March 4, 2025
You won’t find historic speeches by Winston Churchill, Barbara Jordan, Martin Luther King, Jr., and John F. Kennedy in your typical law school course syllabus. But they featured prominently in presentations students gave in Leadership for Lawyers, a new course designed and taught by St. John’s Law Professor and Vice Dean for Academic Affairs Christine Lazaro.
“The speech exercise was especially impactful,” Professor Lazaro says. “Working in teams, the students considered what leadership looked like at critical points in history, carried forward in different ways by leaders with different styles. Identifying core themes that weave through all four speeches, the students reflected on lessons they could take away and incorporate as they develop their own leadership styles.”
Leadership for Lawyers is a timely addition to the Law School curriculum, Professor Lazaro points out, because the American Bar Association now requires law schools to provide substantial opportunities for students to develop a professional identity. “This course is one such opportunity, as leadership style is a key component of professional identity,” she says. “Students assume leadership positions in co-curricular programs, with student organizations, and as teaching assistants. A number of classes also expose them to aspects of leadership. I wanted to provide meaningful leadership training in a course designed for that purpose. I also wanted to help students connect the soft skills of leadership with the practical lawyering skills they build at St. John’s Law.”
Students have responded to the new course enthusiastically. Highlights of the first semester included discussing and practicing wellness as a component of attorney wellbeing and competence. The students also participated in a Leadership Roundtable that brought attorneys from different professional settings together at the Law School. The presenters included St. John’s Law Dean Jelani Jefferson Exum and alumni Jim Herschlein ’85, Sabeena Ahmed Liconte ’06, José Pérez ’85, and Hannah Yu ’09. They traced their path to leadership positions, talked about their leadership styles, and shared how they move forward as leaders in the face of challenges and mistakes.
“The Leadership Roundtable made it clear that lawyers can lead in different ways,” Professor Lazaro shares. “The students were able to see their own potential through each leader’s story. As they experienced their distinct styles, they understood that there is space for authentic leadership.” Christopher Colbert ‘25 agrees that it was an impactful program. “The Roundtable exposed me to various perspectives on leadership skills,” he says. “My biggest takeaway from the experience is to find the area of law that aligns most with your passions, work hard and believe in yourself, and surround yourself with those who share your goals.”
Throughout the fall semester, Professor Lazaro fielded student reflections and feedback to improve Leadership for Lawyers, which she is co-teaching this semester with Adjunct Professor and Associate Dean for Student Services Eric Shannon. “I thoroughly enjoy teaching this unique course and working closely with students to evolve it,” Professor Lazaro says. “It’s very fulfilling to watch their skills and confidence grow as they cultivate their leadership style, and I look forward to seeing them become lawyers who lead and uplift the profession in the years ahead.”