The current review of legal training leads Geoffrey Bindman to ponder his own experience
The Solicitors Regulation Authority, the Bar Standards Board, and the Institute of Legal Executives are embarking on a two year review of legal education and training. The upheavals in legal practice which are about to overwhelm us make such a review timely and it is heartening that these bodies are combining in a joint enterprise.
My own legal education took place in the 1950s, since when the forms of legal practice have expanded and become polarised. Yet the kernel of the legal vocation to which I remain committed has not changed. It is the help that people need to confront the vast range of problems which cannot be solved without specialist knowledge and understanding of the legal and administrative structures of our society. The purpose of legal education and training is to give lawyers the means to provide that help effectively.
Not fit for purpose
In his recent contribution to the “Clementi debate”, Derek Wood QC, who has played a leading role in developing the education of Bar students, takes
