To cap or not to cap, that is the question – Counsel

Posted October 5th, 2021 in barristers, legal education, news, pupillage, statistics by sally

‘There is a debate that perennially surfaces on social media and leads to animated discussion – “far too many students start the Bar course with little or no prospects of success; spending money they can ill afford; and that any given scholarship money could be used differently”. The debate can be stifled, or misdirected, by inaccurate statistics or recollections of a Bar course from a halcyon age. Fortunately, and in the best Twitter form, this debate also provides a whole host of suggested solutions.’

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Counsel, October 2021

Source: www.counselmagazine.co.uk

Bar to review aptitude test with just 0.7% fail rate – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted September 3rd, 2021 in barristers, consultations, legal education, news, statistics by tracey

‘The bar is considering whether to scrap a student aptitude test that weeds out fewer than 1% of candidates, after concluding that it is “not operating as an effective filter”.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 3rd September 2021

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Offering more law degrees “could save struggling universities” – Legal Futures

Posted July 23rd, 2021 in brexit, budgets, coronavirus, education, legal education, news, universities by sally

‘Universities should prioritise law degrees for investment because they produce “better employability outcomes”, are “comparatively cheap to deliver” and “well-suited to remote or blended learning”, a report has found.’

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Legal Futures, 22nd July 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

High Court criticises Bar Standards Board for “unjust” decisions – Legal Futures

Posted July 23rd, 2021 in barristers, legal education, news, universities by sally

‘The High Court has ruled that the Bar Standards Board (BSB) made “unjust and unsustainable” decisions in refusing a Bar student’s application for an exemption from the vocational element of his training.’

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Legal Futures, 23rd July 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

New report shows impact of the pandemic on those training for the Bar – Bar Standards Board

Posted July 16th, 2021 in barristers, coronavirus, legal education, news, statistics by tracey

‘The Bar Standards Board has today published the seventh and final annual edition of its statistical information relating to student performance on the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC). As the report has shown in previous years, training for the Bar remains highly competitive.’

Full report

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Bar Standards Board, 15th July 2021

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

Susskind: “Trainees will learn like astronauts – with virtual reality” – Legal Futures

Posted June 14th, 2021 in computer programs, legal education, legal profession, news by tracey

‘Trainee lawyers in future may do their legal training by using immersive virtual reality software simulating the practice environment, much like astronauts being made ready for space, Professor Richard Susskind has predicted.’

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Legal Futures, 14th June 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

UK supreme court to take on paid interns from underrepresented groups – The Guardian

‘The supreme court has announced its first paid internships for aspiring lawyers from underrepresented communities as it seeks to increase diversity in the judiciary. The initiative by the UK’s highest court, in collaboration with the charity Bridging the Bar, comes as the supreme court, judiciary and legal profession more widely face scrutiny over accessibility.’

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The Guardian, 27th May 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Option for online exams to become permanent, SRA decides – Legal Futures

‘Emergency measures allowing legal practice course (LPC) students to take their exams at home during the pandemic are to become permanent where there is a “clear rationale” to do so, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has decided.’

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Legal Futures, 25th May 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Review of Bar exam chaos points finger at BSB and Pearson VUE – Legal Futures

‘The Bar Standards Board (BSB) and electronic testing company Pearson VUE have both come under fire from the independent review of last year’s Bar professional training course (BPTC) exams.’

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Legal Futures, 7th May 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Wide LPC attainment gap based on provider and ethnicity – Legal Futures

‘The disparity between the best and worst legal practice course (LPC) providers has continued to grow, with only 23% of students passing at one institution.’

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Legal Futures, 26th March 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

A cheaper route to qualifying? ULaw unveils SQE pricing – Legal Futures

Posted February 10th, 2021 in education, fees, legal education, news, solicitors, universities by sally

‘The University of Law (ULaw) has unveiled a range of courses to prepare students for Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE), costing from £500 to £16,500 – the latter being little different from the legal practice course (LPC).’

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Legal Futures, 10th February 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Bar students and BPP at odds over face-to-face exam this week – Legal Futures

Posted January 6th, 2021 in barristers, coronavirus, examinations, legal education, news, universities by sally

‘Last night’s announcement of a new lockdown has thrown a new element into the dispute between BPP Law School and Bar students over a scheduled face-to-face exam this week.’

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Legal Futures, 5th January 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Chambers seeks to rally support for Bar-wide pupillage academy – Legal Futures

Posted December 21st, 2020 in barristers, legal education, news, pupillage by sally

‘A not-for-profit “pupillage academy” that would support chambers across England and Wales to offer more pupillages has been proposed by national chambers Clerksroom.’

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Legal Futures, 21st December 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Law conversion course applications jump by nearly a quarter since pandemic – The Guardian

Posted December 15th, 2020 in coronavirus, legal education, news, statistics, universities by tracey

‘According to the Central Applications Board (CAB), applications for the GDL increased by 22.5% from 2019 to 2020. Numbers are rising and providers say it’s down to Covid. “We have had a bumper GDL intake this year, which I reckon is our highest intake for years,” says Tony Storey, programme leader at Northumbria University.

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The Guardian, 15th December 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

BSB publishes its first Regulatory Decisions Report – Bar Standards Board

‘The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has today published its first annual Regulatory Decisions Report. It covers the year ending on 31 March 2020.’

Full press release

Bar Standards Board, 27th November 2020

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

Hodge worries about impact of pandemic on young lawyers – Litigation Futures

‘The deputy president of the Supreme Court has expressed fears that young lawyers have been unable to train properly during the pandemic and urged the profession to ensure there is no lasting damage to their education.’

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Litigation Futures, 12th November 2020

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

University of Law fails to block trade mark in dispute with former student – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted November 6th, 2020 in intellectual property, legal education, news, trade marks, universities by tracey

‘The University of Law has lost major elements of a trade mark dispute against a start-up that helps teenagers get into law school, after claiming the branding could damage its reputation.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 5th November 2020

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

BSB appoints reviewer to probe summer exam fiasco – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted November 5th, 2020 in barristers, computer programs, examinations, legal education, news by tracey

‘The Bar Standards Board has appointed an independent reviewer to find out what went wrong during the summer exam period, in which a quarter of bar school examinations could not be completed due to technical faults.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 4th November 2020

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Review of BSB decision-making will not cover exams furore – Legal Futures

Posted September 30th, 2020 in barristers, coronavirus, examinations, legal education, Legal Services Board, news by sally

‘The Legal Services Board (LSB) has launched its review of the quality of the Bar Standards Board’s (BSB) decision-making – but is not going to look at the controversy around last month’s Bar exams.’

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Legal Futures, 30th September 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

UK barrister mistaken for defendant calls for compulsory anti-racism training – The Guardian

‘The barrister who was mistaken for a defendant three times in one day at court has called for compulsory anti-racism training at every level of the UK legal system.’

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The Guardian, 26th September 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com