SPECIALTY IN LEGAL PRACTICE PROJECT - 2024/5

Module Overview

This optional module will require the student to:

• research an area of legal practice,,


• interview a practitioner specialising in this practice area, and


• submit an extended essay incorporating the research and the interview

All modules in this programme link with preparation for the SQE and for future professional practice. The pedagogy of this module, including the assessment pattern, relates academic and vocational skills to professional practice in a legal environment.

Module provider

Surrey Law School

Module Leader

PETERS Katy (Law)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 7

Module cap (Maximum number of students): 60

Module Availability

Semester 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

N/A

Module content

Students will submit an initial proposal outlining the practice area that they would like to research and explaining why it is of interest to them.

Students will be allocated a Supervisor, who will support them to develop their proposal and identify a practitioner to approach, using Surrey Connects or another connection.

Students will work independently to arrange an interview with the practitioner and prepare an extended essay in accordance with a rubric set out on SurreyLearn.

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to:

Provide cumulative feedback which replicates a professional working environment where junior lawyers will be expected to prepare initial documents which are then reviewed and amended by more senior colleagues.

 

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

• Submission of a researched Extended Essay.(satisfying Learning Objectives 1 – 5)

 

Formative assessment:

Submission of work in progress.

 

Feedback:

The formative will be work in progress that the supervisor will then provide written or oral feedback about.

Initial tutorials will enable the student to test ideas, identify the practice area, identify prospective practitioner interviewees and draft interview questions.

Subsequent tutorials will enable students to share work in progress and gain supervisor feedback as the essay develops.

Module aims

• Enable students to develop responsibility and aptitude for independent work.
• Enable students to improve analysis and critical thinking skills in a legal professional context.
• Enable students to improve legal and related research skills.
• Enable students to develop networking skills.
• Enable students to develop the ability, with a supervisor, to negotiate and execute a semester-long working plan.
• Enables students to develop in-depth knowledge about a specific area of legal practice and the transferable skills required for employability in this area.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:

Develop independence and resilience in research and preparation; complementing the compulsory modules in legal research, writing and environment.

Enable students to network with legal practitioners in an area of legal specialism of interest to them.

Enable students to develop connections with the legal profession in an area where they may subsequently find employment.

 

The learning and teaching methods include:

Independent research and writing.

1:1 supervision and mentoring.

Feedback on Work in Progress.

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: LAWM173

Other information

The school of Law is committed to developing postgraduates with strengths in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability, and Resourcefulness and Resilience. This module is designed to allow students to develop knowledge, skills, and capabilities in the following areas:

Digital Capabilities: Students will apply and refine their digital capabilities through engagement with online learning applications and activities. Students are expected to be proficient in navigating the University of Surrey’s VLE (Surreylearn) to support their learning, communicate with peers and tutors and submit assessment output. Students are further expected to be proficient in utilising a variety of digital legal databases to effectively source research materials and complete learning tasks.  All students are expected to be proficient in using professional digital tools such as email, MS Suite applications and digital communication applications such as Zoom, MS Teams, Google docs etc. at a basic level and will be provided with opportunities to engage with these tools during their learning activities and communications with tutors and peers. Contact with professionals may take place virtually. Students may choose to research a practice area related to digital and/or technological capabilities, and the essay will be expected to address the impact of technology and AI on the chosen area of legal specialty.

Employability: This module is a strong embodiment of the Employability pillar and is a key contributor towards students developing and refining a key transferable and professional skill. It requires students to research an area of legal practice specialism and to engage directly with specialist practitioners. This provides a key networking opportunity, as well as enabling the student to develop specialist knowledge about an area of the legal profession in which they may later find work.

Global and Cultural Capabilities: This module supports the development of students’ global and cultural capabilities by strengthening their understanding of one of the foundational elements of global communication. Listening and questioning techniques are essential for building greater global connections which will prove advantageous for all parties. The skills used in interviewing are frequently used in building and mediating international relations and in resolving international conflicts and disputes. A nuanced use of interview techniques will empower students in understanding and engaging in the various and different cultures and objectives across different societies and will aid in adding to students’ cultural capital in an increasingly internationalized professional and personal environment. Areas of legal specialism, whilst rooted in UK law, are frequently practised globally and students have the option to research areas of law which have international implications, and practitioners who may be dual-qualified or have practice experience in jurisdictions beyond the UK.

Resourcefulness and Resilience: This module requires students to carry out a semester-long independent research and writing project. It also requires them to approach and interview a practitioner whom they may not have met before. This requires both resourcefulness and resilience.

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2024/5 academic year.