What are they actually teaching us?

Here is a little low-down on what I think so far...

Interviewing and advising

I am going to fail this. Ok, hopefully not, but I'm certainly not feeling particularly confident. Basically what happens is that you get a bit of law in advance. Then you go in, meet a "client" for the first time, and interview them and give them advice on a legal problem based on the bit of law.

I have no trouble with the "client rapport" bit. Eye-contact, sympathetic noises, politeness etc. That bit is fine. However - working out the correct questions to ask and giving the right advice is a whole different matter! I so far have managed to get this completely wrong every time, and missed out something important, or downright just got the facts entirely backwards. I don't really see how this will improve, seeing as the problem is different every time so can't exactly prepare that much in advance.

Mock assessments start in October. Watch this space.

Business Law and Practice

I like this so far. Many people don't. Mostly those are the people who don't understand it though I think. Ok, so there is quite of lot of statute which I'm not so keen on, but I have an interest in the subject area, so I am enjoying the course at least until now. I can't wait to get to the juicy bits like share issues and stuff (although possibly I need to wait until the electives to really get into that...)!

Legal Writing

I don't have much to say about this. It's basically learning to write in a lawyer-like way. Evidently that doesn't mean using lots of latin and complex constructions. It's all about brevity and Plain English. Common sense really. You might imagine most people reaching Law School would have some skill in writing, but apparently that would be an incorrect assessment.

Practical Legal Research

Using hardcopy sources in the library find out the name of the defendant's dog in the case involving a border dispute, taking place somewhere in Nottinghamshire between 1567 and 1701. Hours of fun.

Property Law and Practice

I know what you are thinking. And no, apparently it isn't Land Law. It's a whole different kettle of fish it would seem. The lecturer at least is very good, and when she asked how many people hated land law about 90% of arms went up in the air, including her own. Not mine, incidentally. I am ambivalent towards Land Law. We haven't had a Small Group Session yet so the jury's out. I don't think I will love this, I also don't think I will hate it. I imagine I will happily do the work like a good little law student, and mostly enjoy it. But not as much as BLP or some other subjects though.

Civil and Criminal Litigation

This sounds fun. I am not planning on becoming a litigator, but isn't every young to-be-lawyer's dream ultimately based on picturing themselves in a courtroom, cross-examining the hostile witness and making them break down in floods of tears to confess that, yes, in fact they DID kill their husband/wife/lover/annoying postman?

PCFS

That's Professional Conduct and Financial Services. Seems straightforward enough, there isn't much to it. However, I fear I won't spot the professional conduct issues as they will apparently come up in all the different exams secretly. And if you miss one out in interviewing, you will fail. Ugh.


Still to come

Business accounts and solicitors' accounts. These involve numbers. I like numbers. All is well.

Revenue law. Again, numbers. All good.

Probate and administration of estates. Death doesn't appeal to me but I suppose this is the closest I will come to using Equity and Trusts Law on the LPC so I shouldn't complain.

Advocacy. See "Civil and Criminal Litigation". It's all about courtroom etiquette, and conducting fake trials and stuff. Sounds like great fun!

Drafting. A bit like legal writing but not. It's actually writing specific legal documents. This could go either way. I guess it depends on whether I will be any good at it.

I think that is all. So far so good. I hear people aren't supposed to enjoy the LPC and it's supposed to be boring, but so far I don't think so. I guess we'll see in a few months and see if I was wrong...