Ben Bratman, a professor of legal writing at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, introduced an unconventional course for upper-level law students, according to a May 28 announcement. The class, now called Human Skills for Lawyers, focuses on building confidence and communication abilities through principles drawn from improvisational performance rather than traditional legal doctrine.
Bratman tells his students on the first day that they will not be discussing law itself but instead focusing on ‘lawyering,’ emphasizing that mistakes are acceptable as long as students follow core improv principles. One student commented that this approach was unlike any other law school class they had taken, to which Bratman replied in agreement.
The course originally launched in 2023 under the name Applied Improv for Lawyers and was inspired by Bratman’s experience performing improv comedy at local theaters. Since its inception, it has earned him a Robert T. Harper Excellence in Teaching Award from Pitt Law’s Student Bar Association. The curriculum teaches tenets such as agreement, supporting partners, and using ‘yes, and’ techniques through various exercises.
In a recent paper published in the Journal of Law Teaching and Learning, Bratman encourages other legal educators to adopt similar methods. He said that while technical skills like research and analysis are central to most law programs, human skills such as public speaking and empathy are equally important for future lawyers. According to Bratman, “Clients don’t hire lawyers, or like lawyers they hire, because they’re brilliant… They like lawyers because they are helpful — good listeners who make big problems smaller problems. They listen and they care.”
Bratman acknowledges not all faculty have extensive improv backgrounds but suggests schools can still incorporate these techniques by hiring local theater instructors or using standardized patients as mock clients. He notes even single workshops or brief exercises can help students develop essential professional skills.
With technological advances such as artificial intelligence impacting the profession’s technical aspects more than its social components, Bratman believes improv training is increasingly relevant: “Remain relevant… what’s one of the fundamental core principles of improv? Embrace the uncertainty. Just go forward, adapt and be resilient,” he said.
