REVIEWING LEGAL EDUCATION: THE WAY FORWARD THE ACADEMIC STAGE: IS IT FIT FOR PURPOSE? AN SLSA PERSPECTIVE ANNE BARLOW, VICE CHAIR, AND UNIVERSITY OF EXETER

EXPECTATIONS OF LEGAL EDUCATION ‘A lawyer without history or literature is a mechanic, a mere working mason; if he possesses some knowledge of these, he may venture to call himself an architect.’ Sir Walter Scott SLSA embraces the study of law in context and endorses a broad (as opposed to a narrow) approach to legal education.

WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO ACHIEVE? Most but not all law students initially think they are heading for the legal professions We aim to nurture a range of skills through a legal education All employers will benefit from students who have - Excellent communication and presentation skills – oral and written Ability to think on their feet Excellent independent research skills Excellent critical reasoning/analytical skills

WHAT WE PROVIDE ALREADY A wide range of learning experiences with different styles of assessment Diverse legal and socio-legal study opportunities - Jurisprudence, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Company Law, Commercial Law, Law and Literature, Family Law, Legal History, International Law, Medical Law, Islamic Law, Human Rights, Comparative Law, Intellectual Property Law, Sports Law … Supervised dissertations or Law in Action projects Complementary non-law studies, such as a foreign language, Forensic Science, Business Management, Accountancy…

WHAT’S NEW? Some Law Schools are organising their students into Law Firms to encourage greater ‘all round’ professional thinking – problem-based learning Mooting and client interviewing modules and competitions are a key feature of introducing undergraduates to professional skills and are often taught by members of the profession Socio-legal research skills including undertaking and interpreting empirical research is offered at an increasing number of Law Schools within learning modules Law Clinics, properly supervised, provide an excellent way for Law students and the profession to join together to undertake much- needed pro bono work within local communities Critical legal studies approach challenges traditional thinking

WAY FORWARD Legal Education has not stood still and there is both reflective practice and dialogue with members of the profession The best way to meet future challenges is to achieve agile minds, sound knowledge and transferable skills - adaptable to changing circumstances A law in context approach does offer the opportunity to build in greater awareness of some aspects of practice but the academic stage can and should play a different role to that of vocational training Vocational stage of training is probably still the best place to teach greater commercial awareness and professional ethics to those about to enter the profession

CONCLUSIONS The future is difficult to predict – but suggest universities should be training Sir Walter Scott’s ‘architects’ (rather than just ‘mechanics’) who can adapt their thinking and skills to changing circumstances Perhaps given the attractiveness of non-law graduates to the professions, more thought should be given to future QLD joint honours programmes alongside the GDL? A Law in Context approach to QLD teaching is to be encouraged alongside other broader pedagogic objectives for all Law Students, only a minority of whom end up in the practising professions

FOLLOW-UP SUGGESTIONS See – Caroline Hunter (ed), Integrating Socio-Legal Studies into the Law Curriculum, 2012, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan SLSA One-Day Conference – Teaching Socio-Legally – Nuffield Foundation, Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3JS - Wednesday 31 st October 2012 See further -