February 16, 2023

Our February program will be presented by Wake Forest University School of Law Professor Kenneth Townsend.

Lawyers are expected to be leaders in a variety of contexts, but there are no guarantees that legal education or legal practice will equip a lawyer for leadership. Even earnest efforts to inculcate leadership skills can fall flat if they do not consider broader questions associated with the purpose of law and legal work, the agency of individual lawyers to effect change, and the communities that shape and support lawyers. If leadership training is not integrated into the culture of legal institutions and into the identity of law students and lawyers, leadership training risks being seen as a nonessential luxury, a marketing gimmick, or a regulatory box-ticking exercise rather than fundamental to good lawyering. Proper attention to these preconditions of leadership will redound not only to the advantage of individual lawyers who often struggle to find professional satisfaction but also to the legal profession, which is widely distrusted by the public. This presentation will outline ways in which the study and practice of law can frustrate the realization of key preconditions of leadership -- including purpose, agency, and community -- while also presenting concrete strategies for developing these and other capacities among law students and lawyers.