Outside of the classroom: Daniel Clay strives to be a “legal disputer” using all of the tools at his disposal to academically challenge outdated laws and codes, repair legal institutions, and inspire legal actors for the common good.
Inside of the classroom: Daniel is guided by a simple philosophy: I, like my students, am merely a traveler through life, seeking knowledge for the betterment of the individual and society. As such, Daniel considers the classroom to be an ongoing conversation between the intellectually curious designed to elicit truth within the discipline and challenge the prejudices and morals of my fellow travelers. To this end, he tries to create an encouraging and positive environment, through the purest form of the Socratic Method, to develop critical thinking skills in students and enable them to approach subjects as intellectuals. Beginning on day one, he sets extremely high standards and communicate the duty imposed upon students to take responsibility for learning the materials, not just reciting statutory or case law on examinations. His burden is to provide students with the tools, but it is upon the student to use these tools in deriving an intimate understanding of the subject matter. To this end, Daniel regularly checks students’ understanding through Socratic cold-calling and hypotheticals that push students to “think deeply.” Daniel does not tolerate the answers: “I have not prepared” or “I do not know,” as they are excuses to be lazy in a profession that requires the utmost preparation and competence. While maintaining his standards and expectations, each course meeting, he brings his utmost excitement and charisma for the subject matter with the hope that students will become equally invested in its importance and application; thus, heightening the level of discourse during each consecutive course meetings.
