If you take a walk around the law library, you will find that the faculty offices are built around the stacks, and that professors often leave their doors open. Generally, should you walk into one of the offices to ask a question, talk about a project you might wish to pursue, or simply say hello, you will be welcome. Moreover, in our experience faculty welcome email from students and respond to it thoughtfully for those of us who are shy about barging into professors offices, email facilitates communication. And during the second and third year, if you decide to pursue them, opportunities abound to work closely with professors as a research assistant, through work on a journal, in an independent study, or even in a seminar. Faculty accessability and the small size of the Law School translates into exciting classes.
Students speak their minds openly in class, and their views are received by professors with respect.
This does not mean that everything we say is on target, but rather that our ideas are considered seriously. Even a lecture with one hundred students in attendance can turn into a lively discussion about the societal value of a particular legal doctrine. And while it is true that a professor is likely to have a strong intellectual orientation that affects his or her interpretation of the law, this is so simply because the professor has integrated his beliefs with his convictions about the way the world should be. This is a desirable thing. It does not mean that the professor insists his students share his world-view.