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A speech given by Otto W. Hedges about his experience teaching Business Law, Real Estate Principles, and General Principles of Insurance at the University of Detroit for 25 years. He reflects on his initial attitude towards teaching Business Law and how it changed over time. He also mentions a humorous anecdote about a man who called himself a 'Counsellor' despite not passing the state bar examinations. The speech is not scholarly and is more specific to Hedges' personal experiences.
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'l'WENTY-FIVE^ YEARS^ OF^ TEACHING^ BUSINESS
LAW Otto W. Hedges You^ willnotethat^ there^ isquitea^ difference
betweenthe^ subjects discussed^ by^ the^ previous^ spealcers^ and
the^ one^ given^ tome.^ The^ previous^ subjects havecalled^ formorescholarly^ treatment,
whilemytopic^ willpermitmeto^ talk not^ on onespecific^ subject^ alone,^ but
on avariety^ of^ subjects.Howdifferent willbethe^ events^ ofmypaper!^ While
we^ have^ beenlistening^ to^ matters^ of general^ reasoning,Ifearthatmypaper
willbe alittletoospecific,^ dealing
with myownparticularexperiencesalittle
toomuch.^ However,myintentis^ that
even though Irefera^ gooddealtomyownparticular
experience,^ yetmyauditorsmay form^ somegeneralizations^ oftheirown,
andreceivesomeprofit.Whereas^ you haveagreed^ with^ nearly^ everythingwhich
the^ previous^ speakershavesaid,you nodoubtwillbe^ shaking^ your^ heads^ and
disagreeing^ withmeinsomeof^ the^ things Ishallsay.Iamthinkingparticularly
of^ the^ authorsofBusinessLawtexts^
in myaudience,andthere^ are^ quitea^ few
ofthem.Iamremindedofastatementmadeby^ Artemis^ Quibble,oneofArthurTrain's unforgettablecharacters.Artemis^ Quibble
tookanightlawcoursesomewherebut wasunabletopass^ thestatebar^ examinations.
Hebelievedthat^ afterso^ much effortspentonthestudyoflaw he^ ought
tocashin^ anyway.^ So^ he^ hadcards printed^ withhisnameandaddressand
the^ descriptiveword,^ "Counsellor."^ These werewidelydistributed,andasaresult
manypeoplecametohimfor^ advice,^ legal
andotherwise.^ One^ nightabellhop^ sent
him ahurriedcalltocomeand^ draw up theWillofa^ dyingmanofwealthwho
had^ beenstayingatthehotel.Artemis statesin^ hisautobiographythatonthat
eventful^ night^ therewasconferredupon himthehonorofdrawing^ up^ a^ document
thatwastoserve^ asabasis^ oflitigation forthesucceedingtenyears.^ So^ Iam
remindedthat^ thismorning byusinga few "poorly^ chosen"^ words^ I^ can^ throwthis
orderlymeetingofthoughtfullegal writersintoan^ uproarofcontroversy,
which I^ hopeshallnotbetheresult.
With yourtrained^ controlledminds^ youwill
nodoubtsay,^ "Let^ himtalk.Heisat leastentitledto^ hisown^ opinion."^ Afterbeing^ giventhistopic^ to
discuss,I^ beganto^ take^ inventoryof myself and what^ I^ had doneoverthepast
25 years.Iasked^ myself^ whether^ I^ was satisfiedwithwhat^ I^ hadachieved.Today,
as^25 yearsago,^ Iamteachingat theUniversityofDetroitandteaching
BusinessLawwithtwoother^ subjectsthrown in^ forgood measure^ - RealEstate^ Principles
andGeneralPrinciples^ ofInsurance.Today, IfindmyselfteachingBusinessLawwitheven^ moreenthusiasm thanin1930.In^1930 I^ wasinclined
moretotreatteachingBusinessLawas
a secondarymatter,putting^ themain emphasis on
thepractice^ oflaw.Iexpected ultimatelytobreakaway fromteaching
BusinessLaw.^ Those^ daysof^1930 were dark daysfor^ theaverage^ lawyerinhis
practice.TobeabletoteachBusiness Lawonthe^ sidewas^ worthmuchtothe
lawyerjustgettinga goodstart^ •.^ My
office wasintheHammondBuildingjustacross
fromthe^ City^ HallinDetroitandwithin easy^ walkingdistanceof^ thedowntown campus
of^ theUniversityofDetroit^ located onJeffersonAvenue.
