Leadership is a key component of other professional schools, particularly business and policy programs. But it’s less emphasized in law schools. Should it be taught in law schools, and what are the most important elements for them to learn? Another critical question is whether leadership training will make a real difference for lawyers as they move into the profession.

In this episode, Berkeley Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky is joined by three expert leaders to talk about what’s happening and what law schools can do to make an impact in this area: 

• Christopher Edley, who spent 23 years at Harvard Law School before leading Berkeley Law as dean from 2004 to 2013. He recently finished a term as interim dean of the UC Berkeley School of Education and has a public policy portfolio, including government service, stretching over four decades. 
• Janet Napolitano, who served as president of the University of California from 2013 to 2020, as the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security under President Barack Obama, and as governor and attorney general of Arizona. She’s now a professor of public policy at Berkeley and director of the new Center for Security in Politics.
• Donald Polden, dean emeritus and a professor at Santa Clara University School of Law, where he was dean from 2003 to 2013 and helped develop its curriculum for leadership education.

Want to know more about the leadership courses offered by Berkeley Law’s Executive Education Program, including Leadership in the Legal Profession, a groundbreaking 10-week leadership course? Click here to see a course description and find out when applications for the spring 2024 cohort will be accepted. 

Have a question about the law, or a topic you’d like us to cover? Send an email to morejust@berkeley.edu to tell us your thoughts. 

For a transcript, please visit the episode page on the Berkeley Law podcast hub.

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