Themes for the event included opening up the LLB curriculum and Professional Education and Training 2 (PEAT 2) collaboration. There were workshop streams on clinical legal education (LLB), Work-based Learning (PEAT 2) and teaching law on non-law curricula.
The first plenary session was given by Julian Webb, UK Centre for Legal Education (UKCLE) who addressed the topic of 'legal education and the legal services market' - reflecting on the changes both north and south of the border in terms of a changing market in which different business structures may well offer different types of services. Examples were given of high volume work such as debt recovery or conveyancing which can be semi-automated; or Legal Process Outsourcing (LPO) which can operate for increasingly sophisticated processes. The Indian market was cited as a high value market for this type of activity. Julian also addressed the legal education market - raising issues regarding the private sector providers and the widening gap between universities and the profession.
The first parallel session with Donald Nicolson, University of Strathclyde and Dale McFadzean, University of West of Scotland addressed clinical skills at undergraduate level - two very different approaches that feature in-house or external engagement still keep the debate alive as to whether such projects should be client or student oriented. Either way, the structure and future potential for clinical education will be shaped by this small but growing movement in Scotland.
Alongside this session, Patrick Randolph-Quinney, University Dundee, and Niamh Nic Daeid, University of Strathclyde, began the first session on science and legal education by bringing their perspectives from the fields of both philosophical and applied sciences to illustrate how problems in the presentation of scientific evidence in the legal environment are still being encountered, and how this may be ameliorated by changes to legal education.
After lunch, the second keynote was presented by Liz Campbell and Collette Paterson from The Law Society of Scotland who highlighted the recent changes to the route to qualification - in particular the new PEAT 2 (Professional Education and Training) programme which covers the traineeship period and CPD. The new framework, which will come into force on 1 November 2011, retains the existing requirement of a minimum of 20 hours each year. To support solicitors in their CPD activities, from 2011 the Society will introduce basic templates, which will be capable of being completed online, to assist with identifying training needs, recording CPD undertaken and evaluating the outcome of the training. In addition, from 2011 a wider range of activities will be acceptable as CPD. These will include activities such as structured and formalised one-to-one training, coaching, and online training, rather than the present narrow definition of group study.
The third parallel session, a workshop led by Jim Moser from Dundas & Wilson and Collette Paterson from The Law Society of Scotland, explored the role of the profession in providing legal education at this new PEAT 2 stage. Their small groups discussed the barriers and benefits to the new programme and reported back at the closing discussions. Much debate surrounded the Trainee Continuing Professional Development (TCPD) requirements and how the accreditation of the providers for TCPD would differ from the delivery of CPD to the wider profession. Many positive and negative aspects were explored and debated, which will be published as a review following the workshop.
The final parallel session led by Michael Bromby, Glasgow Caledonian University, and Fiona Raitt, University of Dundee, built upon the views of the forensic practitioners to explore how science is addressed in the legal curriculum and the role of the law schools to provide a more pervasive approach to underpin a general appreciation of the philosophy of science. The perceived benefits of co-teaching of law students and science students led to a discussion about the mechanics and benefits of joint delivery of CPD to the professions in order to foster greater links in terms of critical thinking between the two.
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