Public Legal Education in Schools: mapping the current landscape

Professor Frances Ridout, School of Law

Professor Frances Ridout is Director of the Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre and a Professor in Clinical Legal Education and Pro Bono. One stream of Clinical Legal Education is around how students can be involved in improving public legal literacy (known as public legal education). The QMLAC run three experiential learning projects in schools where undergraduate law students design and deliver interactive workshops on the Law. We make some of the resources publicly downloadable on our website.  

In 2022 she co-authored the first student textbook on Street Law (a strand of public legal education) titled Street Law: Theory and Practice (Ridout and Thomas 2022). This book supports students learning to deliver such interactive workshops.

The information from this project will feed directly into what free resources the QMLAC design and publish for schools to use. Further, it will also shape research Professor Ridout is doing with the Street Law Steering Committee for the UK and Ireland, to design and publish more free resources in schools, ultimately aiming to scale up public legal education nationally.

The successful candidate will undertake research mainly on publicly available websites platforms. There may be times when they will need to undertake academic research from journals and books. They may need to send emails to organisations to clarify what they offer to schools. 

They will be researching:

• What free resources for schools are available to help teachers upskill pupils on the law and legal system in the jurisdictions of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
  • These sources may come from:
    • Universities (incl. law clinics);
    • Charities;
    • Non-profit organisations;
    • Law firms;
    • Government bodies;
    • Education providers.
• What the different curriculums in the jurisdictions above, require students to learn which is about law or legal systems. What things are common between all jurisdictions? What is different?  What does the student think might be important which is missing?

The student will be asked to produce a report outlining their research. Then present their findings (ideally using slides).

All work can be carried out remotely (including the final presentation).

• Students should have the personal attributes of curiosity, attention to detail and an ability to think ‘outside of the box’.
• Students should have a base understanding of clinical legal education is (for example having undertaken a position at the Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre or other similar student law clinic).

Work to be completed over across 64 hours over a 16-week period (9 March – 26 June).  Students can arrange their own work patterns within this as long as half the work is completed by the mid-point review of the work.

Briefing and monitoring will take place as follows:

• Initial 1-2-1 consultation (9th March or soon after) – full brief given and discussed.
• Meeting after the student has upskilled on public legal education and Street Law (approximately one week later).  
• Mid-point review of work and feedback (approximately late April / early May).
• Final meeting where student presents work, and findings (late June). 

The Project Lead will be constantly available for email contact and will have two, in person, one hour period, office hours each week where the student can book a meeting if they need more support. All meeting dates will be diarised at the start of the project.