Annual Report 2014-15 The Centre for Professional

Legal Education and Research

Since its launch in November 2012, the Centre for Professional Legal Education and Research has been dedicated to enhancing opportunities for students to develop their employability; fostering world class research on legal practice and education; and developing innovative approaches to the curriculum.

We are grateful to all of our partners within the legal community who provide generous support and collaboration for our extra-curricular activities; to those practitioners who have committed their time to participating in our research projects; and to the members of the CEPLER Steering Group who have helped us to shape the growth and development of the Centre.

In particular, we would like to extend our thanks to our key partners No5 for their conceptualisation, investment and continued support.

July 2015 Contents Introduction from Professor Robert Lee, Director of CEPLER Page 2 Professor Robert Lee’s I am very pleased to present CEPLER’s annual report Introduction and the for 2014-15, in which we highlight the growth and CEPLER Framework. achievements of the Centre over a busy twelve Page 3 months. Meet the CEPLER Team. This year we have been proud to offer our students Page 4 an even broader range of opportunities to develop The CEPLER Awards 2015 their skills and experience and shape their future A celebration of careers, with the introduction of new pro bono outstanding achievement projects and enhanced careers initiatives. Also we and commitment. have been privileged to welcome a host of distinguished speakers to share their Page 5-6 wisdom and expertise. In March we were delighted to host our inaugural CEPLER Pro Bono Group Awards in celebration of a successful year of study and to reward the Highlighting this year’s outstanding achievement of individual students across the range of extra- existing and new projects curricular endeavour. and activities. CEPLER has pursued new research paths this year with independent and Pages 7-8 collaborative projects reflecting areas of key concern to the profession, and we CEPLER Events have continued to develop a strong foundation of practice-led legal education. The diverse range of We are grateful, as ever, for the valued support of our academic colleagues and careers events and the professional partners, and for the kindness of the many Law School Alumni who wealth of high-profile guest speakers. give their time so generously. CEPLER has ambitious plans for the coming year and we are grateful for your continued engagement. Page 9 Careers News and key initiatives The CEPLER Framework in careers this year.

CEPLER is part of the Law School at the University of Birmingham. It Page 10 encompasses those Law School activities which are linked to law in practice and Advocacy to the legal profession. Student accomplishments in CEPLER’s objectives are to: mooting and debating.  create opportunities for and facilitate world class research on the legal Pages 11-12 profession, law in practice and legal education; Research  support and facilitate the impact of the Law School’s research across all CEPLER’s research fields of law, and encourage public engagement; strategy, current activity and highlights of the  enhance the legal practice skills, commercial awareness and employability of year. Law School students;  have instilled in Birmingham Law School Graduates a sense of civic duty and Page 14 Education citizenship; and The development of the  increase awareness of legal rights and responsibilities amongst the wider existing programme and community, the introduction of new initiatives. each in collaboration with the legal profession, our students, the wider university, other academics, policy makers, regulators and others.

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Meet the CEPLER Team

Professor Robert Lee Professor Hilary Sommerlad Director of CEPLER Director of Research A specialist in regulation, Internationally recognised for her work on particularly health and legal aid and access to justice, diversity and environmental law, Robert has professional identity, Hilary has held chairs worked in two of the UK’s largest at Leicester and Leeds Metropolitan, law firms and has held positions on where she established a Centre for numerous committees and panels. Diversity of the Professions.

Linden Thomas Dr Steven Vaughan In-House and CEPLER Director of Education Manager Steven has been a practising solicitor and Linden qualified as a solicitor with held lectureships at Cardiff and Bristol. He SGH Martineau, specialising in is a Future Research Leader for the ESRC Employment Law. She oversees and is currently working on a 3-year many of our pro bono projects and project on Corporate Lawyer-Client links with the profession. relationships.

Dr Bharat Malkani Theresa Lynch Director of Pro Bono Director of Advocacy Bharat specialises in the field of Theresa was called to the Bar at Gray’s Inn human rights and criminal justice. before joining the Law School from her role He joined the Law School from with the CPS. She also teaches the CEPLER Bristol University in 2008 and Advocacy Module and is researching BME established the BLS Pro Bono Group Students and Mooting. in 2009.

Emily Carroll Dr Emma Oakley Director of Careers Research Fellow Having qualified as a solicitor in Emma works with Steven Vaughan on his 2005, Emily brings a decade of ESRC ‘Future Leaders’ project, exploring experience and understanding of the nature of corporate law firms and their the legal marketplace from roles clients. She achieved her PhD at Bristol with , Walker Morris University where she also taught. and Shoosmiths.

