Transitioning simulated client interviews from face-to-face to online: Still an entrustable professional activity?

Maharg, Paul ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9745-7717 and Yenssen, Angela (2022) Transitioning simulated client interviews from face-to-face to online: Still an entrustable professional activity? European Journal of Law and Technology, 13 (3). ISSN 2042-115X

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Abstract

This article is an analysis of what is still a relatively new educational method in law schools, namely the use of simulated clients (SCs) for learning and assessment in legal education. We outline the method and its origins, give a brief history of it in law schools to the present, and then focus on two modalities of the method, namely the face-to-face client interview and the online client interview. We discuss two instances of SC use, namely the adaptation of the method in professional education across four provinces in Canada; and the use made of the method by one law school in the province of Ontario, Canada. We discuss the social and educational contexts of the two modalities and relate it to other literatures emerging from the experiences of pandemic learning in higher education (HE). Finally, we draw some conclusions in the light of wider considerations of simulation, digital simulation, and the future of experiential education.