Course Code : LAW 330
Course Title : LAWYERS’ SKILLS: INTERVIEWING, EMPLOYABILITY AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Weekly Teaching Hour: 3-hours lecture per week, 1 (1-hour) tutorial every week
Who may enrol : Optional for Year 3 (Junior) LLB. Students
Prerequisites : N/A
Lecturer : To be announced on August 2020
Description : Course aims to ; • Identify the constituents of a good personal interview • Conduct an efficient and effective client interview in the context of legal practice. • Facilitate reflective practice on Interviewing skills to support personal development and employability • Develop enhanced skillset for graduate employability • Students will be expected to build on the skills they have learnt in previous courses and complete a portfolio in which they will discuss the skills involved in conducting the interviews they will analyse these skills and identify general points of good and bad practice and write a letter of advice. Students will also be encouraged to actively reflect on their personal development and employability. Students will complete a CV, covering letter and appraisal documents. This portfolio will be discussed at a group appraisal session within the course.
COURSE CONTENT This course will consider: Personal, Transferable and Employability Skills 1. Development of existing skills, 2. Examination of Employability Skills including enhanced CVs, assessment centres, psychometric testing and job interviews (including telephone interviews), 3. Establishing rapport with the interviewer / interviewee, 4. How to handle emotions – the relevance and impact of body language and mannerisms, 5. Oral and written communication skills, 6. Development of the ability to learn through reflection and self-analysis.
Law Specific Skills In a legal interview: 1. Questioning skills and techniques 2. Listening to the client 3. Effective note-taking 4. Structuring an interview 5. How to handle sensitive and distressing situations 6. Advising the client and helping the client to reach appropriate decisions and plan future action
INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES On successful completion of this course a student will be able to: 1. Reflect on his/her own transferrable skills and abilities and apply to ‘real life’ situations to produce sound advice and establish positive professional working relationships 2. Demonstrate enhanced communication skills 3. Demonstrate the ability to reflect on his or her experiences, successes and failures and identify areas for development. 4. Plan and identify objectives for an interview 5. Conduct a live interview 6. Provide relevant advice to a client who presents with legal problems 7. Outline and justify possible courses of action to resolve legal problems 8. Manage client expectations and identify appropriate time-scales 9. Record interview advice accurately 10. Explain the circumstances when advice and instruction from a supervising solicitor should be taken 11. Be real-world ready and confidently approach the graduate job market.
TEACHING METHODS The course will be delivered largely through a series of practical workshops. The course sessions, in which students and staff engage in role plays, group discussions and small group work, are practical and interactive. The process of reflective learning will be continued from the Skills 2 course. Many of the exercises will be recorded to allow for enhanced reflective learning. All of the skills will be emphasised as transferable skills for all graduates. Role plays will reflect real life legal situations which will enable students to further enhance their legal research and reasoning skills, knowledge and understanding. Initially, students will consider their own experiences of interviews and then consider a professional interview for a graduate job or legal training contract. They will get the opportunity to practice and reflect on what makes a good interview. This exercise will ‘set the scene’ for the subsequent sessions in which their initial and perhaps instinctive conclusions are analysed with reference to established theory and practical ground-rules. Consideration of the good interview will progress into legal practice. Once again, the students will be encouraged to reflect on elements of good and poor practice. As the students look at interviewing a legal client, they will consider the benefits of planning and preparation for a client and how prepare to give the client the best advice in a professional context, when to seek advice and how to take follow up actions. Students will learn enhanced employability skills including CV building, job interviews (including telephone interviews), assessment centres, psychometric testing, equality and diversity awareness training and appraisal training.
Recommended Textbook (s) and Supplementary Books :
- Reading lists and other materials will be provided for students registered on the course via online by lecturer.
Course Assessment:
Looking at marking criteria, grades and feedback. Examples of previous student work and,
-
Class Participation 10%,
-
Assignments 10%,
- This course is assessed through an interview and advice-giving and a portfolio. Assessment will take the form of formative and summative practical assessments which reflect real-life situations. Coursework encourage students to reflect on their experiences and the content of their practical assessments 80% Attendance 95 % compulsory.