Lesley Griffiths Professor Erika Rackley Senior Administrator CEPLER Professor Lesley supports the extra-curricular Erika has an international reputation for and careers-related activities in the her research in judicial diversity, the nature Law School, including devising and of judging, and gender equality in the legal coordinating the CEPLER profession. Her influence has earned her a Professional Development (CPD) coveted Leverhulme Prize Scheme.

Emma Flint Birmingham Fellow (Teaching) Emma joined the Law School in December 2014. A corporate lawyer for nearly ten years, Emma left private practice in 2008 and was made a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Authority in 2014.

3 CEPLER Annual Awards

In March, CEPLER was delighted to host its inaugural Annual Awards Reception, an opportunity to celebrate a successful year of study for our final year students and to recognise outstanding individual achievement in the field of extra-curricular activity. With the generous sponsorship of University of Law and Birmingham Law School, the evening was a mix of networking and presentations, with speeches from two of our esteemed alumni: Kolarele Sonaike, Annabell Lamba, PG Marketing Manager, UoB , mediator and President of the community-based charity 100 Black Men of ; and Annabell Lamba, who graduated in law and moved to a career in Higher Education marketing, returning to UoB for a role in Postgraduate Marketing. Congratulations to all of our winners:

CEPLER’s Outstanding Achievement Award, sponsored by Shakespeares (now Shakespeare Martineau), was given to Kolarele Sonaike, Barrister Charlotte Elves, an exceptional student who, through her involvement with both the Mooting and Pro Bono Committees, has demonstrated initiative and commitment

beyond expectation. Charlotte Elves The award for Outstanding Contribution to

Pro Bono, sponsored by Mills & Reeve LLP, was awarded jointly to Farah Hakim and

Sonny Dudani for their enthusiasm and commitment to reinvigorating the Street Law

project. Street Law involves student teams presenting to community groups, schools, and public and third sector organisations on a

Sonny Dudani and Farah Hakim wide variety of legal education topics.

The winner of the award for Outstanding Contribution to Mooting, sponsored by No5

Chambers, was final year student Pawel Michael Young, Shakespeare Martineau and Dr Steven Vaughan, CEPLER Pokorski. As Master of the Moots, an honour bestowed on him in recognition of his

success in last year’s mooting finals, Pawel was actively involved in liaising with professional judges and organising the post- Pawel Pokorski moot receptions.

The Awards presentation also included the winners of our three mooting competitions and the CEPLER debating team. Paul McConnell University of Law, CEPLER would like to extend grateful thanks to all of our sponsors and and Professor Robert Lee, Director of CEPLER contributors who made the evening possible.

4 Pro Bono Group

It has been an exciting and busy year for our Pro Bono Group. During the academic year 2014-15 we ran a total of nine projects involving 180 students.

Helping those who need it most

The Pro Bono Group continues to offer legal advice and support to some of the most vulnerable people in our community.

Birmingham Free Legal Advice Group (FLAG), our largest This year’s excellent FLAG Coordinator team project, continued to advise members of our local community I enjoyed meeting the client, and the who cannot afford to pay for legal advice. Under the supervision of solicitors from Mills & Reeve and from No5 ‘ professional volunteer and being chambers, over 60 Birmingham Law School students advised placed in a situation I had never clients on a diverse range of issues, including employment law, experienced before. It gave me intellectual property law, family law, property law and probate hands on experience, and knowing law, to name just a few. you have helped somebody in a PSU: Pro Bono Group members volunteer with the Personal tough, personal situation was Support Unit (PSU), a charity based in the Birmingham Civil extremely rewarding! Justice Centre, which offers assistance to litigants in person - Birmingham Law student on her experience people who are representing themselves in Court cases. of volunteering with FLAG Following recent cuts to legal aid, an increasing number of Everything about you and your people have no choice but to navigate their way through the Court process without legal representation, making the support service was most efficient, clear, offered by PSU volunteers invaluable. concise and to the point. Congratulations, keep up the SIFA Fireside is a local charity which provides support to the excellent standard, I am sure the homeless and to those who suffer from drug and alcohol addiction. Our SIFA Fireside project, which sees students students will benefit because of this. provide free legal advice to the charity’s service users under Birmingham FLAG client ’ supervision of a solicitor from Shakespeares, completed its second successful year in March 2015.

