Lawyers, Social Mobility & Employability: The Challenge for Legal Education

Tuesday 26th November 2013

6pm

Westminster Theatre, Chancellor’s Building


Legal Education within England and Wales stands at an important crossroads following the publication of the recommendations of the Legal Education and Training Review (LETR). Alongside this, there is Andrew Francis continued concern about social mobility and the legal profession. An important context for these developments is the employability agenda with UK higher education.


Drawing on a series of empirical research projects, this lecture will argue that the widely held concerns about social mobility and the legal profession cannot be addressed by a de-contextualised acceptance of the employability agenda into legal education. On the other hand, a rejection of any employment related learning activity (whether skills or knowledge based) is equally unlikely to tackle the enduring patterns of limited social mobility in terms of entry to the legal profession. The drive to enhance social mobility within the legal profession has to be a shared endeavour of partnership involving a range of different stake-holders.


Professor Andrew Francis is Head of the School of Law, and an Academic Fellow of Inner Temple. He has published widely on legal education and the legal profession including, At the Edge of Law (Ashgate). His next project seeks to investigate Generational Change and the Legal Profession.


FREE

To reserve your seat:

Eventbrite - Inaugural Lecture: Professor Andrew Francis, Law