65. Conversation with Karen Sneddon, Interim Dean and Professor at Law at Mercer University School of Law

EdUp Legal

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In today’s episode, we welcome Karen J. Sneddon, Interim Dean and Professor of Law of Mercer University School of Law in Macon, Georgia, a position she started in October 2021. Dean Sneddon, who has been a part of the faculty at Mercer since 2006, shares with us that in 2023 they will be celebrating their 150th anniversary.

Dean Sneddon tells us that part of Mercer’s commitment is preparing students for practice and preparing them to be strong writers. A writer is what Dean Sneddon believes best describes what a lawyer does. She tells us writing is part of our identity because we put ourselves on the page when we write. It is about thinking "I will make a difference with every word I choose to put on the page." It is to advance a position, make an argument, and make a difference, big or small.

Dean Sneddon also shares with us her law review article Clause A to Clause Z: Narrative Transportation and the Transactional Reader, for which she received the 2020 Teresa G. Phelps Scholarship Award for Legal Communication. She shares with us the idea of making a transactional document more narrative, which makes it more engaging.

Dean Sneddon also tells us some of the things Mercer is doing to prepare students for their career and how every student at Mercer majors in changing the world. Finally, she shares her thoughts on legal education in the upcoming decade and how there will be more of a connection to actual practice, experiential opportunities, and leadership training in the three years of law school.

Thank you so much for tuning in. Join us on the next episode for your EdUp time!

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