Proactive law schools will reassess their LLB

Many solicitors have qualifying law degrees and this is one of the established routes into practice and qualification. But, as with all aspects of legal education and training, the qualifying law degree, the LLB, is under scrutiny about its value,
purpose and content.

The law degree as we know it today is under the spotlight as a consequence of some of the recommendations in the Legal and Education Training Review.

The issue of the undergraduate law degree was not under the direct remit of the review, which was focused on education and training in the provision of legal services, but its conclusions could now have an impact on the LLB. The question has now been raised on whether the undergraduate law degree should be driven by the
provision of legal services.

During 2012/13, almost 17,500 students donned their cap and gown as LLB graduates, and this figure shows no sign of declining anytime soon – the number of students enrolling in many institutions is actually on the up, yet many of those law graduates do not move into a career in the legal industry.

Other qualification pathways and entry into practice are becoming increasingly common, for example, through the CILEx route and more recently with legal service apprenticeship programmes. Now, a law degree is no longer the mainstream pathway into a legal career.

But what about the value of a law degree as a programme of learning and experience? A law degree is valuable for a range of other careers, such as other legal services or general graduate training programmes.

It gives students a broad understanding of substantive law with a wide range of subjects applicable to a range of jobs: socio-legal issues, human rights, international matters, business, commerce, philosophy of law, ethics, policy of law in society and subjects that affect daily life.

Additionally, it provides education and training in other competencies such as research, critical thinking and critical analysis skills.

The LLB as it stands can be a foundation to a career in law or as a practitioner but it does not limit students to this remit. Similarly, non-law graduates have pathways into the profession.

The current education and training framework provides flexibility for students and firms to recruit both law and non-law graduates into the profession.

Proactive law schools are currently engaged in the consultations following the publication of the LETR, and forward-thinking law schools are evaluating their undergraduate law programmes by assessing the focus, content and nature of those programmes, to ensure they meet the needs of their learners and future employers.

Firms are stakeholders with
a long-term interest in the LLB
as a product and the overall education and training framework as a whole.

They must ensure their views are expressed to both regulators and education providers so that undergraduate education and training provision meets their long-term needs. SJ