Comparing legal professional education with education in other professions – what can they teach us?

contributors | abstract | biographies | paper

Contributors

Liz Polding (BPP Law School)

Format

Paper presentation

Abstract

Recently, legal professional education has undergone significant change. In particular, there is now a definite shift towards an outcomes-based approach. This is intended to widen access to the profession whilst maintaining the required standard essential to any profession which serves the public. The aim for any professional education is to ensure that those who are capable and have something to offer their chosen profession are given a chance to demonstrate that capability. Conversely, those who cannot meet the required outcomes are prevented from entering that profession.

The SRA, the legal profession and providers of legal education have considered new ideas and ways to ensure that the legal profession is open to anyone with the ability, drive and dedication to qualify. The most recent of these new ideas is work based learning; including bringing together a portfolio of evidence by either electronic or non-electronic means to demonstrate the necessary ‘conscious competence’ needed to be a reflective practitioner. This approach has already been adopted by other professions such as teaching and nursing. The paper considers the approach to training taken in other professions and reflects on whether their practices can teach us anything.

The role of reflection in the development of professional practice and providing evidence of this reflection is emphasised in the guidance issued by many professional bodies. In some cases, this is implicit and considered as part of continuing professional development, rather than explicit. For example, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy requires its members to identify gaps in skills, knowledge and abilities and constructing learning outcomes to address these as part of continuing professional development, but does not specifically refer to ‘reflection’. It is instructive to compare these approaches and to consider their implications.

The author has previously been involved in projects in this area, including UKCLE led projects considering the use of e-portfolios in legal education. This has proved invaluable in a more recent project on work based learning. The SRA’s pilot schemes for work based learning are currently being evaluated, including a pilot in which the author was the lead assessor. The paper considers the approach to this evidence based form of professional training in legal education and in other professions. In considering this area, the paper compares the approach taken by other professional bodies to training would be entrants to their profession and maintaining the professional development of existing members.

Short biographies of panel members

Liz Polding is the leader of the LPC at BPP’s new Bristol Centre, teaching the LPC alongside colleagues delivering professional training for several other professions including accountants and tax professionals. Liz is a principal lecturer and the lead author of LPC Skills Online published by OUP. She is an LPC external examiner for the College of Law and Chief LPC External Examiner for Liverpool John Moores University. She is also a member of the SRA’s validation panel. She has published a number of papers on the use of e-portfolios in legal education and the use of e-learning in education and was also involved in a project led by UKCLE in this area. She was the lead assessor on a recently completed work based learning pilot for the SRA, which built on previous experience of this area.

Last Modified: 3 March 2011