The Casework Research Assistance Group undertook two projects this year which were aimed at helping members of the public affected by the cuts to legal aid to access advice.

Birmingham Law students conducted research into free or affordable sources of advice in Birmingham and Stafford. These were then collated respectively into: a leaflet to be distributed SIFA student advisors at this year’s launch event to litigants in person in Stafford Combined Court; and a database for users of Birmingham Law Society’s pro bono database. I was impressed with the Our Street Law programme sends Birmingham Pro Bono Group commitment‘ the students showed in members into the community to facilitate discussions and teach developing and delivering a training classes about the law. It strives to identify the needs of the local session for our staff on Equal community and apply practical legal education to make positive Opportunities. change. This year, for the first time, Street Law volunteers gave Rachel Adams, HR Manager a series of six presentations on Equality and Diversity to staff ’ Birmingham Citizens’ Advice Bureau and volunteers at Birmingham Citizens’ Advice Bureau.

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New for 2014-15: This year saw the launch of three exciting new projects for the Pro Bono Group.

Students have been playing a Birmingham Community Law Centre Clinic ‘ central role in our drop in Between October 2014 and March 2015, sixteen Birmingham Law advice clinics, providing local students attended Birmingham Community Law Centre’s premises people access to specialist in Sparkbrook to assist their solicitors in the provision of much- legal advice. Their needed weekly drop-in clinics, which are open to members of the public seeking advice on employment and . The contribution has not only been students also assisted the solicitors with their case work, thereby invaluable to the service we increasing the capacity of the service. provide, but they have also developed important legal skills through applying the law Birmingham Environmental Law Foundation Clinic into real life situations. This project sees students provide advice to individuals and Katherine King, Solicitor ’ community groups on planning and environmental law matters, Birmingham Community Law under the supervision of barristers from . This year Centre students advised on two cases: the first concerned a Parish

Council’s statutory duties to local people to provide allotments in the face of private allotment space being promised and not delivered; the second addressed the nature of “poultry sheds” – intensive farming facilities that see 60,000 to 80,000 birds being reared in tight indoor confinement over a two month period, with significant ensuing environmental impacts. At the end of the project’s first term, we were delighted that both of the matters that our students advised on were determined to have merit and, following our initial advice, ELF is continuing to support the individuals concerned in progressing their cases.

Criminal Appeals Assistance Unit The Criminal Appeals Assistance Unit is a small, specialist student group working on cases involving allegations of miscarriages of justice. Doing CAAU really opened my eyes to the intricacies of Under the supervision of criminal appeal lawyers, students carry ‘ the appeal process and out research and investigation, with the aim of helping the gave me a newfound prisoner put together an effective submission to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC). Participation in the Unit not respect for every party’s only helps prisoners, but also provides students with an insight right to a fair, unbiased into the workings of the criminal appeals system. Volunteering trial. I have learned a lot with the Unit allows students to explore the theoretical issues of about the pros and cons of "guilt" and "innocence" in a legal sense, and the practical issues of the legal process by how to investigate claims of innocence, and how to navigate the investigating a case and criminal appeals system in England and Wales. Working on the looking for grounds to CAAU requires patience, diligence, attention to detail, and group- appeal. working skills, all of which ensure that students receive a rounded Jennifer Applin ’ legal education. CAAU Student Volunteer

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Calendar of Careers Events

Thurs 9th Oct, 6-7pm Mon 3rd Nov, 6-7pm Leaders in Law Careers Lecture Careers Lecture To be or not to be… a Lawyer Making a Good Impression: What Lecture Series to Wear Emily Carroll Steven Vaughan, Clare Doolan, CEPLER’s distinguished Leaders in Emily Carroll Law public lecture series welcomed a Mon 13th Oct, 6-7pm diverse and impressive range of guest Mock Assessment Centre Tues 4th November, 6-7pm Careers lecturers this year, speaking on Written Exercises Workshop topical and thought provoking issues: Steven Vaughan/Emily Carroll Mock Assessment Centre Team Building Exercises th th Tues 14 October, 6-7pm Tues 7 Oct, 6-7pm th Perspectives in Law Weds 12 November, 1-3.30pm Adam Sampson Law Fair Animals and Animal Welfare Law Chief and Policy

The Legal Ombudsman: An Affront to Mike Radford Thurs 13th Nov, 6-7pm the Rule of Law? University of Aberdeen What is Your Strategy?

