1. Identify the qualities and skills necessary for graduate-level employment and reflect on how you have developed those qualities and skills in the workplace.

2. Interpret and explain workplace experiences in terms of relevant legal principles and frameworks.

3. Communicate effectively with both specialist and non-specialist audiences

4. Employ digital tools and resources effectively.

Reflective Journal (Learning outcomes 1, 2 and 3). Students will create a reflective diary of their work experience placement(s) in which they actively reflect on how their experiences relate to law in action, and how they have developed transferable employability skills. They will produce 5 individual diary entries of approximately 600 words for each entry (total 3000 words).

Personal professional artefact incorporating digital media (Learning outcomes 1, 3 and 4). Students will create a professional profile using any suitable digital medium (such as a LinkedIn profile, business blog or website), thereby demonstrating their digital capabilities as well as enhancing their employability.

There is no formal prescribed content.

The aim is to:
- provide practical experience of the workplace
- develop students’ appreciation of the applicability of legal and regulatory processes in the workplace
- develop transferable employability skills including digital capabilities

This module provides you with an opportunity to enhance and improve your employability skills through undertaking a work experience placement. You will be asked to reflect upon your work experience placement which will help you to identify and explore your transferrable skills. This process will enable you to enhance your CV and improve your job interview techniques and performance.

The work experience placement is the key strategy in achieving the outcomes supported by three group workshops plus individual supervisory tutorials tailored to individual student need.

Group workshops (4 x 1 hour):
Introduction to module and assessments briefing
Reflective writing

Employability skills

Communication skills and digital media

Individual Tutorials: (4 hours per student)
Each student will have 4 meetings to provide individual support for the reflective elements of the module and to monitor individual progress on the placement(s) and assessment. This will consist of 2 individual 1:1 appointments focusing on individual student needs and 2 drop-in clinic sessions to discuss ongoing progress.

Students will be introduced to models of reflective writing as a tool for professional development. As the module is tailored to individual students’ experiences, there will be no common formative assessment. Instead, students will be able to seek developmental feedback on their reflective diary entries in meetings with the module leader and tutors.

Independent Study (192 hours)
This is indicative as the work experience will take place over a minimum of the equivalent of 10 working days (70 hours) either in one or more blocks or spread over a semester.

The balance of independent study hours (122) will be spent on researching and writing the reflective journal, and on preparing and creating the digital artefact.

Core Text:

Finch E and Fafinski S, Employability Skills for Law Students (OUP 2014) Available on Law Trove


Recommended:

Embley J, Goodchild P, Shephard C and Slorach S, Legal Systems & Skills: Learn, Develop, Apply (4th edn OUP) Available on Law Trove

Moore I and Newbery-Jones C, The Successful Law Student: An Insider's Guide to Studying Law (OUP 2018) Available on Law Trove

Williams K, Reflective Writing (Palgrave Macmillan 2012)

Blackboard VLE
University library and associated online learning materials.