ILP raises £100,000 for new law school in Tanzania
The International Lawyers Project (ILP) has raised £100,000 to help to train more than 1,000 law graduates at the new law school in Tanzania.
The sponsorship from City firms, including Clifford Chance, Freshfields, Nabarro, Herbert Smith and Allen & Overy, will place more than 30 lawyers in Dar es Salaam this year.
ILP, which has run legal training programmes over the past few years in Africa, has more than 100 senior lawyers on its database willing to work on pro bono projects. The Law School particularly needs help in the fields of criminal procedure, contract drafting, practice management, conveyancing and probate because their numbers in these fields are increasing rapidly.
The project will work closely with the College of Law and BBP on the preparation of modules that will be published as best practice guides for future law students at the school.
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Lawyers interested in joining ILP should contact spoland@internationallawyersproject.org
Get an early start
Pressures on training for the Bar is predicted to mount after a new survey estimates that there are 18,000 aspiring barristers in the UK.
One third of law students are also unsure what direction to take, reflecting uncertainty about shifting opportunities in a tough market.
The findings come from Allaboutlaw.co.uk, a free careers guidance website, which has polled its 2,500 registered students.
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One in five favours the Bar: if extrapolated from nearly 90,000 UK law students recorded by the Higher Education Statistics Agency that could mean up to 18,000 aspiring barristers, the site says. By contrast, 1,742 were called to the Bar in 2008.
Paul Harris, who runs the site, said: “It is disconcerting to see that one third of our students are unsure of what they want to do, career-wise . . . law is notoriously competitive and unless students start working towards their career aims as soon as possible, they will be reducing their advantage over peers, missing out on vacation schemes, pupillages, marshalling and other work experience.”
Law firms now recruit from the second year at university, so students who hope to get top jobs must start to prepare in their first year, he said.
Richard de Friend, director at the College of Law, said: “There might have been a time when students could wait until near or even after graduation before finally deciding on a career. Those days are well and truly over - especially for those who want to qualify and practise as lawyers.”
In the first year they should research the jobs market, by the start of the second decide what kind of lawyer they want to be and by the start of the third, obtain relevant holiday work experience and apply for traineeships.
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Those choosing the Bar should be aware that the risks “have never been greater”, with more solicitors doing advocacy, cuts in legal aid and changes under the Legal Services Act, he said.
Beachcrofts signs with the College of Law
Beachcrofts LLP, the national commercial law firm, has appointed the College of Law as its sole training provider for future trainees, whether taking the Graduate Diploma in Law or Legal Practice Course.
Phil Cousins, the firm’s human resources director, said that the move would give the firm more UK coverage, with “greater consistency of training in all locations and an increased ability to control and contribute to the content provided on the LPC”. The firm was particularly impressed with the college’s innovative online learning systems, he added.
College of Law lauches online diploma
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The College of Law has launched an online part-time Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL). It has a January start and allows students to complete their studies in 18 months rather than the usual two years.
The S-mode (supervised mode) course combines e-learning with one-to-one tutor supervision via e-mail - although students must attend some sessions in college. The first course, which begins this month, is fully subscribed with a waiting list.
Scott Slorach, a board member, design and production, with The College of Law, said: “The one-to-one support from a tutor . . . replicates the professional relationship between a trainee in a law firm and their supervisor. Students will develop relevant knowledge, practical skills and professional attitudes by being required to submit ‘office quality’ work and by receiving individual feedback.
“We anticipate that most students choosing this mode will have work or family commitments. It gives them a better work/life/study balance by allowing them to choose their own study times and reduces travel and accommodation costs.”
The students will have access to the same materials as students on other College GDL programmes, including the latest online learning technologies such as i-tutorials and computer-based test and feedback exercises, as well as more traditional resources such as textbooks. They will also take part with their colleagues and tutor in online workshops.
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The College of Law already uses the S-mode online teaching method on its LLM programmes and piloted it on the Legal Practice Course (LPC) last year.