Our Interview With Dr. Craig Hennigan, the Director of Debate at UNLV

By Juris Education Interview Team

Dr. Craig Hennigan is a lecturer and the Director of Debate at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

1. What types of debates or formats does your union participate in?

Currently we are doing Lincoln-Douglas and IPDA styles of debate. We also do debates for public audiences as a service to UNLV and the greater community.

2. What are some of the biggest takeaways or real-world benefits that students gain from participating in your debate union?

There is no activity that fosters critical thinking better than debate, in my opinion. Debaters learn to research and construct arguments that are useful in both academic and career contexts. They obtain skills that follow them for a lifetime.

3. What’s the most challenging and the most rewarding aspect of joining a debate union?

The most challenging thing is the workload. Students want success and it requires a certain amount of work being put in to get there. But constructing your own arguments and deploying them in a debate round for a win is a tremendous feeling for our students. It instills a feeling of pride in using your own created strategies and makes debate an addictive activity!

4. How does debating help students become more confident speakers?

Debating relies on self-confidence to ‘sell’ arguments that you may not personally believe in. The ability to see many sides of an issue makes a debater more confident when they advocate things they truly do believe in because they’ve tested their own ideas against opposing views.

5. Do you think aspiring law school applicants can benefit from joining a debate union? How so?

I know lawyers that use the jargon of competitive debate in constructing their arguments for court cases. Debate is not a perfect mirror of a court, but there are many similarities on how it is structured. Additionally, debaters need to think fast to react to arguments in a debate round, and that skill directly translates to an attorney who may be in a courtroom. Outside of the courtroom, debate teaches skills that help with argument construction in writing briefs as well as writing in a structured manner.

6. Do you know of any former members of your debate union who have successfully gone on to law school? If so, how did their debate experience contribute to their success?

So many! Former debaters often succeed in law as well as political endeavors. Folks often consider all the law-adjacent classes and majors as an essential part of their undergraduate degree to become a lawyer, but without the ability to communicate effectively, that work is incomplete.

7. What advice would you give to aspiring law students who are considering joining a debate union in college but aren’t sure if it’s the right fit for them?

Join a debate union and take courses in communication and persuasion. Join to learn first and foremost. Winning is a wonderful bonus should you decide to put in the work to achieve competitive success, but the skills are far more important in the long run. 

Juris Education is proud to interview experts like Dr. Craig Hennigan to help future lawyers understand the benefits of extracurricular involvement in college. For tailored guidance throughout your application process, law school admissions consulting can offer the strategic insights you need. Learn more about how our experts can help you get into law school today.