Today,^ on^ the^ McNichols Avenue. ,. -. . campus^ of^ the^ University^ of^ Detroit^ about seven^ miles^ from^ the^ City^ Hall,^ itdoes
not^ even^ entermy^ thoughts^ to^ treat Business^ La'lv^ as^ a^ sideline.^ It^ is^ a^ very
serious^ business,^ especially^ with^ around 250 students^ inmyclasses.^ This^ year's
teaching^ load^ is^ for^ one^ reason^ or another^ heavier^ than^ usual--this^ semester
myschedule^ calls^ for^12 hours^ of Business^ Law^ and 2^ of^ Real^ Estate^ Principles.^ One^ reasonwhyteaching^ Business
Lawat^ the^ University^ of^ Detroit^ today
is a^ moreserious^ businessis^ that^ i ·n^ the past^25 years^ the^ University^ has^ become
a better^ accredited^ institutionasfaras
manyeducational^ associations^ arecon- cerned and^ has^ higher^ standards^ than^ before.
In^ the^ 1930's^ the^ University^ had^ sorre greatfootballteams,^ someofthem^ being
amongthe^ best^ in^ the^ country.^ But^ among theDetroit^ players^ oftenwereex-prizefighters
andwrestlerswhowerein^ college onlyto^ play^ footballandwhospent^ very
littletimein^ theclassroom.^ Likewise, someof^ the^ requirementsfor^ faculty^ scholarship
were^ not^ as^ high^ as^ they^ are today.^ Atthe^ University^ of^ Detroittoday,
teachingislooked^ uponas^ a^ full-time job.^ Only^ the^ otherdayinareorganization
ofour^ law^ schoolfaculty,^ several ProfessorsofLaw^ whohad^ beenwith^ the
University^ fora^ numberofyears^ resigned becausethenewDeanrequiredtheir^ entire
efforts^ inteaching,completely separated^ fromsideline^ laM·^ p;rq;ctice.^ Thissidelinelawpractice^ aspect,
I^ know,^ concernssomeofyouinmy audience.Asyoufacethe^ future,this
aspectwillhavetobefacedby youin determining^ whether^ youwillgiveyour
entiretimetothepractice^ oflawor
whether youwilldoasI^ havedone--concentrate
on^ a^ moreeffective^ presentation^ of^ legal rinciples^ to^ futurebusinessmen.^ Another
alternative^ ofcourseistoprepare yourselvesfor^ teachinginthe^ regular
Law^ School. Milton Dickersonhinted tomethata numberofmyaudiencewould be youngermen^ whowould^ notonlybeglad
toseewhat^ amanlookedlikewhohad taughtBusinessLawfor^25 years,^ but
would beonlytoo^ gladtoaskhimsome questions^ abouthislong^ experience^ with
such asubject.ThereforeI^ havejotted downa^ fewtopicsandmythoughts^ concerning
them.^ Lackoftimewillnot^ permit metodevelopthesetopics,butIshall
sayenoughtogivemygeneralposition. rThen^ the^ questionsfromtheaudienceare
inorderImaymorefullydevelopmy answers.^ Thefollowingare^ thetopics
overwhichtherehas^ beensomecontroversy overthepast^25 years.. 1.Thefunctionalasagainst
the^ conventionalapproachinthe^ teaching
of Business^ Law.I,personally,favorthe
conventionalapproach^ becausethehistory Ofthefunctionalapproachsinceitsinception
inthe^ 1920's^ has,ingeneral, otborneoutitsadvantages.Iamreferring
totheworkin^ particularof^ the llustriousNathanIsaacsof^ theGraduate
School^ ofBusinessofHarvardUniversity andthe^ splendidcontribution^ ofWm.H.
Spencer^ of^ the^ School^ ofBusinessofthe niversity^ ofChicago.^ Thestudyofa
definite,concretebodyoflegalknowledge, haracteristicof^ theconventionalmethod,
trainsthestudentmuchbetterthan tudyof^ thevague^ andscattered^ principles
oflaw^ groupedaccordingto^ business ctivity.WhenIreadthispaperinMichigan,
someoneinmyaudience^ asked^ me hetherI^ hadevertriedthe^ functional
approach--implyingthatI^ might^ be making conjecture^ not^ basedonexperience.^ Yes,
eLawinBusinessProblems and I^ remember
certaincasesin^ thatbooktothisday.
-12- selected^ by^ the^ professor,^ along^ with^
summaries^ of^ certain^ State^ and^ Federal statutes^ also^ selected^ by^ the^ professor.
