Leah Christensen
Associate Professor of Law
J.D., University of Iowa College of Law;
B.A., University of Chicago
Telephone: 619.374.6959
Email: lchristensen@tjsl.edu
Professor Christensen received her undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago, with High Honors, and majored in Chinese. In law school, she was a member of the Iowa Law Review and graduated with High Distinction. Following law school, Professor Christensen clerked for Justice William A. Bablitch of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. She then practiced in the areas of medical malpractice, environmental law, and public education law. Professor Christensen has previously taught at the University of St. Thomas School of Law and the University of Wisconsin Law School.
Professor Christensen's scholarship focuses on empirical legal research including studies on legal education, law review article selection, ADR and civil litigation. She possesses particular expertise in the fields of law school pedagogy, legal reading and law student learning, and has published several articles examining the correlation between the way in which law students read and learn the law, and their success in law school. Christensen has published articles in journals including South Carolina Law Review, Brigham Young Journal of Education and Law, Nevada Law Journal, Seattle Law Review, Suffolk Law Review, and Campbell Law Review. She also teaches and writes in the area of Education Law, specifically as it relates to school bullying and school violence. Professor Christensen has delivered presentations on her research at conferences sponsored by the American Association of Law Schools (AALS), the Institute of Law School Teaching (ILST), the Education Law Association, the Legal Writing Institute, and the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC). In addition, she has delivered law teaching and learning presentations as an invited speaker to various law faculties, and she has presented papers at symposia sponsored by Washburn School of Law, Howard University School of Law, John Marshall Law School and the University of St. Thomas. Professor Christensen has also been awarded grants for her research from the Legal Writing Institute and the Association of Legal Writing Directors. Christensen is currently working on a study investigating the relationship between law students' individual goal orientations and how these affect law school achievement. Her results will be presented at the 2009 AALS meeting in San Diego, CA, for the section on Balance in Legal Education.
Scholarship
Sticks, Stones And Schoolyard Bullies: Restorative Justice, Mediation And A New Way To Approach Conflict Resolution In Our Schools, (Forthcoming In Nevada Law Journal Fall 2008)
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)
Show Me Don't Tell Me: Using The Think Aloud To Teach Case Analysi" Perspectives (Winter 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)
Courses Include: Evidence and Legal Writing