Ombudsman schemes by their nature Clare Doolan, Emily Carroll, Steven th are designed to be informal, providing Weds 15 October 4-6pm Vaughan Perspectives in Law both consumer and lawyer with a th relatively quick way for their complaint Using Litigation to Achieve Law Fri 14 Nov, 9.45-10.45am to be assessed by an independent body. Reform Interview Hot Seat Careers Network Adam looked at the challenge of Audrey Simpson, NI Family Planning Association; Dorothy Flower, RPC maintaining an informal resolution Tues 18th Nov, 6-8pm service within a formal legal system. nd Weds 22 October, 2-4pm Law and Reproduction Series

Workshop: and My The Edge of Joy Thurs 6th November, 6-7pm Kind of Crowd Documentary Screening and In Conversation with Win a Vacation Placement Discussion Rachel Sandby-Thomas, Dr Sheelagh McGuinness rd Director General of Enterprise and Thurs 23 October 6-7pm th Skills and Legal Services Law in Practice Thurs 20 Nov, 6-7pm Interactive Commercial and Department for Business and Skills Careers Workshop Company Law Session Mock Assessment Centre

Rachel talked to Professor Robert Lee, Bevan Brittan LLP Legally-focused exercise Director of CEPLER, about the Emily Carroll challenges and rewards of a career as a Fri 24th Oct, 9.45-10.45am top government lawyer Interview Hot Seat Weds 26th November Careers Network Law in the City Thurs 19th Feb, 6-7pm A one-day event involving 5 city th firms offered to 30 of the highest Andrew Caplen Tues 28 Oct, 6-7pm Law in Practice achieving second year students. Law Society President Banking Law What Makes You an Outsider? Eliza Hakes, Damian Johnson, Tues 2nd Dec, 6-7pm, LT1

Andrew spoke on the importance of Deutsche Bank Fujitsu: Negotiating Contracts in a diversity and social mobility in the legal Commercial Environment th profession, and the need for more Thurs 30 Oct, 6-7pm An alternative to a career in the support to be offered to those Careers Lecture legal profession embarking on legal careers. Planes, Boats and the Law Ian Insley, Piper Smith Watton LLP

7 Calendar of Careers Events

rd th Weds 3 December, 2-7pm Wed 18 Feb, 1.30-3.30pm th th : Mediation & How to Make the Most of Your LLM Tues 24 – Thurs 26 February Drinks event Emily Carroll and Clare Doolan International Law Week

Thurs 4th December 6-7pm th Wed 4 Mar, 4-6pm Tues 24th Feb, 5-6pm British Telecom: Focus on training Seminar: Advocacy and Lobbying as an In-house Lawyer in Law and Reproduction Doing Business in Africa Dr Sheelagh McGuinness Mary Boakye, LLP (via 8 Tues 9th December 6-7pm Skype) The Bar and BPTC Thurs 5th Mar, 6-7pm Ishan Kolhatkar, barrister Law in Practice th Criminal Law Tues 24 Feb, 6-7pm Tues 16th December, 9.30am Mark Paul Shell Nigeria 8 Full Mock Assessment Centre Crown Prosecution Service Emily Carroll, Steven Vaughan, Paul Ugwu Abba Careers Network Thurs 12th Mar, 6-7pm Careers Lecture Wed 25th Feb, 1-2pm Fri 23rd Jan, 9.30am-1.30pm Tunde Okewale Qualifying in Singapore Skills Workshop Barrister and founder of Urban Techniques for Improving Interview Lawyers Michelle Lu, Singapore Office of Impact the Attorney General (via Skype) th Jeremy Raymond Management Tues 17 Mar, 6-7pm Perspectives in Consultant th Richard Percival Wed 25 Feb, 2.3pm Tues 27th Jan, 6-7pm The Law Commission Aspiring Solicitors

Careers Lecture th Chris White “Ten Reasons Why I Wouldn’t Give Tues 17 Mar, 6-7pm

