Unit information: Clinical Legal Studies in 2024/25

Unit name	Clinical Legal Studies
Unit code	LAWD30005
Credit points	20
Level of study	H/6
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24)
Unit director	Mr. John Peake
Open unit status	Not open
Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units)	None
Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units)	None
Units you may not take alongside this one	None
School/department	University of Bristol Law School
Faculty	Faculty of Social Sciences and Law

Unit Information

Why is this unit important?

This Unit introduces you to the practical implementation of the law and the factors that impact upon the success or failure of this. It will allow you to form and better understand your own views about the system of justice and to consider what part if any, you as a law student and prospective practitioner have in helping to shape this. What influences your approach to or views about the justice system?

How does this unit fit into your programme of study?

As an Undergraduate final year unit, it is a stand alone module although the skills you will utilise will feed into other areas e.g. research, communication, and personal reflection. The skills and experience are sought after by employers while also fulfilling a responsibility to the local community.

Your learning on this unit

An overview of content

This Unit requires you to look at different aspects of the legal process and understand the factors that influence its success or failure. What are the obstacles in the way of a fully functioning system of justice and what part if any do you as a law student and prospective practitioner have in helping overcome these. You will draw on jurisprudential concepts and academic writers in identifying and critically analysing different approaches to the application of justice. What do you as an individual understand by justice?

How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?

While studying you will have the chance to work in the University Law Clinic thereby gaining practical experience of legal casework for members of the public. This allows you to develop skills that would otherwise not be available and to see at first hand the possible obstacles to justice that exist.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this unit a successful student will be able to:

1. Demonstrate a critical understanding of the application of law in practice and an ability to effectively communicate with clients, lawyers and non-lawyers.
2. Apply a range of practical skills and knowledge base necessary to provide advice and advocacy in the chosen field.
3. Appreciate the concept of professionalism and ethics in line with appropriate standards and jurisprudential concepts.

How you will learn

Teaching will be delivered through a variety of asynchronous and synchronous activities including large and small group teaching sessions, client casework, and feedback. In addition, as a member of the university law clinic, you will be working as a student advisor on cases for members of the public and reflecting on the experience, while receiving guidance and feedback from the supervisors. Your learning will therefore come from both formal teaching and experiential learning, supported by the guidance and feedback from the case supervisors.

How you will be assessed

Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):

There are a number of opportunities for formative assessment and feedback throughout the unit, including:

• Online training as a precursor to working in the law clinic consisting of recorded presentations and questions where individual feedback is provided. To receive individual feedback, your answers must have been submitted by an advertised date in TB1.
• You receive face to face feedback on their law clinic casework and portfolio from your supervisor throughout the unit.
• You have the opportunity to present an early version of your group presentation and receive feedback from supervisors and peers prior to the summative submission.
• In some of the small group sessions, you may be asked to prepare answers to specific questions which will then be the subject of the group discussion and tutor feedback

Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):

The following summative assessments will test all of the Intended Learning Outcomes for this unit.

1. Portfolio Written Assessment (2000 words) 30% TB1 (ILOs 1,2 and 3): As part of the work within the Law Clinic, students are required to produce a written portfolio on their case to include: notes from the client meeting, how they researched the law, a reflective account (not exceeding 750 words), and an advice letter to the client. The portfolio includes both individual and group elements. In the event a student’s case does not progress, a simulation case will be made available.
2. Group Presentation 10% TB2 (ILO 2): Working in groups, students are required to produce a presentation on their case taking the form of instructions to counsel. This will demonstrate drafting, research, communication skills, as well as legal knowledge. The group presentation is to be recorded and submitted as a recording.
3. Summative Coursework (2000 words) 60% TB2 (ILOs 1 and 3): A choice of questions relating to legal practice and requiring the student to reflect on their experience working in the law clinic.

When assessment does not go to plan

Should a student fail to achieve this mark the University’s Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes outline the requirements for progression on and completion of degree programmes.
As far as is practicable and appropriate, resit and supplementary assessments will be in the same form as the original assessment but will always test the same intended learning outcomes as the initial missed or failed assessment.
In the case of group work, failure by a whole group would result in an appropriate group task being set and reassessed for all group members. If a single student fails a group assessment or is unable to participate, an individual reassessment will be set.

Resources

If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.

If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. LAWD30005).

How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks, independent learning and assessment activity.

See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.

Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.

The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit. The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.