Introductory description

This module aims to introduce students to the ideas and practice of public legal education through a clinical and experiential programme, while also providing support to our local community.

At a time when the legal sector is in flux, particularly with significant cuts to legal aid, and many communities experiencing extreme levels of exclusion from the legal system, public legal education provides a holistic and innovative way to provide support. Public legal education addresses legal need arising from lack of awareness of the legal system and reduced access to sources of assistance at a community level, rather than through case specific or individual legal advice. Public legal education can take many forms, from information campaigns to theatre performances. This module will focus primarily on workshop-based teaching, but may also provide other opportunities.

The module gives students a unique introduction to this growing area of provision and develops key skills they can carry with them in their careers. The module provides an opportunity for students to contribute to their community while learning in the process.

Module web page

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

Term One
The first term will provide key background and context for thinking about public legal education and the role public knowledge of the law within broader social and political dynamics.
Introduction: A Changing Legal Sector (Week 1)
This session will introduce students to some of the most prominent issues and questions facing the legal sector in the UK, including the effects of the most recent cuts to legal aid and the rise in litigants in person, and the proposed introduction of online courts. This session will also look at the general proliferation of law and regulation in recent years, and the challenges this presents for public legal education. Knowledge, Law and the History of Public Legal Education (Week 2-3)
This week will consider who is allowed to know and speak about the law, and how this has shifted historically through the development of the legal profession, through the development of legal aid and the advice centre movement. Students will consider why law has developed a privileged form of knowledge in society, and whether or not this relative privilege is required for its operation. Students will learn about the history of public legal education in the UK and elsewhere, and its current challenges, while also challenging their own assumptions (as law students) about the nature of legal knowledge and expertise.
The Need for Law (Week 4-5)
This week will introduce students to the literature on legal need, examining the contours of widespread legal need in the UK, as well as how the idea of 'legal need' is constructed. Students will critically examine what it means to 'need' the law and the relationship this has to public legal education. Is it possible to differentiate between types of relationship to and experiences the law (and thereby complicate the idea of legal need)? How do we relate law to other frameworks through which we create meaning and navigate the world?
Social Welfare Law and Legal Capability (7-10)
Students will be introduced to key areas of social welfare law (welfare benefits, employment and housing) from a PLE perspective, with an overview of how these areas of law work, key issues and common problems. They will be tasked with finding information and resources for this area of law and the topic they would like to focus on based on a range of topics provided by community groups. Student will engage with the idea of legal capability, or the knowledge, skills and capacities someone should have in order to deal with law-related issues. What role does knowledge play relative to other capacities? How do we communicate about the law to a broad audience? We will also focus on the key difference between legal advice and legal information, and examine the forms public legal education can take.
Term Two (Preparation for Teaching)
In term two, the module will turn to a more explicit focus on

developing and delivering public legal education, including the ethics of working with diverse communities, curriculum design and the particulars of teaching. Students will be placed or scheduled to observe and deliver community sessions and support as early as possible (and observation may happen in the first term as well if opportunities arise) in order to structure their progression over the course of this term. Students will begin workshopping their teaching plans and ideas for activities from the second week.
Approaches to Teaching and Curriculum Design (Critical Pedagogy) (Weeks 1-3)
Students will be introduced to key concerns in critical pedagogy and how these concerns shape how we develop community-based teaching interventions. They will consider the particularities of working with adults and working in communities. Lessons from work-based education will be transferred to the PLE context. Students will consider ethical dilemmas arising in the context of the classroom, how to ensure the quality and integrity of the information they provide, and troubleshoot solutions to common issues arising. Students will also consider how to design activities using the "backwards design" methodology.
Teacher Training (Weeks 4-5)
Students will be provided with practical aspects of teacher training to prepare them for being in a classroom, leading a workshop. Topics will include presentation skills, facilitating discussion and problem-solving. Working in groups students will do role plays and present aspects of the curricula they have designed, integrating feedback from their colleagues to produce the final product.
Community-Based Teaching (Weeks 7-10)
The last few weeks will see students primarily focused on teaching in the community, at their respective placements. They will still check in weekly in groups to discuss progress and any difficulties. The intention will be for students to be able to give the same workshop at least twice, if opportunity allows.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Identify and critically analyse key issues relating to public legal education, including: a. The relationship between knowledge and law (historically and in the present)b. The concept of legal needc. Contemporary changes in the legal sector (legal aid, online courts, etc.) d. The role of public legal education and legal advicee. What it means to have 'legal capability'f. How law is experienced in relation to everyday problems
• Communicate about potentially complex legal issues in a way that is accessible to the publica. Reflect on their own role as lawyersb. Simplify legal jargonc. Identify aspects of an issue that are most important from the perspective of the 'user'd. Integrate skills and practical aspects of dealing with law-related issues (legal capability) alongside legal knowledge
• Teach about the law in a community setting. Align teaching methods withneeds of specific groups anddesired outcomesb. Plan a workshop frombeginning to end and developteaching notesc. Develop specific teachingtoolsd. Identify or develop accessibleinformation resources to supportteachinge. Identify and demonstrategood teaching practices, usingthe tools of critical pedagogy andinsights of adult educationf. Conduct a workshop forcommunity participantsi. Communicate clearlyand professionally . Facilitate participationi. Support learning processesg. Critically reflect on andevaluate their own performance

Indicative reading list

View reading list on Talis Aspire

Subject specific skills

No subject specific skills defined for this module.

Transferable skills

No transferable skills defined for this module.