The Futures of Legal Education and the Legal Profession

by Hilary Sommerlad (Editor), Sonia Harris-Short (Editor), Steven Vaughan (Editor), Richard Young (Editor)

Overview

We are currently witnessing an unprecedented transformation in the legal profession and legal education. The Legal Services Act 2007 and the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 have both enabled and necessitated dramatic structural changes to the profession, as well as impacting on its ethos and ethicality. The recent Legal Education and Training Review (LETR) promises similarly dramatic change to the provision of legal education, reflecting the shifting landscape of both the legal professional market and Higher Education in general. These transformative changes bring both exciting opportunities and challenges with which everyone involved in the law – from University lecturers, to Senior Partners in leading law firms, to the judiciary – must grapple. This edited collection comprises a selection of papers presented at the 2nd conference of CEPLER, Birmingham Law School's Centre for Professional Legal Education and Research. The aim of the Conference, and thus this collection, was to bring together leading academic scholars, senior figures from professional practice, policy-makers, and representatives of the regulatory authorities, to reflect on the key issues arising from this transformative moment. As such, this volume of essays covers diverse ground, from curriculum development to professional theory, enriched and enhanced by the range of backgrounds and perspectives of its contributors.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781782255871
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	03/26/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	180
File size:	712 KB

About the Author

Hilary Sommerlad is Professor of Law and Research Director of the Centre for Professional Legal Education and Research (CEPLER) at Birmingham Law School.
Sonia Harris-Short is former Professor of Family Law and Policy at Birmingham Law School and the former Head of CEPLER.
Steven Vaughan is a Lecturer and Education Director of CEPLER at Birmingham Law School.
Richard Young is Professor of Law and Policy at the University of Birmingham.
Hilary Sommerlad is Professor of Law and Social Justice at the University of Leeds, UK.
Steven Vaughan is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Laws at University College London.

Table of Contents

Foreword
Acknowledgements
Notes on Contributors
1. The Centre for Professional Legal Education and Research, the futures of the Legal Profession and Education: An Introduction
2. Professionalism, Enterprise and the Market: contradictory or complementary?
Julia Evetts
3. The financialisation of large firms: situated discourses and practices of re-organisation
Daniel Muzio
4. Judicial Diversity and the new Judge
R. Hunter
5. Delivering Family Justice: new ways of working in a changing professional landscape
Mavis Maclean
6. A Review of the Legal Education Landscape and the Legal Education and Training Review
Julian Webb
7. The Nature and Purpose of the Law Degree in the light of LETR
Andrew Sanders
8. Creating a more flexible approach to education and training
Alex Roy
9. Key Issues in Legal Education from the Profession's Viewpoint
Tony King
10. An Agenda for Research on the Legal Profession and Legal Education: An American Perspective
Rick Abel
Index

Editorial Reviews

"This excellent collection of contributions about the current state of the legal profession, the re-shaping of services, and the way we train lawyers and judges for the 21st century is an essential read for any professional associated with legal services." --The Bill of Middlesex

From the Publisher