The Gazette 1996

JUNE 1996

GAZETTE

The Education of Solicitors for the New Mi l lennium

assignments. We have even been accused of "spoon-feeding" students at the expense of not encouraging them to think for themselves. This may be somewhat inevitable when the Professional Course has to be covered in a 4.5 month period. Students often complain about the inconsistency in teaching standards as between consultants and part-time tutors; about materials sometimes not being up-to- date nor presented in a sufficiently professional manner. S ome argue that the structure and content of our existing courses overemphasise the technical rather then the academic and reflective nature of legal education and training. Additional criticisms refer to a lack of meaningful training for consultants and tutors, an insufficient range of subjects being offered, an insufficient amount of time given to information technology and no specific training for the corporate and business lawyer. In addition, the structure and timetabling of our courses makes the possibility for joint professional legal education with our colleagues in the Bar more difficult to introduce at this time. In order to address the criticisms, and to ensure a more effective professional training model, the following policy on legal professional training has been adopted by Council on the recommenda- tion of the Education Committee:- (1) the introduction of an academic year course from September 1997 which will substitute for the current Professional Course; (2) the employment of a full-time professional teaching faculty. This will substitute for the majority of part-time tutors and consultants currently employed on our courses. The Society is intent on maintaining a considerable level of participation by practitioners who have a gift for communicating their knowledge in specific areas of practice; T h e Wa y F o r w a rd

Over the past four years there has been a very active debate on whether the existing professional training system should be retained, modified or replaced by an alternative system. Many have suggested that the objectives of the current system might be too narrowly focused. The Viewpoint in last month's Gazette referred to the future development and education of the profession for areas outside traditional private practice. The legal profession in Ireland, as in other jurisdictions, faces a number of challenges. How the system of legal education and training will adapt to these challenges holds the key to the future of the solicitors' profession. The Law Society introduced fundamental changes to professional training in 1978, changes which were based on a sound education philosophy which has served the profession well since then. It is now time to take another step forward in order to adapt to current market trends, to changes within the profession and to enable apprentices and solicitors to become more flexible to the range of career paths which are opening up. The opportunity now exists to design a legal training and education system which is more intellectually rigorous and which aims to produce competent, humane, reflective, and commercially orientated lawyers.

(a) provide legal services of the highest standards; (b) pursue life-long learning to develop their knowledge, and keep up-to- date with innovations in society and particularly in the legal system; (c) enter into new careers and open up new frontiers; (d) promote and defend good professional ethics and standards. Solicitors should be more readily poised to enter the public sector as well as seeking to work in financial services and commercial sectors. We must also face the challenge that computer and other technology is going to have a radical impact on the nature of legal practice and work as we know it now. Our professional legal education system needs to create the situations and experiences which will allow for the development of reflective lawyers, individuals capable of judgment, self- motivation and self-direction who will be able to continue to develop their skills and intellectual know-how to meet new challenges. Probably the biggest single criticism of our existing system is the pace of the Professional Course during which students are expected to cover a huge volume of material in a limited period. There is little time for assimilation or for properly digesting this material or for doing meaningful research and Wh y Ch a n ge At All?

The legal education system of the Law Society should prepare lawyers to:

The proposed new school is the L-shaped building which acts as a book-end to the existing Law Society premises.

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