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Marjorie Corman Aaron

Professor Of Practice and Director of the Center for Practice, University of Cincinnati College of Law

Teaching negotiation and dispute resolution as well as practice in mediation, arbitration, and, long ago, litigation, taught me that client counseling is often extraordinarily challenging, particularly where news is bad or legal realities complex. Thus, I developed the initial version of this course for our required curriculum. Nearly a decade of observing more and less effective lawyer-client communication skills and strategies and researching the social science yielded two tangible results. The first, Client Science: Advice for Lawyers in Counseling Clients Through Bad News and Other Realities, was published in 2012. The second was a more robust course and course materials, informed by experience from teaching it in many times, in many formats and venues. The course introduces client interviewing and decision analysis, omitted in the book. This website is intended to make the course accessible. and replicable, and to offer the benefit of a decade’s teaching experiences. For more information about the professor and author, and the course content, continue to ABOUT THE COURSE in the menu bar.

For Legal Educators

You are welcome to review all course materials including an exhaustive instructor’s guide as to method and practical choices in the classroom, notes for simulations and other exercises, and materials for coaching and final assessment.

For Course Participants

Here you can have access to all course materials, from non-text readings to role simulations and exercises.

For Those Interested in Client Science

Without a formal course context, the auto-didact may wish to supplement the Client Science book, particularly with readings on additional challenges of client interviewing and decision analysis. You may also enjoy materials designed for application of advice in the Client Science book.