A Coffee With Prof. Carlo Panara

Director at Liverpool John Moores University

Trailblazer sat down with Professor Carlo Panara, Director at Liverpool John Moores University's School of Law, to discuss how they are helping their students prepare for life after education in the world of law.

From this September there is a new gold standard in the teaching of Law at LJMU. The School of Law is about to launch a new LLB Law undergraduate degree that brings together traditional study with elements of practical application. From year one, students will experience the 'law in the real world' in the School of Law's nationally commended Legal Advice Centre, where they will work under the supervision of qualified solicitors on real life cases with real clients. A ground-breaking approach that gives students a unique understanding of how the law works in practice and gives them invaluable employability skills.

What makes your school strong and unique?

Our staff comprises a unique blend of prominent academics with outstanding research credentials and of fantastic legal practitioners (solicitors and barristers) with years of experience. We are the home of an internationally renowned research centre, the Centre for the Study of Law in Theory and Practice, but also of one of the best pro bono legal advice centres in the North West. We are therefore uniquely placed in the UK and certainly in the North West to offer a legal education that combines in the most effective manner theoretical and practical aspects of the law. Our aim is to educate students who can undertake successfully their chosen career paths – be it a career as a solicitor or barrister, or a career in the private, business, technology or public sector. Our alumni include senior solicitors, barristers, judges, not to mention leading academics, successful businesspeople and civil servants.

We heard that Liverpool John Moores University’s School of Law is about to offer a new LLB Law from September 2020. Could you please tell us more about it?

The new LLB Law that we will offer from September 2020 is a new gold standard LLB that will give our students the legal knowledge and the transferable skills they need to be employable. It is a flexible LLB. The first year of the new LLB is common to all the students. In Year 2 students can choose between a wide range of module options and create their bespoke programme of studies. Some students will choose modules designed to give them the knowledge and practical legal skills, useful in particular to those who wish to qualify as solicitors or barristers. Alternatively, students can choose modules such as Law of the Environment, International Human Rights, Mooting (mock court appeals) and many others that will open up to them a wide range of career paths in the private or public sector. However, our students are not bound to the choice they make in Year 2; in Year 3 they can still move into a more practice-focused pathway or the other way around. We counsel our students as to the module and career options available at each level to help them make the best decision for their studies and careers.

What else is new and unique about this new LLB?

The way the law works in the real world, as well as how it works on paper, is core to our LLB. All our students will attend our nationally commended Legal Advice Centre as part of a compulsory module in Year 1 and will be able to attend it in Years 2 and 3 as a module option. In the Legal Advice Centre our first-year students will be able to observe solicitors giving legal advice to real clients. In Years 2 and 3 our students will advise real clients under the supervision of volunteer solicitors from local law firms or under the supervision of School of Law staff with practising certificates.

Who are the clients of the Legal Advice Centre?

The Legal Advice Centre offers free legal advice and our clients are usually members of our local community. As a result of significant cuts to legal aid that were made in recent years, an increasing number of people on lower incomes are unable to afford legal advice. This situation creates a huge challenge in terms of access to justice in the UK. By operating a Legal Advice Centre, our School of Law not only educates our students about how the law works, but also delivers a service whose aim is to help clients make the law work for them. The Centre has delivered c.£500k worth of free legal advice to the city since it was established in 2014.

Which areas of Law does the Legal Advice Centre give advice on?

Primarily Family, Civil, Housing, Wills & Administration and Employment Law. We are expanding the range of areas of law we cover. For example, this year our students have been researching alleged miscarriages of justice in relation to cases being considered by the Criminal Case Review Commission and we will soon be piloting an Environmental Law clinic.

Why is a law degree at Liverpool John Moores University a good investment?

Endowing students with the essential employability skills and giving them appropriate career advice upon graduation underpin all we do. Surveys show that after six months of graduation 95.9% of our graduates report positive outcomes meaning that they are in employment or further study. This result, which is better than the average of the law schools in the UK, is due to the fact that our graduates enjoy an excellent reputation and, during their time at our School of Law, they will have had the opportunity to learn about the law but also to obtain the skills required to find graduate level employment.

How would you describe the student experience of undergraduate students at your School of Law?

Our students are at the heart of everything we do. We take pride in seeing them flourishing as individuals and as lawyers during their time at our School of Law. We create a friendly and highly supportive environment for them. For example, we have an open-door policy, so that students can come and talk to us any time without need to book an appointment. Going to university should be an enriching and life-changing experience and our School is committed to making those years as enjoyable as possible for our students.

ljmu.ac.uk