Students^ would be^ required^ to^ buy^ both text^ and^ case^ books,^ andthiswould^ not
be^ too^ great^ an^ outlay^ of^ money,^ since
Lawshould^ belimited^ strictly^ to about^35 students.Thestudents^ will
ask^ more^ questions^ and^ consequently^ learn more^ law.^ I^ saythis^ in^ spite^ ofwhat
you^ heard^ Sheldon^ Tannerof^ Pennsylvania State^ University^ say^ yesterday.^ AskProfessor
Luskof^ Indiana^ abouthis^ exper- iences^ with^ large^ classes.^ Professor^
Dillavou^ ofIllinoisdoeshis^ best^ to
have small^ classes.6.^ Tobe^ aneffective^ teacher
ofBusiness^ Law,^ aninstructorshould
have a law^ degree^ and^ should^ have^ hadseveral
yearsofexperiencein^ practicinglaw. Such^ a^ backgroundwillenable^ himto^ better
answerthemanyquestionsthathewill beasked^ duringthe^ years^ ahead.^ I^ could
not^ help^ but^ notice^ the^ finespirit^ of confidencethatRussellDecker hadin
himselfin^ his^ presentation^ yesterday. Only^ a^ lawyerwith^ court^ experience^ could
handlehimselfin^ thatway.7. One of themostimportantfactorsinthe^ successful^ teachingof BusinessLawistheenthusiasmof^ the^
Professor.Notonlymustthe^ teacher
have a^ likingandabilityfor^ legalreasoning
buthe mustdelightincarryingover
to his^ students^ the^ various^ stepsinhis^
legalreasoning,^ If,^ in^ certain^ instances, this.processismorearduous,hefeels
rewarded^ whenthe^ facesof^ his^ students lightupwithcomprehensionofthe^ point
involved.Healsoshouldbeinterested in'the^ progressof^ theslower^ mindsin
his^ class.I^ have^ foundthattheuse
ofthe theworkbook^ with^ the^ greatmassofstudents
has^ beenveryhelpful,forcing^ thelll toa moredetailedstudyofthetext.
Thisextraeffortisspentonthe^ workboo$ entirelyoutsideof^ classperiodsbythe
student^ himself,answer booksbeingmade availabletohimthathemaycheckhis
answers.^ So^ far,^ I^ have^ nevermadeit
a requirementthatthe^ studentsdotheworkbook,
buthave recommendeditsuse^ when- ever^ studentswerenotdoingwellin^ their
examinations.Theresults^ in^ better gradesnearlyalways^ wereinevidence.
Iamsayingthisin^ spite^ ofthefact thatwhentheworkbookideawasfirst
suggestedtomeIrebelled^ againstit
as beingtoo^ elementary.However,since^
nearlyallofourstudentsinthe^ School
of Commerceatthe^ Universityof^ Detroit^
are^ requiredto^ tal~e^ Business^ Law,^ whether theylikeitor^ not,^ the^ usefulnessof
a workbookinmaintaining^11 ageneralC" average^ has^ beenverynoticeable.Ialso
developthecompetitiveinstinctby postinganhonorrollaftereach^ examination.
