By Melissa L. Kidder*
This Article emphasizes the dual professional roles of legal educators: as experts in their legal disciplines and as educators shaping the next generation. It argues for the recognition and encouragement of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (“SoTL”) within the legal academy. By participating in scholarly pursuits to enhance teaching effectiveness, legal educators undoubtedly contribute to their professional development using the same scholarly methodologies other law professors use in their promotion and tenure process. This Article asserts that the academy should not only encourage SoTL but should also recognize its importance as a form of scholarship. In doing so, this Article draws on a prior discussion in this Journal about what constitutes legal scholarship. In the prior conversation, two legal writing scholars demonstrated how legal writing scholarship meets three well-established criteria for legal scholarship. This Article demonstrates how SoTL meets established criteria when viewed through a lens that acknowledges educators’ dual roles. Specifically, this Article argues how SoTL can meet the same criteria advanced by these scholars simply by using a “law-connected” terminology for the first criteria. This slight revision also embraces the already diverse nature of legal scholarship and aligns with the recent changes occurring within the legal academy. Ultimately, by advocating for a broader understanding of legal scholarship that includes pedagogical inquiry, this Article aims to promote the inclusion of all scholarly work while highlighting the value of SoTL to the legal academy.