Preface to the second edition

The first edition of this book, published in 1999 by the National Centre for Legal Education, was intended to fill a gap in the market. Judging from its popularity, the aim was achieved. This new edition follows the original intention to provide guidance and advice for tutors on how to develop and run a legal research skills course. The text has been thoroughly revised to take into account three important developments since the first edition was written in 1998:

1. The setting, in 2000, of a subject benchmark for law teaching in the UK by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education.
2. The application of the concept of information literacy to legal research skills training.
3. The increasing use of electronic learning (e-learning) and especially the creation of virtual learning environments (VLE).

The new edition benefits from the specialised input of three contributors. Cathie Jackson (a colleague in the Information Services Division of Cardiff University) has written or advised on the contributions in several chapters on information literacy. Marianne Barber (College of Law) and Nicola Wakefield (Manchester Metropolitan University) have been responsible jointly for the new chapter on virtual learning environments. Marianne has covered the introductory discussion on what VLEs are and the educational theory which should inform their use, while Nicola has written on the overall design and development of a course using a VLE.

I am grateful for the quality of their contributions. The revision of the rest of the book has been my responsibility.

A grievous omission from the first edition has been rectified. I have written a new chapter on learning theory and legal research, which briefly introduces three of the key theories and attempts to apply them to training in legal research skills.

The first edition contained no advice or information on lesson delivery or presentation skills – neither does this edition. They are generic skills and are covered effectively in some of the titles noted in the lists of further reading in chapter 9.

Although many of the skills and tips included within this guide are readily transferable to any jurisdiction, to keep the publication to a manageable size the discussion in chapter 1 focuses entirely on defining legal research within the context of law teaching in England and Wales. For readers outside this jurisdiction, chapter 1 should at the very least provide points of comparison with the benchmarks and course specifications with which they may be more familiar.

‘Learning by doing’ is the route by which students and tutors learn skills. Over the last 25 years I have gained immeasurably by giving instruction, watching other tutors delivering legal research skills instruction and by talking with colleagues. Of all legal skills, instruction in legal research skills is usually more successful if it is undertaken as a partnership between lecturing and academic support staff (library and computing). Each has experience and insights to bring to the instructional process.

Acknowledgements

Illustration 2 is taken from Lesson planning for teachers by Peter D John, 1993, and reprinted by permission of the Continuum International Publishing Group, New York. Marianne Barber and Nicola Wakefield thank Andrew Harvey for his perceptive comments on the draft of chapter 6, Prof Paul Maharg for sharing his knowledge of e-learning and David Battersby, College of Law for agreeing to the inclusion of illustration 15. Illustration 16 is reproduced with the permission of the College of Law. HRD Press, Amherst, Massachusetts, kindly gave permission to reprint as table 6 material from Train the trainer: practical skills that work by Ittner and Douds, 1997. I am grateful to Pat Brand and Jackie Davies, both members of Cardiff Law School, for kindly agreeing to the inclusion of their assessment materials as illustrations 19 and 23 respectively. I acknowledge the advice, help and encouragement I have received over the years from many people, and especially colleagues at Cardiff University, including members of the working party which developed the Handbook of information literacy teaching. In my role as an advisor to the General Council of the Bar on the running of their Bar Vocational Course I have had the privilege, as a course monitor, of observing classes in a number of institutions and looking over a variety of course materials. These experiences have enriched this guide. Nevertheless, any errors, omissions or faults are entirely my responsibility.

Last Modified: 4 June 2010