INTRODUCTION TO RESILIENCE THEORY

We start in this introduction with a short list of activities that can increase resilience, and return to this list at the end of this chapter:

As mentioned in the last chapter, the three things thatmost correlate with well-being are relatedness to others, autonomy, and competence.2 Law school can undermine all three of these things. When it comes to competence in particular, it is critical to recognize that you will not be good at law school when you first arrive. The skills learned in law school are ones that improve only with practice, so that is why you are there.

As explained by George Washington University School of Law Professor Todd Petersen, virtually all legal training involves learning a skill, not a substantive knowledge base. It is not about learning torts or contracts, per se, but learning how to develop the analytical skills needed to practice law. In other words, learning law is more like learning to play tennis than learning anatomy.3 There is very little to memorize. You are learning to use and apply the law, and to analyze new situations, like those you will face when you see clients. For these skills, you need practice.

When we throw students into the Socratic method in law school classes, we do not explain that they are learning a skill, not substantive knowledge. If we did, they would understand that they are not supposed to be good at it when they start. Like tennis, only practice can improve the skill.