Leah Christensen
Leah Christensen
Associate Professor of Law
J.D., University of Iowa College of Law;
B.A., University of Chicago
B.A., University of Chicago
Phone: (619) 961-4264
E-mail: lchristensen@tjsl.edu
Professor Christensen's main scholarship interest focuses on how law students learn most effectively in the classroom. She possesses particular expertise in the fields of law school pedagogy, cognitive psychology, legal reading and learning disabilities, and has published a book and several articles examining the correlation between the way in which law students read and learn the law, and their success in law school. Professor Christensen also studies and writes in the area of international law, particularly as it relates to the cultural differences between the U.S. and China in business negotiations.
Having majored in Chinese during her undergraduate education, Professor Christensen currently teaches in the China Study Abroad Program. She also teaches and writes in the area of Education Law focusing on mediation and special education issues, and advocating for change within our public school systems.
Courses include:
Aspects of Doing Business in China, Evidence, International Negotiations, Legal Writing, Professional Responsibility.
Scholarships
BOOKS
Thinking Outside the Box: A Handbook for Law Students who Learn Differently (Carolina Academic Press, 2011)
ARTICLES, BOOK CHAPTERS, AND ARTICLE-LENGTH WORKS
Legal Reading and Success in Law School: The Reading Strategies of Law Students with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), 12 Scholar 173 (2010)
Enhancing Law School Success: A Study of Goal Orientations, Academic Achievement and the Declining Self-Efficacy of our Law Students 33 Law & Psychol. Rev. 57 (2009)
Sticks, Stones and Schoolyard Bullies: Restorative Justice, Mediation and a New Way to Approach Conflict Resolution in Our Schools, 9 Nev. L.J. 45 (2009)
The Power of Skills: An Empirical Study of Lawyering Skills Grades and the Strongest Predictor of Law School Success (Or In Other Words, It’s Time For Legal Education to Get Serious About Skills Training If We Care About How Our Students Learn) 83 St. John’s L. Rev. 795 (2009)
Show Me Don’t Tell Me: Using The Think Aloud To Teach Case Analysis, Perspectives Winter 2007 J.L. & Pub. Pol’y 174 (2008-2009)
The Paradox Of Legal Expertise: A Study Of Experts And Novices Reading The Law, 2008 BYU Educ. & L.J. 53 (2008)
Law Students Who Learn Differently: A Narrative Case Study Of Three Law Students With Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), 21 J.L. & Health 45 (2008)
Navigating The Law Review Article Selection Process: An Empirical Study Of Those With All The Power-Student Editors, 59 S.C. L. Rev. 175 (2007)
Legal Reading And Success In Law School: An Empirical Study, 30 Seattle U. L. Rev. 603 (2007)
Going Back To Kindergarten: Considering The Application Of Waldorf Education Principles To Legal Education, 40 Suffolk U. L. Rev. 315 (2007)
Legal Reading For The Practice Of Law, Volume 21, No. 2, The Second Draft (2007)
The Psychology Behind Case Briefing: A Powerful Cognitive Schema, Lead Article, 29 Campbell L. Rev. 5 (2006)
Teaching The Difficult Concept Of Respect, Volume 20, No. 1, The Second Draft (2005)
Presentations
The Pedagogy of Teaching International Students: U.S. and China, AALS 2010, Teaching Methods Section, New Orleans, LA
Goodbye Langdell: Using the Problem Method to Teach in Larger Classrooms, Institute for Law School Teaching (ILST) 14th Summer Conference, held at Gonzaga Law School, WA, June 2009
Legal Reading and Law School Success, University of Alberta School of Law, Faculty Roundtable, Edmonton, Canada, Mar. 2009
Goal Orientation and Law School Success: An Empirical Study, AALS Annual Meeting, Section on Balance in Legal Education, San Diego, CA, Jan. 2009
Legal Reading and Law School Success, Howard University Law School, Faculty Colloquium Series, Washington, D.C., Nov. 2008
Legal Rhetoric and Legal Reading, American University School of Law, Legal Rhetoric and the Language of Violence Conference, Washington, D.C., Nov. 2008
Sex, Lies and Law Reviews: Navigating the Law Review Article Selection Process, University of Indiana School of Law, Legal Writing Institute Bi-Annual Conference, July 2008
White Professor/Black Student: Leveling the Playing Field of Achievement in Law School, Howard University Law School, May 2008
Law Students with ADD: A Study of Those Who Learn Differently, The Humanizing Legal Education Conference, Washburn Law School, Oct. 2007
Combating School Violence: The Social Inclusion Approach, Education Law Association, Annual Conference, San Diego, CA, Nov. 2007
Legal Reading: The First R in Legal Education, Too! (co-presenting with Professor Ruth Ann McKinney and Professor David Novotny), LSAC Academic Support Training, University of Miami, June 2007
Legal Reading and Law School Success: An Empirical Study, Institute for Law School Teaching (ILST) 13th Summer Conference, held at Suffolk University Law School Boston, Massachusetts, June 2007
Successful Reading Strategies for ESL Students, The John Marshall Law School, Global Legal Skills Conference, May 2007
Empirical Research Principles as Applied to the Study of Law Students and Lawyers Reading Cases, Midwest Qualitative Research Conference, University of St. Thomas, Apr. 2007
Reading Success and Law Students, University of Nevada at Las Vegas, The Rocky Mountain Regional Legal Writing Conference, Mar. 2007
Legal Reading and Law School Success, AALS Annual Meeting, Section on Academic Support, Integrating Academic Success Across the Curriculum, Washington, D.C., Jan 2007
Legal Reading and Law School Success: An Empirical Study, AALS Annual Meeting, Poster Presentation, Washington, D.C., Jan 2007
The Qualities Women Lawyers Bring to the Legal Profession, University of St. Thomas School of Law, Women’s Law Student Legal Symposium, Apr.2006
Make Em’ Laugh: Using Humor to Teach Difficult Legal Concepts, University of Arizona, The Rocky Mountain Regional Legal Writing Conference, Mar. 2006
Using the First Year Writing Curriculum to Explore Legal Ethics, Boston University College of Law, The Northeastern Regional Writing Conference, Dec. 2005
Teaching Teachers, Seattle University Law School, The Bi-Annual Legal Writing Institute Conference, July 2005
