Third-year law student L. Collin Cooper authored an article on leadership and the law featured in The Young Lawyer, a publication of the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division.
The article, “Leadership and the Law: Skills You Need to Survive in the New Economy,” addresses the importance of cultivating and utilizing leadership abilities within the legal profession and current economic atmosphere.
Cooper, who has been involved with the ABA Young Lawyers Division since his second year of law school, wrote the article in response to a submission request from the organization. The Young Lawyers Division selected his article for publication and printed it as the lead article in the July-August 2011 edition.
Cooper’s article defines several leadership and professional skills that he says will assist young lawyers in working with clients and serving in their communities.
“Law firms and law schools are recognizing that leadership and professional development, even for ‘born leaders,’ are integral to success in the legal profession,” he writes.
Of the skills discussed – innovation, persuasion, adaptability and social responsibility – Cooper had no hesitation in choosing what he believes is the most important.
“Social responsibility is the most important,” Cooper says. “Especially here at Elon since that is something we strive for.”
In fact, Elon School of Law’s second-year winter term course, “Public Law and Leadership,” was one of the motivations behind Cooper’s article. With support from Associate Professor of Law Faith Rivers James and inspiration from “The Lawyer Leader” by Robert Cullen, a book assigned to students during winter term, Cooper was able to focus his article on skills that are of particular importance to young attorneys.
Click here to read Cooper’s article.
By Courtney Roller L’13