Law graduates face a bleak future at the bar – The Guardian

Posted November 28th, 2011 in barristers, legal education, news, pupillage, solicitors by sally

“With 65 students applying for each training place, many would-be solicitors face not finding a job within the five-year post-graduation limit.”

Full story

The Guardian, 25th November 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Legal apprenticeships take on new relevance – The Lawyer

Posted November 28th, 2011 in law firms, legal education, news by sally

“In the past year a ­number of firms have begun flirting with the idea of the modern legal apprenticeship. But what is the attraction of the model and is there a place for it in the legal market?”

Full story

The Lawyer, 28th November 2011

Source: www.thelawyer.com

Bar aptitude pilot a success – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted November 24th, 2011 in barristers, examinations, legal education, news, reports by sally

“A proposed aptitude test for bar students could accurately identify individuals who would do well in their courses, according to pilot studies. The Bar Standards Board proposed the test for students applying for the bar professional training course following the 2008 Wood review.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 24th November 2011

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Is studying law at GCSE and A-level a help or hindrance? – The Guardian

Posted November 21st, 2011 in examinations, legal education, news by tracey

“Learning about the law while at school cannot be a bad thing, surely? At a time when legal aid cuts are set to turn many people into litigants in person, one would think the public needs all the legal literacy it can get. And while experts insist it is vital as part of young people’s citizenship education, doing GCSE or A-level law may not be the best way to achieve this, especially if you want to pursue a legal career.”

Full story

The Guardian, 18th November 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Legal education review under scrutiny 
as profession awaits first progress report – Legal Week

Posted November 10th, 2011 in legal education, news by sally

“A year after announcing the most comprehensive review of legal education in the UK in decades, the three largest regulators in England and Wales will meet today (10 November) to discuss their progress. The meeting will see the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), the Bar Standards Board (BSB) and the Institute of Legal Executives Professional Standards (IPS) sit down with members of the committee put together after the root-and-branch review was announced in November 2010 to provide a progress report.”

Full story

Legal Week, 10th November 2011

Source: www.legalweek.com

BPTC applications now open – Bar Standards Board

Posted November 7th, 2011 in barristers, legal education, news by sally

“BPTC applications open on Monday 7 November at 9am. The first round deadline is 12 Jan 2pm.”

Further information about the BPTC and timetable

Bar Standards Board, 7th November 2011

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

Students turn away from the law as uni applications drop across the board – The Lawyer

Posted October 25th, 2011 in legal education, news, universities by sally

“The largest fall in university applications in more than 30 years has seen the number of candidates applying to study law drop by a record 5.2 per cent, according to figures released by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).”

Full story

The Lawyer, 25th October 2011

Source: www.thelawyer.com

Former ILEX student successfully quashes cheating claims – The Lawyer

Posted October 21st, 2011 in appeals, disciplinary procedures, legal education, news by sally

“The Court of Appeal has reversed the decision of an Institute of Legal Executives (ILEX) disciplinary hearing, ruling that the body’s disciplinary process was not independent enough to serve its purpose.”

Full story

The Lawyer, 20th October 2011

Source: www.thelawyer.com

“The Bar is Open to All”, Chairman-Elect Tells London Students – The Bar Council

Posted October 18th, 2011 in barristers, diversity, legal education, news by sally

“The Chairman-Elect of the Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, will today urge students from disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue a career at the Bar, at an event co-hosted by the Bar Council, the Law Society and ILEX.”

Full story

The Bar Council, 17th October 2011

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Can budding lawyers take the cheaper route and get a job? – The Guardian

Posted September 16th, 2011 in legal education, news, universities by tracey

“There are ways into the legal profession that don’t cost £50,000 but graduates risk being overlooked when applying for work.”

Full story

The Guardian, 15th September 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Fancy being a judge? Try it for a weekend first – The Guardian

Posted August 19th, 2011 in diversity, judiciary, legal education, news, women by sally

“A new two-day course will help lawyers decide if they have it in them to become judges.”

Full story

The Guardian, 19th August 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Tuition fees are making law conversion courses less attractive – The Guardian

Posted August 19th, 2011 in fees, legal education, news, universities by sally

“Wannabe lawyers face a conundrum – they need maximum breadth of experience, but minimum university debt.”

Full story

The Guardian, 18th August 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

The essay-writing firm reaching out to graduate lawyers – The Guardian

Posted July 21st, 2011 in legal education, news by sally

“Paid-for help with application forms, cover letters and interview coaching inhabits grey area between training and cheating.”

Full story

The Guardian, 21st July 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Education without walls – Legal Week

Posted July 21st, 2011 in legal education, news by sally

“The new media age has created a generation of law students well versed in digital communication and technologies. A host of social media tools and free-to-use communication platforms have become second nature to the lawyers of tomorrow. As legal practice becomes increasingly globalised and law firms explore the cost-effective and collaborative benefits of virtual technologies, how should legal education keep pace?”

Full story

Legal Week, 21st July 2011

Source: www.legalweek.com

Battle for students as LPC take-up dwindles – The Lawyer

Posted July 4th, 2011 in legal education, news by sally

“Enrolments on the LPC have plummeted across the market, with the University of Huddersfield ­seeing a 68 per cent drop in student numbers for the 2010-11 academic year.”

Full story

The Lawyer, 4th July 2011

Source: www.thelawyer.com

Bar regulator sets up centralised examinations team – Bar Standards Board

Posted July 1st, 2011 in barristers, examinations, legal education, press releases by tracey

“A newly formed team of legal practitioners and academics has been appointed by the Bar Standards Board (BSB), as examiners for the new centralised examinations initiative. The new centralised exams will form part of the assessment of students undertaking the vocational stage of barristers’ training, known as the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC).”

Full press release

Bar Standards Board, 30th June 2011

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

Lawcast 185: Gary Slapper, Director Open University Law School – Charon QC

Posted June 28th, 2011 in cross-examination, legal aid, legal education, podcasts, witnesses by sally

“Today I am talking to Professor Gary Slapper, Director of the Law School at The Open University. We look at the relentless march towards privatisation in legal education, the Legal Aid reforms and briefly examine the criticism of Jeffrey Samuels QC in the Dowler case.”

Podcast

Charon QC, 28th June 2011

Source: www.charonqc.wordpress.com

“Charon QC” is the blogging pseudonym of Mike Semple Piggot, editor of insitelaw newswire.

Law firms are opening up to non-graduates – The Guardian

Posted June 27th, 2011 in law firms, legal education, legal executives, news by sally

“A new mood of egalitarianism is sweeping the profession just as higher tuition fees are likely to reduce social mobility.”

Full story

The Guardian, 24th June 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

LSB publishes aptitude testing research – Legal Services Board

Posted June 21st, 2011 in legal education, news, reports by sally

“The LSB is today publishing research into aptitude testing and the legal profession. The report, commissioned from Dr Chris Dewberry, Department of Organisational Psychology at Birkbeck College, University of London reviews the academic evidence for the effectiveness of aptitude testing. The review captures and summarises evidence from a wide range of studies charting the history of their development, their reliability and criteria for assessing effectiveness. The report concludes by setting out twelve recommendations any organisation seeking to use aptitude testing in legal services should consider.”

Full story

Legal Services Board, 21st June 2011

Source: www.legalservicesboard.org.uk

Legal profession needs more than an aptitude test to cut graduate surplus – The Guardian

Posted June 21st, 2011 in legal education, news, reports, solicitors by sally

“With not enough training contracts for all its students, the legal practice course needs to find ways of reducing its intake.”

Full story

The Guardian, 21st June 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk