Jack of All Trades, Master of Opportunity: A Conversation with Author Steven I. Friedland

Meet Steve.

As a Law Professor at Elon University, Steve Friedland loves teaching and learning new things, but admits getting into law was more “happenstance than intentionality.” As a junior in undergraduate, Friedland tells the story simply: “I happened to be walking through a law school and said, ‘This looks like a pretty neat place.’ I did not have any lawyers in the family but the closest one, my backdoor neighbor, was a nice guy and it sounded like something I probably would like. So I applied and lo and behold, I got in. And I figured, ‘Well, why not?’” Now, he teaches in a variety of subjects and is always incorporating new things into his teaching style and courses.

“It's been a joyride. I feel like I got a golden ticket.” — Steve Friedland

With Carolina Academic Press, Friedland has authored upwards of 20 titles, encompassing books in our Global Papers series with Russell Weaver, criminal law, evidence, constitutional law, and law school teaching. His latest, Legal Rules for Law Students: How to Create Deep, Chunked Knowledge, is all about ways to help law students learn better and retain what they are taught.

“I don't know when, but years ago I met Keith [Founder and Publisher at CAP] and we instantly hit it off,” Friedland says. “I loved his varied perspectives… and I had an amazing amount of respect for what he's done and his open mindedness. I think Keith is one of the innovators in legal education. He has made a huge impact and has done amazing things, not just for CAP, but for all of us.? I don't think people see the extent of his influence. He's really changed a lot of the profession when it comes to publishing.”

As an author and a professor, Friedland explains, “The book creates the course. And I think Keith has realized that…our traditional textbooks [have] changed a lot…I've worked with other publishers, but this is really a great experience.”

Becoming a Professor

After clerking for a judge, Friedland got a call from a professor asking if he would like to teach evidence law at the University of Miami in six months. While Friedland knew little about teaching to start, he had plenty of inspiration to pull from as he became a professor. “There were two great teachers in my family: my parents.” His mother was an elementary school physical education teacher and Friedland admits: “I used to make fun of what she did, thinking it probably wasn't all that arduous, but actually—she's probably the best teacher I've ever known… She really knew what she was doing.” Now, after 30 years of teaching, he still loves it. “It's been a joyride. I feel like I got a golden ticket.”?

Friedland mostly teaches first year students, but shares, “I'm one of these ‘jack of all trades, master of none.’” Friedland started out filling in and now teaches constitutional law, property law, evidence, criminal law, health law, and trial law. “My goals are to teach students not just the subject matter, but really, about good practices,” Friedland says. “It's really about how to be a healthy lawyer—And sometimes, those two things — health and lawyering — don't go together.” But mostly, Friedland wants his students to have a happy job. “I've got one, I'm trying to help them get one.”

Teaching, Inspiration, and Motivation

“I hope students ask whatever questions they have,” Friedland says. “Because there's no such thing as a stupid question. There's this Imposter Syndrome that happens to us… And students think, ‘I don't want to deal with this teacher right now, I don't want to expose myself to any ridicule or harm.’ But I think asking questions is the way to learn.” Friedland goes on to say that even just listening can be as valuable for students as asking questions. “Just listening, even if they don't have a question, to what is going on between teacher and students… Other people have the same questions.”

“I didn't ask questions in law school. I felt like, 'please put that invisibility wrap around me!’ I wanted to feel protected, I didn't want to talk. But I don't think that's a good approach to law school. I think you get a lot more out of it when you're engaged in the discourse and you're just seeking answers.” Friedland says.

“I think it's great when students ask questions. That to me is a sign of life, interest, engagement. I think that's a really positive thing.”

Friedland adds one more motivation for students: “Thomas Friedman… told his children that ‘PQ plus CQ beats IQ any day.’ And I love it,” He continues. His innate desire to teach brings about this explanation: “What's ‘PQ?’ Perseverance quotient. Law school is about perseverance. You’ve got to persevere. But the ‘CQ’ is curiosity, or, creativity quotient. And I think curiosity is really what law school is all about. If you're going for judgment, that closes. Curiosity opens. And I think it's really important to have that open mind and keep asking questions.”

Friedland notes that oftentimes students think law school is about getting the answer first, rather than asking questions. “I think asking questions is more than a formality. It's really a good mindset.” Something Friedland has expertly delved into his new title, Legal Rules for Law Students.

Exploring the Neuroscience-Law Intersection in Legal Rules for Law Students

With a focus on using neuroscientific research to help students learn rules better, Legal Rules for Law Students is a title unlike any other on the market. “One of the things that struck me from doing research on neuroscience…, especially educational neuroscience, is that expert learners not only can spot patterns, but they have deep, chunked knowledge.” He compares it to chess players: “It's not that their brains are bigger, but that they see different moves. They understand how one move relates to another and things like that.”

Thanks to a colleague, Friedland was introduced to the knowledge that neuroscientific principles have dramatically expanded over the last decade, and could be useful in other academic domains.

“My goal is to give them the ‘expert chess master approach’ to law knowledge, and it's a chunked knowledge of law.”

“For example, [my colleague] taught me that when we talk about ‘learning styles,’ that's not really true—Our brain is a pattern seeking device. We love taking mental shortcuts, called ‘Heuristics.’ We see that today with confirmation bias, we look for things that'll support what we already know.” He goes on to list and explain several factors that affect students’ retention like the ‘Forgetting Curve,’ ‘Space Repetition,’ and benefits of working in a pleasant environment—Friedland keeps a plant behind him in his home office.

Neuroscience is just one of the many things that influences Friedland’s teaching though. He explains that he incorporates all sorts of innovative elements into his style. “I try to engage everyone… There's a study that says people tune out after 7 to 9 minutes of lecture, so I try to keep it really short. Lots of small groups. Lots of questioning, lots of curiosity. Lots of deliverables,” he says. “I try to reverse the field and ask students, 'what questions would you ask?’” His goal is to try to challenge his students, “but in a good way,” and in an environment where it's “learner-centered and assessment-centered.”

“My favorite review came from a student who flunked many times. He basically said, ‘this book helped me pass the bar.’ And I thought, that's great.” Now, the student is a lawyer and doing quite well, Friedland says. “They got through the bar. They're really good with people. They were good with listening. They really did a great job.”

When asked about what is meaningful in teaching, Friedland says, "If you have a feeling at the end of a course that, "Hey, I am going to miss this group in this course, that's what counts.? I have been given some awards, including ones for teaching for entire universities including Elon.? So that's pretty nice."

“But it's really nice when you have just that feeling of 'this worked out nicely. This was good. Students had a good time. I had a good time.’”

However, Friedland says that students and peers might be surprised to know that he’s not always confident things will work out. “I've been doing this a long time, but each time I'm kind of worried,” he laughs. “You're always thinking, 'Is this going to work now? Is it still going to be okay? Are they going to throw tomatoes at me?' That kind of thing.”?

But after years of teaching, he’s had so many great interactions with students that it’s all seemed to work out right so far. “I really try to create good rapport and relationships with students. I mean, I read…that there's only two things you need to do to be a good teacher: be organized and show you care.” While there are lots of ways to do that, Friedland says, sometimes a nice word in an email can be just as valuable as what’s going on in class. But Friedland’s goal has always been to motivate his students and keep them engaged.?

“It's really nice when you have just that feeling of 'this worked out nicely. This was good. Students had a good time. I had a good time.’”

Read more about Friedland’s new title from Carolina Academic Press, Legal Rules for Law Students: How to Create Deep, Chunked Knowledge here and check out more of his titles with CAP here.

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