How To Manage Group Projects In Law School

Group projects have become de facto in law school. While independent work is still in demand, the ability to work well in groups has developed in school because it has become a skill the modern business world values.

Succeeding in group work is not just a matter of incorporating project management skills, which involves analytical problem solving and stakeholder management. In law school, students are valued for their abilities to read critically, write well, and communicate effectively. By working in groups, all three areas are put to a peer evaluation prior to an instructor’s assessment. Ideally, this should result in an increase of self-awareness and thus improvement.

A law school student’s ability to research, read and analyze will be present both in group work as well as independent. Therefore, to be successful in group work, you must develop group dynamic skills.

STATUS
Equality is rare in life, and it will be rare in your group. Certain students will be perceived to have more status by virtue of their grades, their abilities, or their background. The problem with status in the group is that studies show group members who feel inferior in status will try to compensate by ingratiating themselves with the perceived higher status members. This can result in anything from awkward discussions to an unfair balance of work.

To counter this problem, you can either try to form groups where each member’s status is approximately tantamount or try to work again with the same members in an effort to move toward a balance in status.

COMMUNICATION
Obviously, an effective attorney is one who can argue persuasively. However, if all you’re doing is arguing with your work group, you’re going to have trouble completing much of anything.

The ability to listen will help not only with your group work, but also will help you deal more effectively with clients, judges, witnesses and everyone else you will encounter.

A big part of listening has to do with nonverbal communication. When someone else in your group is speaking, how are you sitting, where are you looking? Without realizing it, you might be communicating a sense of judgment toward the speaker which will influence how and what the speaker reveals to you.

Likewise you need to be able to listen even as you’re speaking, which means again you need to pay attention to nonverbal communication. How are the others sitting while you’re speaking, where are they looking? Do you feel you are being judged as you speak? There are cultural differences also you might need to become aware of, as not all body language means the same thing to people from different backgrounds.

A class or some research in body language or nonverbal communication could buff up your own instinctive skills in this vital area of group work.

LEADERSHIP
Each group project is an exercise in government, meaning each group decides either consciously or not, on whether to be leader-based or democratic. Regardless, leaders eventually emerge simply due to the fact that certain individuals have more talent in specific areas.

It’s important that you do not overindulge in either always being the leader or never being the leader. You should demonstrate both an ability to guide others and an understanding of how to follow another.

Advertisement

Get More Information