You a ” Law in Practice th Catherine Junor, Higgs & Sons Sports Law Wed 25 Feb, 6-7pm Kevin Carpenter, Practising in the USA th Thurs 29 Jan, 6-7pm Wed 18th Mar, 1.30-3.30pm Adam Oyebanji, BFKN LLP Law in Practice Mock Interviews Immigration Law Emily Carroll & Siona Spillett, Hill th Imelda Hajredini Thurs 26 Feb, 5.30-6.30pm Hofstetter Law and Politics in the UN TH Thurs 12 Feb, 6-7pm th Careers Lecture Wed 18 Mar, 6-7pm Security Council Researching My Law Career Law in Practice Paul Bentall, Foreign & The Essex Boy and the Coalman: Clare Doolan, Emily Carroll Commonwealth Office. Construction Law in Practice Ian Insley, Piper Smith Watton LLP Tues 17th Feb, 7.30-8.30pm th After Birmingham Law School th Thurs 26 Feb, 6.30-7.30pm Thurs 19 Mar, 6-7pm My Life at the Bar Careers Lecture Qualifying in Canada Hannah Fountain & Richard Gibbs A Career as an Academic Deborah Wolfe, NCA (via Skype)

Dr Steven Vaughan Tues 17th Feb, 6-8pm th Law and Reproduction th Thurs 26 Feb, 6.30-8.30pm th Thurs 26 Mar, 6-7pm ‘12 & Delaware’ Careers Lecture Law Senior Common Room Documentary Screening and Anatomy of a Corporate Deal Drinks Event Discussion Graham Phillips, Clifford Chance Dr Sheelagh McGuinness

8 Careers Events Congratulations During 2014-15 CEPLER offered more careers events to Birmingham We are delighted to announce that Law students than ever before with over 3000 students participating aspiring lawyer Gregory Fagbo, a first in our careers programme. We offered a diverse range of events for year LLB student, has won a prestigious students contemplating careers in, or linked to, the legal profession. Freshfields Stephen Lawrence Our Law in Practice series returned for another year and students Scholarship 2015. heard about life in practice from practitioners working in banking, The Scholarship Scheme is designed to crime, construction, aviation and shipping, immigration, corporate, address the disproportionate under- sports law and many more. There was also an emphasis on helping representation in large commercial law students to develop their soft skills including: negotiation skills; firms of black men from less privileged backgrounds. Selection to the scheme mediation skills; and improving interview impact. is made by global law firm Freshfields Those interested in a career at the bar were treated to an insight into Bruckhaus Deringer from first year law life as a barrister by Hannah Fountain of 2 New Street Chambers, undergraduates nominated by their Richard Gibbs of No5 Chambers and Tunde Okewale founder of Urban universities as ‘exceptionally talented’. Lawyers and barrister at . This is an outstanding achievement for Birmingham Law students were also offered the invaluable Gregory who has undergone a rigorous opportunity to participate in a Mock Assessment Centre and a Mock selection process with other applicants Interview Day, in which they were assessed by and received feedback from universities across the UK. from graduate recruiters and recruiting lawyers from DLA Piper, As a successful scholar, Gregory will Higgs & Sons and Irwin Mitchell. receive £3,500 towards his course and study-related costs and support from Freshfields throughout is scholarship Work Experience Opportunities year, which will include: CEPLER continues to facilitate work experience placements exclusively  Interview coaching and other for Birmingham Law School students. These placements offer students development opportunities (including an unparalleled insight into life in the workplace and provide extensive support with developing successful candidates with the opportunity to develop their practical written skills); and interpersonal skills. To date, 47 students have undertaken work  Commercial familiarisation during experience with the following organisations: University holidays;  Birmingham Personal Support Unit  Bailey Wright & Co  An alternative route to interview for  British Pregnancy Advisory Service  Hill Hofstetter a training contract at Freshfields; and  Carter Moore Solicitors  Higgs & Sons  Mentoring.  Deutsche Bank  HM Courts and Tribunals Service  Legal Insurance Management Group Gregory hopes his involvement in the  No5 Chambers scheme will give him “insight into the legal profession and invaluable International Law Week experience”, bringing him a step closer to becoming a commercial lawyer. In February 2015, following a recommendation by first year student, Saurabh Aggarwal, CEPLER hosted its first International Law Week, a series of events focussing on practising law around the globe. We were joined by a host of eminent international legal practitioners who either presented to students via Skype or flew in especially for the event. The week concluded with a celebratory drinks reception for students, staff and speakers. (The full list of events can be found on p8) Congratulations to Saurabh for such an innovative idea. This series was a huge success because of the diversity of the speakers and the insight that each speaker gave into their particular field or jurisdiction.

9 Advocacy

Jonathan Deal Mooting

Under the enthusiastic leadership of CEPLER Director of Advocacy, Theresa Lynch, Mooting remains central to the CEPLER calendar, beginning with the introductory session and non-competitive practice mooting in October, both of which were very well- attended. Participating in the Postgraduate Cup was a The practice sessions are followed by our three rewarding and fulfilling experience. The internal mooting competitions: ‘ constructive feedback I received from the Alumni Cup: first year law students compete in this judges from No.5 was uniformly insightful and, on reflection, the feedback I received has helped me competition, and this year’s winner was Gerard Lee identify my strengths and weaknesses going Hann-En. The Alumni Cup is judged almost exclusively forward. I would openly recommend Mooting to by our generous alumni and we are very grateful, as others in the future always, for their support. Jonathan Deal Camm Cup: participants are second and third year law 2015 winner of the Postgraduate Cup students and this year’s Camm Cup was awarded to William Bebb. In keeping with tradition, this year’s Getting involved with mooting was the best decision Holdsworth President, Lord Hughes of Ombersley, I made throughout my University experience. My chaired the Camm Cup judging panel and we were advocacy skills and my general confidence have delighted to be invited to stage the final in the Royal grown immeasurably as a result. Miss Lynch Courts of Justice in London, where our finalists and a provided a fantastically prestigious opportunity to student audience were warmly welcomed. moot in the Royal Courts of Justice in London (the Wembley of Mooting perhaps!) for the final of the Postgraduate Cup: LLM and LLB for Graduate students Camm Cup, which is an experience I will never participate in the Postgraduate Cup and this year’s forget. recipient was Jonathan Deal. William Bebb Both the Camm and Postgraduate Cups are sponsored 2015 winner of the Camm Cup by No5 Chambers. The competitions are judged mainly by barristers from No5 and CEPLER is grateful to them Mooting has allowed me to see a side of the law for their support. away from textbooks. The mental and oratory skills CEPLER also facilitates student participation in several gained from the entire competition, along with the people I have met on the way made the entire event external mooting competitions and examples of these enjoyable, memorable and worth all the effort spent include: OUP/BPP National Competition and the preparing for it. UKLEA Moot Competition. Gerard Lee Hann-En Debating 2015 winner of the Alumni Cup’

A team of LLB for Graduate students: Omololu Bajulaiye; Abdalla Al-Baalawy and Ka Wang Kelvin Lai, competed in the final of the Birmingham Law Society Debating Competition and were praised for their public speaking skills. They were challenged with debating topics such as:

‘This house believes that law is no longer a matter of justice and social improvement, but rather a corporate Gerard Lee Hann-En enterprise aimed at maintaining the status quo.’

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Research

CEPLER’s aim is to foster cutting edge, independent research on the legal profession and legal education and to provide a forum for debate for policy makers, regulators, practitioners and national and international CEPLER academic communities. research activity Our current research strategy is designed to enhance understanding of the forces which have transformed the profession over the course of the in preparation last three decades. These forces, which range from globalisation to includes: changes in policy on regulation, legal education and access to justice, have had profound implications for the nature of legal practice:  a panel discussion (as traditional understandings of what is involved in being a legal part of the ESRC Festival professional have been superseded by the transformation of the market of Social Sciences) structure and the sheer diversity of organisations and roles that now Professions in Crisis; involve law work. While this has expanded the options currently facing the thousands of graduates of law degrees and professional training  a one-day workshop in courses, it has also created an uncertain future. collaboration with Against this backdrop of dramatic change, CEPLER has identified a Health Sciences on number of issues as particularly pressing for both the profession and law professions; graduates.  a Birmingham Law Society Strategic The changing role and nature of professionalism Collaborative Funding  Diversification project on Litigants in  Globalisation Person;  Increased competition for legal services  research report on Law  Legal education Work and Legal  Legal ethics and regulation Professionalisms:  Fragmentation of professional cultures Continuity and Change;  Sector erosion (e.g. Family legal aid work)  a study of how the Bar discloses diversity data; Access to justice, legal aid and pro bono  The impact of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and the Punishment of  a study of the economic Offenders Act 2012, including: geography of US law o The rise in Litigants in Person, and Mckenzie Friends firms; o Family and criminal practice  an international o The changing role of pro bono conference to mark the o Quality of client care and service 10th anniversary of the o Alternative Dispute Resolution Judicial Appointments Commission; Judiciary  a history of women’s  Diversity legal landmarks from  The changing role of the judge 950-2015, including the  Judicial independence first women lawyers.  Appointment process

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Highlights of CEPLER’s Research from 2014-15

 Qualitative studies of the impact of LASPO on family and criminal Legal Aid;

