From Northumbria to Bologna: Alternative routes to qualification in law

Fully Booked

20 May 2004

St Hugh's College, Oxford

The professional bodies are aiming to encourage alternative and more flexible routes to qualification as a lawyer. Employers in general are becoming more vociferous about the expectations that they have of graduates. Law schools, in the light of increasing student numbers and dwindling resources, continue to strive to provide the best education for their students. What can we learn from those who have already adopted alternative routes to qualification both at the undergraduate and postgraduate stage? What are the opportunities and the challenges that face us in a climate that encourages greater choice and flexibility? How can we ensure that the ambitions of higher education and professional training are fostered and not constrained by the demands of employers and others?

This seminar was designed to offer those involved in legal education and training an opportunity to learn about current developments, to listen to the experiences of those who have been involved in curriculum innovation, to share aspirations and concerns, and to debate future directions.

The contributors

• Holistic legal education? Integrating the academic and vocational stage – Kevin Kerrigan and Philip Plowden (Northumbria University) discussed the exempting law degree, including reasons for moving away from the traditional route to qualification, the value of an integrated approach to law and procedure, the place of clinical legal education within the exempting degree model and practical issues and problems
• Careers into (and out of) the curriculum – Paul Cox (Senior Careers Advisor, University of the West of England) considered a number of curriculum based initiatives in law that aim to enhance graduate employability
• The value of a placement year on a law degree programme – Liz Mytton (Bournemouth University) discussed the placement year offered as part of the law degree at the School of Finance & Law, together with curriculum and management issues, preparing students for placement and embedding transferable skills
• A practice alternative: the Modern Legal Apprenticeship – Chris Ashford (Legal Education Officer, Irwin Mitchell) discussed the potential of the Modern Legal Apprenticeship as an alternative route to qualification
• Understanding the European roadmap: the influence of European developments on legal education and training in the UK- Julian Lonbay (University of Birmingham) updated delegates on the influence of European developments on legal education and training in the UK, including an overview of existing influences on the curriculum, how we measure and describe legal education, the impact of developing European jurisprudence on routes to qualification and practice rights in the UK and the EU, and the opportunities and challenges that arise