This^ has^ producedgoodresultsfor me.^ Such^ methods,^ no^ doubt,^ seemrank
heresytosomeofyoubecauseyou have been accustomedforsolongtotheconventional
lawschoolapproachofa^ fe1~ questionsand adetaileddevelopmentof
theanswerstothose^ questions.For^ more
conventionalmethodwithBays'casesas
a text.Throughthevariouseditionsthis
~as^ atrulywonderfulbookof^ thefew- subjects^ type,^ coveringcontracts,agency
and employment,bailments,sales^ of Personalproperty,^ negotiable^ instruments,
partnershipandcorporations--atotal Of^ sevensubjects.^ Seven,^ comparedwith
-13- Business Law--nan1ely, contracts, agency,^ employment,^ negotiable^ instruments,
per- sonal^ property,^ bailments,^ transportation,
sales^ of^ personal^ property,^ insurance, suretyship,^ partnerships,^ corporations,
real^ property,^ mortgages,^ leases,^ trusts, bankruptcy,tortsand^ crimes.While^ Iamlistingsubjects^ covered
by^ the^ different^ types^ of^ books,^ I might^ as^ well^ mention^ the^ subjects^ covered
by^ Spencer^ and^ Gillamin^ theirfunctiona
approachto^ BusinessLawin^ theirTextbook
ofLawand^ Business,^1952 edition. Thesesubjects^ are:The Economic^ Order,
Law-as-an^ Agencyof^ Social^ Control,^
En- forcementof^ Rights,^ Persons,^ Formsof
Civil^ Liability,TheLawofAgency,Private Property,^ TheLawin^ Relation^ to^ theMarket,
TheLawin^ Relation^ toFinance,^ The Lawin^ Relation^ toRisk^ andRisk-bearing,
TheLawin^ RelationtoLabor,^ The^ Law
and the^ Formof^ the^ Business^ Unit--12different
subjects.8. Tobe asuccessful teacher of BusinessLawonthe^ collegelevel,one should be a^ memberof^ theAmerican^ Business
LawAssociationand^ shouldattend^ as manyof^ the^ annual^ andsectionalmeetings
as^ possible.AsIlookback overthelast 25 years,someof^ the^ chief^ benefitsI^ have receivedfor^ effectiveBusiness^ Law^ teaching
havecomefrommyattendanceatthe annual^ meetingsof^ theAmerican^ Business
LawAssociation.There onerubs^ shoulders With^ the^ leadingspiritsinAmerican^ Business
Law.^ Theyare^ not^ only^ teachers^ of BusinessLawatleading^ universities,
but^ arewritersoftextsand casebooks on BusinessLaw.These^ men,^ andoccasionally
women,haveinteresting^ personalities and onereceivesadistinctbenefit^ in
the^ interchange^ ofthoughts^ withthem.Thefollowingnamesofmembersof^ the^ Associationwhohaveinfluenced
me byinterchange^ of^ thoughtandpersonal
contactoverthe^ years,cometomind:BaysofNorthwestern, notedfor^ hisscholarshipandpioneeringinBusiness Law--oneof^ theoriginalfoundersof^ the
AmericanBusinessLawAssociation.IsaacsofHarvard,notedfor hisscholarshipandhispromotj_onof^ the functionalmethodinBusinessLaw;also
aleaderintheformative^ years^ ofthis association--one^ ofthefounders.Lewis Mayersof^ the^ College^ of
the^ City^ ofNew^ York,^ for^ hisability
to write^ convincinglyonlegalsubjectsand
hisabilityto^ actasagenial^ hostto the AmericanBusinessLawAssociation,
especially^ inNew^ York^ City^ in1949.
In New^ York,^ wemembersoftheBusinessLaw
Associationexperiencedanewsenseof legaldignityaswemetinthechambers
ofthe^ lawJers^ ofNew^ York^ City^ andheard adistinguishedandportlymemberof^ the
English^ Parliamentdeliver^ hisgoodwill message^ atthefamous^ George Washington
Inn^ nearthe^ waterfront.BabbofBostonUniversity,whoworked^ sotirelesslyto^ establishapubli- cationfortheAmericanBusinessLawAssociation,
aprojectwhichdid^ notseemto make^ headwayuntilyesterday'snotable
announcement byProfessorGillamof^ the University^ ofWashington.^ Stone^ ofSyracuse,notedfor^ his
far-reachingactivityfromCalifornia
to New^ York^ andhisthoroughnessintextbook
writing.
Court^ decisions^ and^ statutory^ enactments
during^ this^ time^ have^ revolutio^ nized^
our lives.As^ wesithere^ today,^ the^ repercussions
oft he^ labor^ mo-vement^ inaug^ urate^ d
amendment,the^ Taft-Hartley^ Act,^ and^ the
liberaldecisions^ of^ the^ U.^ S.^ Supreme Court,^ especially^ in^ the^ matter^ of^ civil
liberties,stillare^ beingfelt.^ So great^ a^ changein^ theeconomic^ and^ governmental
structure^ ofourstatesandnation has^ occurredthatonewithasolidbackground
ofeconomics^ and^ lawoften wonders^ ,,.,
,. what^ 'vill^ bethefinalend.^ However,^
throughallthischange,^ sofar,Iam
glad thatI^ have^ been^ a^ Professor^ ofBusiness
Law,^ Government^ and^ Economicsina growinguniversity,^ located^ strategically
inalarge^ city,where,^ because^ I taught^ andstudiedsuchsubjects,I^ could
havemyhand^ onthe^ pulseofa^ changing order,^ which,letus^ hope,^ mayresult^
inahigher^ typeof^ finished^ product economically,socially,andspiritually--a
veritableUtopia,ifyouplease.