 The Inter-disciplinary Language Barriers Project (a four year AHRC funded project with the Schools of Education, Business and Sport, along with three other institutions);

 Social Mobility, Access to the Professions and Talent, commissioned by the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission (with Royal Holloway);  a pilot study, Longitudinal, Mixed Methods Study of LLB Students, in the CEPLER Student Survey series;

 The ESRC funded project The Limits of Lawyers (which runs to the end of 2016); this has just featured a two-day international The Futures of Legal Education symposium exploring various aspects of large law firm practice, and the Legal Profession is the including: the relationships between corporate lawyers and their first CEPLER book, published by clients; lawyer’s ethics; lawyer independence and the rule of law; Hart in January 2015. and talent and inclusion; We are witnessing a period of  Independence, Representation, and Risk: An Empirical Exploration dramatic structural change to the of Large Law Firm Management of Client Relationships, an legal profession and the empirical research project funded by the Solicitors Regulation provision of legal education, Authority; reflecting the shifting landscape in both the market and higher  BME Student Involvement in Mooting; education in general.  Legal Risk: A Study of In-House Lawyers, in conjunction with Professor Richard Moorhead of UCL (a member of CEPLER’s This edited collection comprises Steering Group). a selection of papers presented at the second CEPLER Conference. The conference Other initiatives brought together academic  a CEPLER Colloquium - The Challenge of Equity and Inclusion in the scholars, senior figures from Legal Profession: An International and Comparative Perspective - professional practice, policy took place in New York in October in collaboration with Fordham makers, and representatives of Law School and Stanford University; the regulatory authorities and  a CEPLER Working Paper Series which provides a forum for ideas the publication reflects on the and debate (see p.13 for the full list); key issues arising from this transformative moment.  The cross-university Research Network of Professions (convened by CEPLER with the Health Services Management Centre); The book was edited by CEPLER Directors, Professor Hilary  CEPLER also regularly sponsors Law School events, including Sommerlad and Dr Steven research seminars. The Perspectives in Law and Reproduction Vaughan, Birmingham Law series has, this year, featured two seminars: Using Litigation to School’s Professor of Law and Achieve Law Reform and Advocacy and Lobbying in Law and Policy Richard Young, and the Reproduction; and the screening of two award-winning former Director of CEPLER documentaries – The Edge of Joy and 12th & Delaware – which Professor Sonia Harris-Short. were followed by expert panel discussions.

12 Education

CEPLER aims to enhance Birmingham law students’ legal practice CEPLER Working Papers skills, commercial awareness and employability not only through www.birmingham.ac.uk/cepler- its extra-curricular activities but also as an integrated part of the workingpapers Law School’s curriculum. Students are offered the opportunity to understand and to experience the practice of law through Launched in the summer of 2014, the CEPLER’s undergraduate modules: Regulation of the Legal Working Paper series was devised to Profession; and Advocacy. Staff are also able to use CEPLER’s provide a forum for ideas and debate on links with the legal profession to invite practitioner input into legal education and the legal profession, their teaching. By introducing perspectives from practice into an broadly construed. academic law degree, Birmingham law students are better able We would be delighted to hear from to translate the law they learn in the classroom into the world anyone with suggestions for a working around them. paper: this might be the draft of an academic article, a short policy piece, CEPLER Student Essay Competition copies of speeches or addresses, In 2014, CEPLER launched its inaugural Essay Competition. reflections on a topic from those in Students across the country were invited were invited to submit practices etc. responses to the statement: ‘In an age of austerity, access to To date, we have 10 Working Papers and justice is a luxury’. current contributions include: Entries were judged by a panel consisting of: Dr Steven Vaughan, The Changing Nature of Academic Careers CEPLER’s Director of Education; Regional Employment Judge, in Law (Anthony Arnull) Fiona Monk; and Janice Nichols, Chief Executive of Birmingham Citizens’ Advice Bureau. Reflections on the ‘Re-imaginging the Fiona commented that the competition: Teaching of Criminal Law’ Workshop (Imogen Jones) “ …was a very enjoyable one to judge as lots of the entries made really interesting reading. It was good to see so many Grand Designs: Deconstructing and students really engage with such an important and topical Reconstructing Criminal Law (Celia Wells) issue.” Non-Traditional Students and Critical Congratulations to the winner Chris Richards, of City University, Pedagogy: Transformative Practice and the who earned himself an iPad, and to the three runners up Teaching of Criminal Law (Susy Menis) Salmaan Hassanally of Birkbeck, the University of London; Amelia Skelding of the University of Durham; and Jill Wong of the In an Age of of Austerity, Access to Justice University of London. is a Luxury: 2014 CEPLER Essay Competition Winner and Runners-up The winning articles have all been published in CEPLER’s Working Papers series (see right). London Going Public: Diversity Disclosures by Large UK Law Firms (Steven Vaughan) A Little Bit of (Re)imagination The ‘Social Magic’ of Merit: Diversity, Rarely in our professional lives are we offered the time to reflect Equity, and Inclusion in the English and on what we are doing and why, and seldom are we afforded the Welsh Legal Profession (Hilary Sommerlad) luxury to stop and consider what our objectives are and whether there is an alternative, or more effective way to achieve them. The Legal Education – Legal Practice CEPLER’s ‘Re-Imagining’ workshop series, therefore provides a Relationship: A Critical Review (Peter unique opportunity for law teachers from across the country to Smith) meet together and reconsider their subjects, reflecting on what Re-imagining Clinical Legal Education works well in their teaching and sharing ideas and innovation (Linden Thomas) aimed at developing and improving their pedagogy. Our aim is to hold two of these workshops in each academic year.

