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Liberty Law professor raises the bar for legal education with in-depth, practical skills training

Scott Thompson has been teaching at Liberty since 2004 (Photo by KJ Jugar)

Learning the law of the land and acquiring the skills necessary to practice law are both essential elements for today’s law school students.

“Law school education has kind of been through a revolution in the last couple of decades, and Liberty has been on the cutting edge,” said Liberty University School of Law professor Scott Thompson. “We are intentional in training our students for the actual practice of law.”

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the American Bar Association began a study in which it interviewed law firm partners, stakeholders, and government attorneys, asking them where young lawyers were coming up short.

“Resoundingly, they all said the lawyers entering the field knew the law, but they did not know how to practice it,” Thompson said.

As director of the Center for Lawyering Skills at Liberty Law, Thompson has been able to instill the personal side of the profession into his students through the rigorous, six-semester program that helps students develop broad communication skills which enable them to write clearly and speak persuasively. Their analytical ability, problem-solving skills, and alternative dispute resolution techniques will be honed, and they’ll also learn how to help clients achieve their goals through proper planning.

“I appreciate what we are teaching them because I know a lot of the skills we are teaching here I didn’t possess when I was a brand-new lawyer,” Thompson said.

Thompson served for four years as an attorney in the Norfolk office of Hunton & Williams, one of the largest law firms in the U.S., before arriving at Liberty Law in 2004. He teaches courses in his areas of expertise: Lawyering Skills (which include legal research and writing, contract drafting, and civil motion practice), Appellate Advocacy, Professional Responsibility, and Advanced Appellate Advocacy.

Photo by Payton VanHorn

Thompson has used his gifts in forensics to coach Liberty Law’s successful Moot Court team, which has already distinguished itself in presentations before members of the Virginia Bar and Bench and other states throughout the nation. Liberty Law has been competing in moot court since the law school was founded in 2004 and has become one of the top programs in the country. Teams pair up and write a brief for a mock case that resembles (and, in some cases, is identical to) a Supreme Court case. They prepare oral arguments for both sides of an issue.

Thompson said Liberty Law students are gaining the finest training in the country, largely due to the skills program, their practice during moot court, and mentorship of a highly trained faculty.

“Our faculty come from a variety of backgrounds,” he said. “Former prosecutors, former judges, former civil attorneys. We have a great breadth of experience, and because most of us came from a law practice background, we are convinced that the skills program plays a vital part of the Liberty Law’s approach to teaching law.”

Thompson said the faculty is dedicated to providing a practical skills curriculum that is built on the solid foundation of a Christian worldview. Over the course of his own career, he said faith has become the driving force in his life.

“I’ve had offers to go to other law schools to teach, but I would never even consider going somewhere where I didn’t have the opportunity to not only teach law from a Christian perspective, but to have a spiritual impact on my students and be very open in sharing my faith,” he said. “We know that not every Liberty Law student is a Christian, but we know that a number of students have come to Christ during law school (as a result) of things that have been shared in the class, because faculty members have actually shared the Gospel.”

Recently, Thompson felt led in one of his classes to share the story of how the Lord financially provided for him while he was attending law school. The next day, a student entered Thompson’s office with tears streaming down his face, thankful that his professor had offered encouragement regarding the season of life he was going through at the time he needed the reminder most.

“I didn’t know that when I shared it,” Thompson said. “I believe the Holy Spirit led me to share that on that particular day, and it had an impact on someone I never anticipated. Those moments are just incredibly fulfilling. You see how the Lord used you through something that He brought you through to then minister to someone who was going through something similar.”

Thompson and his wife, Cathy, host a weekly Bible study in their home that is sometimes attended by law students.

“The fact that we are able to live out our faith not only in those home fellowships but also every day that I’m with my students in class, and with those who stop by my office to share their struggles and things they are going through, is very impactful,” he said.

He said teaching has been the greatest season of his career — “the opportunity to impact hundreds of graduates, and hopefully hundreds more to come.”

“When I then see years later that our graduates are using the skills that I instilled in them, that is my greatest legacy from a law perspective,” he added. “Seeing those students applying the skills that they learned and then getting back in touch with me to say, ‘I’ve just had the chance to put this into practice, and I’m thankful for how you invested in me,’ that means more to me than anything I’ve ever accomplished as a lawyer.”

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