Skills in Legal Education

HOW TO INCORPORATE SKILLS IN LEGAL EDUCATION

Presentation byMaj Gen Nilendra Kumar

DirectorAmity Law School, Noida

andDirector General

Amity Directorate on Research & Innovation in Law & Allied Areas

Legal Education

To impart knowledge about legal studies

Legal education is teaching oflaw subjects which are meant to be applied and or practiced.

Legal education is also known as the education of individuals who intend to become legal professionals or those who simply intend to use their law degree to some end, either related to law or business.

The faculty would need to plan and organise skill training.

Application and practice of specialized courses would involve teaching, explaining and demonstrating skills.

What is skill?

An ability and capacity required through deliberate, systematic and sustained effort to smoothly and adaptively carry out complex activities.

CLASSIFICATION OF SKILLS

1. Drafting2. Counselling3. Interviewing4. Filling of forms5. Due diligence 6. Addressing the court7. Negotiations

OTHER SKILLS

1.Oral communication and listening ability.2.General research skills.

Identify and select what topics in each course can be taught by way of skills.

Then categorise the skills.

The initial skills should be easy to acquire

Skill acquisition must be a component of assessment process or examination.

The purpose and use of skill should be clearly explained. Also limitations, if any, brought out.

HOW TO CARRY OUT TRAINING

1. Be innovative2. Avoid stereotyped3. Break into simple steps

Prepare a narration with regard to each skill training exercise.

PROBLEM

should be actual and realistic

Issue study material to the students

EXAMPLES OF SKILLS

Taxation How to fill a tax returnCrPC To prepare a bail bondCPC To work out a written noticeFamily Law To get a marriage registeredProperty Law To prepare a sale deedLaw of Contract To design a service contractLaw of Evidence Cross examination of a witness

Professional Ethics

Investigation of a complaint against an advocate

Legislative drafting

Design a simple statute

Constitution To prepare a writ petition

ADR Negotiation and mediation

Law of Crimes An exercise to see, if defence of intoxication is available

Public International Law

To design a complaint about ill treatment of PWs

STAGES IN TEACHING

1. Step one Demonstration2. Step two Do it yourself

Faculty should be specially chosen for skill training.

The faculty may first conduct dry runs

ISSUE TO THE STUDENTS

1.Aid memoire2.Good and bad examples

Cater for feedback and mid course correction

Explain correct methods and then guide the students to acquire them.

Take help of experienced legal practitioners

Teaching of skills should be progressive, starting from simple and easy to relatively difficult.

Teaching of skills should keep pace with and correspond to subjects being taught.

People need a broad range of skills in order to contribute to a modern economy.

CONCLUSION

The five steps in teaching new skills are preparation, explanation, demonstration, observation and supervision.