
How do you help students build confidence, not just knowledge?
Students are encouraged to lead in the way that makes them feel most comfortable and each student in class commits to taking 'leadership' on one topic that we will discuss in class. Some students like to prepare a 'speech' and have an informal conversation with me regarding their topic following the speech. Others prefer to have a 'conversation' with me and the class, interjecting at key points in our discussion and gradually building their confidence as they receive prompts from me and their classmates. Yet others work in groups to 'debate' different aspects of a topic as this provides a greater sense of control at the start and allows them to gradually build up to a more open discussion. When they observe others leading, this gives them confidence in their own leadership. I have observed them gaining the confidence to participate and engage on a more informal, unplanned basis after they have seen others lead and after they have had an opportunity to lead themselves.
I hope my students remember that we did really interesting work together. That we had some fun doing it. ”
I also get students to work in groups to draft legal advice to a client. The groups exchange drafts and receive peer feedback. In this way, they get the chance to see how their peers are working. They gain confidence as they are entrusted to provide peer feedback. As lawyers, they will need to establish the trust of their co-lawyers, of the courts, of clients and of society. In this task, they start to experience what it means to be entrusted to provide real feedback on the work of others. They then provide their final version. We go through these anonymised drafts in class on screen. I provide feedback, I ask how it might improve work and identify what we did really well. The point of making them anonymous is so that those with confidence can take on leadership roles. Those who may be less comfortable speaking out in large classes get to see their contributions have a real effect. This illustrates to them that there is not one way to have impact. Different people take on different roles, and each can play a vital part in helping achieve important goals. Students get to see that their contribution mattered. They also get to see the work of others, to understand that everyone is going through the same thing that they are and that they have unique contributions that they can make.
What do you hope your students take away from their time with you? Is there a student moment you’ll never forget, and why?
I want students to take away four things. The first two relate to how we engage with the law. First, possessing legal knowledge and skills provides them with power in society. They can do great things with this no matter their chosen profession. They should not feel confined in what they choose to do following university. Second, understanding history and theory (the 'how' and the 'why') has practical application. It will make them stand out, and will offer them a great sense of fulfilment. It may be satisfying in the short term to receive a good grade, but it is much more valuable in the long-run to truly understand. The third and fourth relate to how they operate in the law. Third, it is important to be motivated and to seek to excel. But understand that failure is also an important part of life. It is okay to fail. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, as lawyers, it is important to remember that we are there to help others as our primary goal. There is a sense of service we must observe. We are the people that others rely on when they are in need. That is difficult, but rewarding.
There are so many student moments that I will never forget. One example, recently, I had a student in Corporations Law write me an email. They expressed that my class had helped them understand the law where they had otherwise struggled. They told me that learning for them had to be 'different' and that our class helped them understand the law in a way that they had not previously understood. That is a great message. To hear that the law 'clicked' for them and that they enjoyed it.
What do you hope your students remember about you 10 years from now? What mindset do you want your students to carry into their careers?
I hope they remember that we did really interesting work together. That we had some fun doing it. That my class gave them confidence to think about big questions in law...and that I made movie, TV and music recommendations that they may not have appreciated at the time but that they have since discovered are great.
How do you tailor your teaching approach to engage and inspire today's students?
There needs to be a lot more 'conversation' than just 'lecturing'. Although, being able to speak in public remains a vital legal skill and observing effective lecturing is, therefore, important in law where it may not be so important in other fields. The aim is to build knowledge in the classroom, rather than merely to provide knowledge in the classroom. To inspire, you need to be an effective story-teller. That is what effective lawyers, and legal educators, do.