1. Advise and provide practical and legal solutions to complex and unpredictable situations.

Problem solving

2. Reflect upon the knowledge, skills and performance you acquired within the legal clinic environment by demonstrating how they are applicable to graduate legal employment.

Reflection
Problem solving

3. Evidence the independent learning, research and enquiry required to advance your knowledge of the law.

Learning and enquiry

4. Comply with applicable standards of professional conduct and client care requirements to show a sound appreciation of the constraints on and expectations of a university based legal service provider

Knowledge and understanding

5. Communicate legal information and solutions to specialist and non-specialist audiences

Knowledge and understanding and communication

The assessments for this module reflect the range of tasks that are required as part of the duties as a legal advisor within the Legal Advice Service at the University of Staffordshire. With the exception of the CV, all elements of assessed work will arise in the course of students performing duties in the clinic.

The letters of advice accompanied by the corresponding case note and research records are evidence of the work done providing legal services to the community reflecting subject knowledge, research skills and professional behaviours (LOs 1 3, 4, and 5).

The CV provides students with the opportunity to identify, evaluate and demonstrate the knowledge and skills which they have acquired during the module. This requires students to consider what skills they have gained which will be applicable not only to graduate level employment generally, but more specifically within the legal sector.

This module includes an element of assessment by the module leader throughout the course of the module of pervasive professional behaviours which will help prepare students for the workplace (LO 4). Students are provided at the start of the module with the assessment criteria for this element of assessment so that clear expectations of behaviours are in place.

This module involves students working to assist members of the local community with the provision of legal advice. To participate, students will participate in mandatory training in a range of practical legal skills including interview techniques, letter writing, and the professional requirements contained within the Legal Advice Service’s policies, procedures and office manual. Training on matters such as family law and as well as professional conduct and ethics will also be provided.

Students will carry out guided research on relevant legal issues using the online resources to which the University already subscribes. Students will reflect on the research and its application to the problem following feedback from their supervisors.

Students will meet with clients either face to face or online, conduct interviews to elicit information about the problems, allowing them to draft letters of advice which accurately reflect the law but be written in a way that is intelligible to the clients.

The students will also be able to enhance their employability, by developing skills in a practical and relevant way to suit the needs of the client base.

The Legal Advice Clinic is a module in which you will be placed as a Student Legal Advisor within the Legal Advice Service and trained to put the law into practice. You will be providing free legal advice to members of the public and certain sectors of the local community, supervised by a qualified solicitor. The Legal Advice Clinic module is designed to give you a real-life experience from which you can compare, contrast and critically examine the role of law, lawyers and the legal process, as well as the wider context of human dynamics in practice and legal ethics. The Legal Advice Clinic may operate in various locations including during in person clinics and online via Microsoft Teams. This module is an excellent form of work experience to boost your CV and employment prospects and is beneficial to students aspiring to work in legal practice.

Training sessions are compulsory at the start of the module and will cover an induction to the Legal Advice Service’s procedures, practical research, interviewing and drafting, which will form part of the teaching strategy. The bulk of the contact time will be spent by students preparing for client meetings, interviewing clients and in drafting letters of advice.

Independent study will be split between time studying professional conduct, preparation for client interviews, conducting legal research and drafting letters of advice. Feedback will be given by module tutors on all letters of advice throughout the module.

Reference Texts

Finch and Fafinski, Employability skills for Law Students OUP 2014

It is not possible to provide other texts in light of the nature of the module. Students will be expected to review texts such as Practical Law but much will be dependent upon the nature of the client’s complaint

Practical Law

Lexis PCL

LawWorks website

Advice UK website

Students will be required to sign a contract setting out what they are required to do whilst working for the Legal Advice Service including a confidentiality agreement. Particularly in years where the module is oversubscribed, there will also be a selection procedure in place which may take into account attendance, aptitude and grades.