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Publication Date

Fall 6-25-2026

Abstract

Since Professor Christopher Columbus Langdell first developed the Case Method in the late nineteenth century, many have written whether the Case Method is still valid at today’s law school in the United States: some argue that the use of the Case Method is declining, and the others argue that it is still the dominant method. In contrast, lecture is the mainstream teaching method in Japan where the main source of law is statutory law. Our survey demonstrates that the Case Method is effective for undergraduate non-law students to obtain legal knowledge and vital meta-skills. Based on the ordered logit analysis, we propose improvements in undergraduate law course design, such as choosing appropriate and interesting cases, mitigating stress that students may have about learning, and giving students active assignments. Such modified Case Method is also useful for students who plan to go to graduate law schools to prepare for rigorous Socratic teaching.

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