Law is a learned profession. Members of our profession have a duty to help and to teach other members. A law professor is at his or her best when the professor facilitates an environment in which students learn from the resources of the library, the knowledge of the professor, and perhaps most importantly, from the rich background and the thoughtful and inquiring discussion offered by fellow students. Being a learned profession also implies an obligation to teach that extends beyond law school. I believe law professors have a duty to teach and learn from members of the practicing bench and bar.
Lawyers teach each other.
In this community they also teach law students. Practicing lawyers and judges also participate in our endeavors by judging moot court arguments and other competitions, as well as through participation in the UW Law School continuing legal education program, which offers more than 30 courses per year to more than 2,500 attendees. This Law School has a thriving mentor-mentee program. Now in its tenth year, the program has grown so that now every entering student has an attorney or judge to mentor them through the first year. Last Wednesday the Law School and the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association sponsored a reception attended by more than 200 mentors and mentees.