Access to Justice Clinic
| Module title | Access to Justice Clinic |
|---|---|
| Module code | LAW3167 |
| Academic year | 2021/2 |
| Credits | 30 |
| Module staff | Mrs Tia Matt (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 12 | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 75 |
|---|
Module description
With the decrease in Legal Aid, we have seen an increase in LIPs and vulnerable persons. Manoeuvring the legal system is daunting, even with a lawyer. Many individuals now faced with going it alone find themselves lost and confused and often give up, thus losing their opportunity to access justice. This module provides a pro bono public service to the community in the South West. It will provide you with first-hand experience in working with the public. After initial training, you will have the opportunity to provide basic legal information and advice to individuals, in areas such as criminal justice, housing, benefits, debt, and employment law. As lawyers, we have a responsibility to those that need the legal system. This is an opportunity for you, as a future lawyer, to be a part of the solution. Students must complete a screening process before being accepted for this module.
Module aims - intentions of the module
In this module, you will develop valuable skills such as interviewing and counselling, public speaking, and client record keeping, and gain a broader understanding of what access to justice really means. Through studying the legal system in the areas of criminal justice, housing, benefits, debt, and employment law, you will learn to identify the barriers to justice. In identifying these barriers, you will discuss and develop pathways for individuals to access justice. You will also learn how to explain complex legal information to laypersons as part of creating this access to justice.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. demonstrate detailed knowledge of the means through which access to justice can be facilitated, and detailed knowledge of a substantial range of major relevant concepts and issues;
- 2. demonstrate critical awareness of the social and contextual implications of access to justice;
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. demonstrate detailed knowledge of legal concepts and their contextual, social and political implications;
- 4. demonstrate flexible capacity to define complex legal problems, identify their relative significance and select appropriate methods for investigating and critically evaluating them.
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. interact effectively and proactively within a team/learning group, share information and ideas, and manage conflict;
- 6. manage relevant learning resources/information/learning strategies and develop your own arguments and opinions with minimal guidance;
- 7. plan and undertake tasks, individually and with others, with minimal guidance; and reflect critically on the learning process and make effective use of feedback.
Syllabus plan
Whilst the precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover all or some of the following topics:
- Legal FAQs, forms and recourse
- Criminal justice, housing, disability, benefits, probate, debt and employment law
- Poverty, (mental) health, race and ethnicity, gender, age and the law
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 76 | 224 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity | 10 | 4 x 2.5 hour training seminars in week 1 of term 1 |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity | 22 | 22 x 1 hour drop-in surgeries with the module convenor |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity | 44 | 22 x 2 hour public legal surgeries rota |
| Guided Independent Study | 124 | Individual reading, research, advice, writing, and study: seminar and surgery preparation and consolidation |
| Guided Independent Study | 80 | Summative assessment preparation |
| Guided Independent Study | 20 | Formative assessment preparation |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online reflective portfolio activities | 1,500 words | 1-7 | Group written feedback |
| Essay Plan | 500 words | 1-4, 6-7 | Individual written feedback |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 55 | 0 | 45 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Professionalism in clinic | 10 | 4.5 hours (minimum) for training sessions in week 1 of Term 1 in addition to 80% participation in clinic rota and/or supervisor meetings | 1-7 | Individual written feedback |
| Written case study essay | 35 | 2,000 words | 1-4, 6-7 | Individual written feedback |
| Individual presentation | 35 | 15 minutes | 1-4, 6-7 | Individual written feedback |
| Reflective portfolio | 20 | 1,200 words | 1-7 | Individual written feedback |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written case study essay | Written case study essay (2,000 words) | 1-4, 6-7 | August/September reassessment period |
| Individual presentation | Individual presentation (15 minutes) | 1-4, 6-7 | August/September reassessment period |
| Reflective portfolio | Reflective portfolio (1,200 words) | 1-7 | August/September reassessment period |
Re-assessment notes
For practical reasons, referral or deferral of the professionalism in clinic element of the assessment is not possible. Where students receive a fail mark for the professionalism in clinic element, that mark will stand (i.e. there is no re-assessment).
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Basic reading:
Bloch F, The Global Clinical Movement: Educating Lawyers for Social Justice (Oxford University Press, 2010)
Finch E & Fafinski S, Legal Skills (Oxford University Press, 2015)
Keats D, Interviewing: A Practical Guide For Students And Professionals (Open University Press, 2001)
Keyzer P, Kenworthy A & Wilson G (eds) Community Engagement in Contemporary Legal Education: Pro
Bono, Clinical Legal Education and Service Learning (Halstead Press, 2007)
Giddings J, Promoting Justice through Clinical Legal Education (Justice Press, 2013)
Griffiths Baker J, ‘Ethical Education through the Student Law Clinic’ 5(1) (2002) Legal Ethics 24
Pleasence P & Balmer NJ, ‘Mental Health and the Experience of Housing Rights Problems’ 2(1) (2007)
People, Place and Policy, pp 4-16.
Pleasence P & Balmer NJ, ‘Mental Health and the Experience of Social Problems Involving Rights: Findings from the United Kingdom and New Zealand’ 16(1) (2009) Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, pp 123-140.
Pleasence P & Balmer NJ, ‘The Audacity of Justice: Recession, Redundancy, Rights and Legal Aid’ 9(4) (2010) Social Policy and Society pp 475-488
| Credit value | 30 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 15 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 6 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 01/02/2017 |
| Last revision date | 25/01/2021 |
