Legal Education in Transition: The Emerging Role of New University Law Schools in the UK
Legal Education in Transition: The Emerging Role of New University Law Schools in the UK
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Original abstract
This article examines the emerging role of the law schools based in UK higher education institutions that have been granted formal university title since 2004. We call these the new university law schools. The analysis compares these law schools with those based in universities that were officially recognised prior to 1992 ("traditional universities") and those that are part of universities recognised between 1992 and 2003 ("post-92 universities"). It analyses the political and social dynamics that have driven their formation and considers the implications for legal education. The article argues that law schools in this third generation operate in a unique and often under-supported way to achieve a different mission. The article addresses the following questions: Who are the new university law schools? What are their origins, and what are their objectives? What barriers do they encounter in delivering their mission? Do law schools in the new universities have a significantly different role to play? How is this role related to changing patterns of graduate recruitment in the legal profession and the need to address issues of underrepresentation and equality?