Letter: law students ARE taught life skills

I read, initially with interest but with increasing surprise, the article “Legally IT: The Evolving Lawyer” (Journal, April, 41). Ms Hynes provided a somewhat astonishing and very misleading description of a student life at “law school”, and then went on to provide a “quick secret guide” containing 20 tips that law students apparently “never learn… at law school”. 

Listed amongst them were writing for journals, joining mooting clubs, learning advocacy skills, meeting lawyers and getting commercial experience – none of which apparently are on offer during university study. 

My university is a relatively new kid on the block in providing an LLB. Since its inception, we have had a vibrant mooting society which competes locally and nationally. Clinical advocacy forms part of our curriculum, and students compete against other university teams across the UK. I personally encourage my third and fourth year students to write for online journals, and in recent years two have been published in esteemed “peer reviewed” journals. We liaise with the Law of Society of Scotland to keep up to date on developments in legal practice, and practising solicitors visit as guest lecturers.

Oh, and I did I mention that many of our students work for Citizens Advice Direct – again an integral part of the curriculum – and that we have a law clinic run by students providing free legal services to our local community? To say that no university shows students how to gain work related and employable skills is simply wrong, and I know that we are not the only university to take this approach.