There is no new taught legal content in this module. Students will be applying new skills in research and digital design to a legal problem arising from an area of law previously taught. Indicative content therefore focuses on the context of the contemporary landscape in legal services, plus skills in research, design, and reflection.

Contemporary developments and dilemmas facing the legal services industry in the adoption of digital delivery of legal services
The current legal climate and access to expertise for users of legal services
Commercial awareness in a legal digital landscape
The changing nature of legal services and the importance of Digital Transformation
The design cycle: identification, solution proposal, implementation, execution and review.
The consultative process
Research and development skills: legal and digital
The reflective cycle.

Using any area of contemporary law, students will identify and analyse problems that can be addressed digitally in the chosen area, produce a report in the first semester on a proposal that uses digital means to replicate legal reasoning and legal thinking through production of a digital artefact.

The artefact is not specified and could range from an online blog to an application for users to interact with and may be from a range of legal problem settings. Support and resources are made available in the research design of the artefact and although technology focussed, students with little previous IT experience will find this module accessible. It will enhance employability in an extremely competitive legal arena.

The learning strategy for this module is based around students committing a total of¿400 hours of activities towards achieving the learning outcomes. These will be split between 50¿hours of direct contact with a tutor and 350¿hours of directed, guided and self-study, together with preparation for the assessment.

Classes in Semester 1 will focus on research methods for product design. Lectures (13 x 1 hour) will follow the structure of the design cycle from the initial issue identification and problem analysis through to the construction of the digital artefact and interaction with digital resources according to the chosen product. Workshops will allow students to consolidate their understanding of the design process, and appropriate research skills to facilitate that process. Students are encouraged to spend 6-8 hours per week on reading, preparation for workshops, and consolidation of learning.¿¿¿At the end of Semester 1, students will produce a fully developed research project proposal.

In Semester 2, contact will be largely in the form of individual supervision, plus whole group classes to develop appraisal and reflective skills. At this stage, students will have the opportunity to progress their individual projects whilst applying their legal knowledge to resolve contemporary legal issues by a systematic and methodical approach.

.

The Law Society, “Horizon Scanning: Digital Futures” (2020) accessed December 1, 2020

Milton A and Rodgers P, Research Methods for Product Design (Laurence King Pub 2013)

Murray A, Information Technology Law¿: The Law and Society. (OUP 2019) (available via Law Trove)

Practical Law Company website resources (free)

IT support from Digital Services Staffordshire University

Access to digital platform in conjunction with commercial partner Neota Logic (in development)

https://applications.neotalogic.com/a/ls-showcase

1. Research and describe how the process of solving a legal problem can be replicated using digital resources.
2. Identify and analyse a legal issue, propose a solution that can be digitised and produced.
3. Create a digital artefact that analyses potential issues and formulates responses for the user in a diverse range of contexts.
4. Evaluate the efficacy of a digital artefact, appraising its development, production and skills deployed in its formulation.

The production of a project proposal and design document will enable students to classify legal problems, analyse the potential means of resolving them according to user response (LO1/2). The digital artefact is to be decided by the student in consultation with the tutor and is not specified but may be an interactive blog, mobile application or other digital media (LO3). Once finalised the artefact is produced having engaged with stakeholders as appropriate, an evaluation of the process is then undertaken by a written report on the process and experience (LO4).