Climate change is one of the most pressing challenges of our time, It is therefore “about time” we transformed legal education to ensure the next generation of lawyers is provided training to be ‘climate conscious’ legal practitioners. Climate conscious pedagogy will require challenging conventional boundaries and ways of doing things. The development of open educational resources is crucial for equipping students to navigate a fast-paced and rapidly changing legal environment. Drawing on a survey of subject coordinators and teachers from across all Australian law schools, this presentation will shine a light on the extent to which climate change is currently being incorporated into the teaching of both compulsory law subjects and electives. The presentation will identify opportunities for developing responsive and open-access pedagogical materials and teaching practices to prepare students for their professional lives in light of the global challenge of climate change.
Attendees of this session will be able to:- Understand the current barriers to and opportunities for open-access legal education
- Appreciate of the intersection between open-access legal education and climate justice
- Articulate the role of responsive and accessible pedagogical materials and teaching practices in preparing students for their professional lives in light of the global challenge of climate change
