Kris Franklin

Kris Franklin, a core founder of AASE, is a name well known to those in the academic support world. But did you also know that Kris is an enthusiastic member of a Brooklyn curling team? Or did you know that Kris was a U.S. Presidential Scholar and graduated cum laude from Yale University with a B.A.? These are only two quick facts about an impressive life and career.

Kris, who has been conducting ASP and ASP-adjacent work at New York Law School for 20 years, has co-authored two recent articles of note –

“Directed Questions: A Non-Socratic Dialog about Non-Socratic Teaching” unpacks the “directed questions” method of law teaching. This pedagogy still requires students to read and understand judicial opinions before class, but the cases and statutes are “tools” to help students respond to a series of questions that must be answered before class. Those questions are then reviewed and discussed during the class period. This active learning approach helps students to “develop a cognitive schema” that enables them to “understand the material in a richer way,” according to co-author Rory Bahadur.

“How to Train Your Supervisor”, co-authored with Paula J. Manning, offers excellent advice to law students and new attorneys about how to get the best supervision possible. The article notes that a shared sense of responsibility for supervision creates more effective and efficient interactions. The article also discusses what law professors can do to help prepare their students for supervision, including how to get the most from feedback.

Both articles provide practical advice that would benefit any legal educator. This sentiment is well understood by anyone who has previously read Kris’ books, including Legal Reasoning Case Files: A Contemporary Approach to Lawyers’ Methods (Carolina Academic Press 2019), Strategies and Tactics for Academic Support Teaching (Wolters Kluwer 2014), and The Lawyer’s Practice: A Context & Practice Case File (Carolina Academic Press 2011). A second edition of Legal Reasoning Case Files is due out sometime next year.

Kris’ accomplishments go well beyond academia, including spending many years involved in direct action organizing in New York City around AIDS advocacy, LGBTQ+ rights, reproductive rights, and community gardens.

Before closing this spotlight, let’s share one more fun – and inspiring – fact: Kris also designs and builds custom furniture!