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24 September 2012 / Peter Breakey
Issue: 7530 / Categories: Features , Profession
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Never mind the quality!

Peter Breakey breaks his silence & exposes multiple regulatory malfunctions

If you discovered that a good command of English was an official expectation for law graduates, but that there was a danger that this standard was not being met, would you expect the body charged with maintaining university standards to do something about it?

The answer should of course be “Yes”, but given the multiple failings of regulatory bodies across almost the entire spectrum of British life, cautious readers might have little confidence in “The System’s” ability to ensure that proper standards are maintained.

Such lack of faith would be entirely justified. Despite research which shows that many universities do not have procedures in place to ensure that law graduates have an appropriate standard of English, QAA  (the Quality Assurance Agency) which, on its extensive (and no doubt very expensive) website proclaims that its aim is “to safeguard standards”, steadfastly refuses to investigate.

My research into the assessment of the use of English in Law degrees began in 2010. I had long been troubled by the fact that students who could not write

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Hogan Lovells—Lisa Quelch

Hogan Lovells—Lisa Quelch

Partner hire strengthens global infrastructure and energy financing practice

Sherrards—Jan Kunstyr

Sherrards—Jan Kunstyr

Legal director bolsters international expertise in dispute resolution team

Muckle LLP—Stacey Brown

Muckle LLP—Stacey Brown

Corporate governance and company law specialist joins the team

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