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Re-imagining Workshops

Re-imagining the Teaching of Re-Imagining Clinical Legal Education Criminal Law The second workshop focussed on re-imagining Clinical Legal The first ‘Re-Imagining’ workshop, Education (CLE), which allows students to learn law through held in September 2014, was hosted practise, typically via pro bono clinics. by Birmingham Law School’s Dr At a time when the legal market and legal education continue to Imogen Jones. Imogen’s objective undergo radical changes; cuts to legal aid have left thousands of was to bring together those who British citizens without recourse to funded legal advice; students work in a range of higher education are paying more for their education and demand more in return institutions with practitioners in for their investment; and academics are required to show the order to consider the place, content impact of their research, CEPLER’s solicitor, Linden Thomas, was and structure of criminal law courses. keen to explore whether CLE could provide one response to these The timing of this event was challenges and opportunities. The reaction from attendees was particularly topical in the light of overwhelmingly positive. recent suggestions that criminal law should no longer be a compulsory  Clinical legal education: A view from practice module for undergraduate law Tony King, Clifford Chance students.  After the Legal Services Act, LETR and a new QAA benchmark  Grand Designs: Deconstructing and standard, where does clinic fit in? Reconstructing Criminal Law Richard Grimes, University of York Teaching  Clinical legal education: purposes and possibilities Professor Celia Wells, University of Prof John Fitzpatrick, University of Kent Bristol Law School  Beyond theory/practice turf wars: where theory is considered  Non-traditional students and a practice and practice is theorised critical pedagogy: transformative Dr Elaine Hall and Cath Sylvester, Northumbria University practice and the teaching of  Striking a balance: the role of the teaching practitioner in criminal law clinical legal education Susy Menis, School of Law, Rachel Knowles, UCL Birkbeck, University of London  Clinical legal education and the third sector: creating new  Reflections from practice opportunities Ben Henry, Solicitor, Jonas Roy Jason Tucker, University of Cardiff Law School Bloom; Kevin Saunders, Barrister,  CLOCK 'Time for Justice'; The 'Community Legal Companion' St Ives Chambers; Michael Burrows as an agent of change QC, Barrister, No.5 Chambers Dr Jane Krishnadas and students, University of Keele  Using clinical education to enhance  Cui (pro) bono? The Birmingham City University Law School / criminal law teaching Sandwell Citizens Advice Bureaux placement partnership. Law Professor Claire McGourlay, School School / Third sector collaborative partnerships - a way of Law, University of Sheffield forward for clinical legal education?  The place of criminal law in Chris King, Birmingham City University and David Jones, contemporary legal education Sandwell Citizens Advice Bureaux Ben Fiztpatrick, School of Law,  The potential of post graduate education in clinic University of Derby Meredith Daniel and Georgina Staples, LLM Students, York University

An overview of the issues discussed in both of the Re-imagining workshops can be found as working

papers in the CEPLER Working Paper Series at: www.birmingham.ac.uk/cepler-workingpapers

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If you have any comments or questions about the contents of this report, or if you or your organisation would be interested in working with CEPLER please contact Linden Thomas, CEPLER Manager, at [email protected] or on 0121 414 5780.