Transformative Lawyering

• Credit value: 15 credits at Level 6
• Convenor: to be confirmed
• Assessment: a legal practice case file, brief, litigation strategy or report (50%) and 3000-word reflective essay (50%)

This module opens up new and alternative spaces of practising law, emphasising that litigation is not the only sphere of practice available to you when you finish your studies. You will work under the supervision of an academic and in co-ordination with partner institutions on projects, which change on a termly or bi-termly basis.

The module does not focus solely on litigation activities. Instead, it promotes a range of legal practice engagement activities, including legislative and policy work, public-facing research activities and social change strategy work. The clinic promotes critical theoretical engagement with law, criminology and the concept of legal practice.

Indicative syllabus

• Consultations
• Amicus curiae/third party interventions
• Reports
• Litigation and political strategy
• Transformative lawyering research

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

• efficiently identify and synthesise relevant statutory and case law with treatises and commentaries on ongoing legal disputes
• understand the processes involved in creating legal strategies for social change
• write legal research memoranda to the standard expected by legal and policy-related clients
• work effectively with legal practitioner clients, including adherence to deadlines and regular communication
• demonstrate critical analytical skills appropriate to legal research
• communicate the state of the law, and its actual or potential impact from a legal, political, social or moral perspective
• work effectively on a team of colleagues with different specialisations and skill sets
• critically reflect on legal practice.