Bucking the trend in legal education, Belmont University's College of Law has snagged a spot among the 10 finalists in this year's Bloomberg Law's Law School Innovation Program. The Nashville law school's forward-thinking approach, manifested in an Extended Enneagram Training, has garnered attention for its emphasis on countering the fatigue and burnout commonly found in the legal profession. As reported by Belmont University's announcement, this program's selection marks it as the only finalist from Tennessee and distinguishes it from over 30 contenders.
The focus of Bloomberg Law’s 2024-2025 round centered around career resilience, a direct response to the ABA's fresh mandates prioritizing well-being in legal education. "Belmont University’s College of Law is a key example of the innovation that is needed for legal education to support fulfilling long-term legal careers," Alex Butler, head of content and analysis at Bloomberg Industry Group, told Belmont University in a statement. Representing a proactive strategy against the industry's staid paradigms, the law school’s program seeks to instill not just knowledge but a framework for lasting career health.
Conceived by Deborah Farringer, associate dean for academic affairs and professor of law, and Kristi Arth, assistant dean for experiential learning and associate professor of Law, the innovative training leverages the Enneagram personality system to guide students through their legal studies. This initiative promotes self-understanding, communication skills, and coping strategies for stress, using the Enneagram as a conduit for students’ exploration of their professional identities. "Our goal with the program is to develop knowledgeable and ethical attorneys who feel a strong sense of purpose in their work and the communal responsibility of the practice of law," said Farringer in remarks to Belmont University.
The Extended Enneagram Training is not just an add-on but an integrated part of Belmont Law's orientation and threading throughout students' law school tenure. This approach hopes to strike at the root of an alarming trend cited by the American Addiction Centers: one in 5 lawyers self-report having substance issues, with 75% indicating these began during their law school years. Belmont Law’s commitment to student wellness is thus not just about academic rigor but also confronting an industry-wide problem. More information about Bloomberg Law’s Law School Innovation Program and the 2024-2025 honorees can be found on their website.
