Overview

Overview

As a centre for research and consultancy in legal education and the enhancement of legal practice, our mission is to:

• work with and for those involved in educating in and for the legal services sector actively to enhance standards and public confidence, and
• contribute to, influence and drive thinking about education and regulation in and for the legal services sector from an informed and practical perspective.

The centre contributes to research projects in the legal services community and provides consultancy in legal education matters to the legal professions and beyond, in the UK and abroad. Recent projects in which members of the centre have been involved include:

• a project to test a set of competencies designed by the professional regulator for entry level lawyers in the workplace
• a project working on the relevance of values in legal education
• a project on risk and regulation in the legal services sector
• a project to redesign the qualification framework for intellectual property professionals sponsored by their professional body
• a project to advise on a redesign of the qualification framework for property law professionals sponsored by their professional body and regulator
• a project on risk management education for legal professionals sponsored by a professional regulator outside England and Wales
• a project on the early career learning of legal professionals
• a project on transition of students into higher education
• a project on assessment
• numerous projects to design, develop and deliver programmes on a bespoke basis for law firms and legal professionals in the UK and elsewhere, including postgraduate awards.

Current research and consultancy 

Current projects include:

• Work on the Legal Education and Training Review sponsored by the Solicitors Regulation Authority; Bar Standards Board and ILEX Professional Standards:
• Developing the international orientation and experience of law students;
• External Examiners - a review of the practice in law;
• A project for a book provisionally entitled The craft of law teaching – pictures from an exhibition. This book will be informed by concern/a consideration of the nature of law and legal practice, and is inspired by concern with students’ development of awareness of law’s promise and limitation. In short, it is a fundamental approach to legal education as a craft, based on the uniqueness of law as a practice and social praxis.