LW7120 - Professional Practice and Ethics

The module will be delivered through a combination of large and small group sessions and directed learning. You will be expected to engage in independent learning to consolidate your learning and prepare for group sessions, including investigation of factual, ethical and legal issues and providing practical legal advice.

The large group sessions will be delivered to the entire module cohort and will be used to introduce you to fundamental ethical principles and key concepts and topics necessary for the development of an effective practice.

The small group sessions will expand on the material covered in the large group sessions. Case studies highlighting practical dilemmas and practical examples will be used. However in addition to being taught discretely, professional ethics is also a "pervasive" subject whereby ethical issues will be integrated into materials and teaching in all the other modules on the Bar Course to enable learning and discussion across the Bar Course as a whole. During these sessions you will develop problem-solving and other legal skills, develop teamwork and both collective and individual presentation skills and implement your knowledge in a practical way to solve legal and ethical problems.

You will be given directed learning which will both expand on the materials provided in the large group session and cover additional specific topics. The Professional Practice aspect of the module will be delivered through lectures and workshops delivered by specialist practitioners. This will include, advanced advocacy practitioner sessions, specialist lectures, careers guidance, interviewing practice and a mentoring scheme.

The University is well placed to support you in learning and research with an excellent library and teaching facilities, access to on-line legal databases and resources and appropriate software.

This module will be managed by your designated Module Tutor who will be responsible for guiding you in your engagement and learning on the module. All relevant materials and instructions will be accessible on-line through the module eLP site, maintained by your Module Tutor, and will give guidance on legal skills, assessment and provide self-study materials. You may communicate with your Module Tutor by email or telephone and are encouraged to make contact if you encounter any difficulties relating to any aspect of the module.

Academic support is also available through feedback on set and multiple choice questions undertaken through the eLP and in the small group sessions. You will have the opportunity to formally sit a mock exam and feedback on the mock exam will be given in a large group session. At a programme level you will be supported by the Programme Leader and your Guidance Tutor who will provide pastoral support throughout the module and the programme as a whole.

The Programme Administration and Student Progress teams are responsible for the non-academic administration of the module; they will contact you throughout the duration of your module with details about the centralised assessment, and other issues.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:

• Develop knowledge and understanding of the nature of professional practice and key concepts and topics necessary for the development of an effective practice at the Bar.

• Develop knowledge and understanding of the core professional values which underpin practice at the Bar of England and Wales and correctly identify issues of professional ethics and conduct which appear in given situations as likely to arise in a barrister's practice

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:

• Demonstrate an ability to understand and adopt aspects of relevant areas of practice appropriate to a range of legal scenarios.

• Demonstrate the capacity to provide a professional and responsible approach to clients who place trust in the profession on the basis that the service provided will be of benefit.

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):

• Display a professional and responsible approach to the course, staff and other students; to observe the requirements of the Bar Standards Board Professional Statement and Handbook

• Act in way that demonstrates an awareness of diversity and is non-discriminatory

Formative Assessment: Formative assessment will be provided by oral and or written feedback in Small or Large Group Sessions on the formative tasks that are required for effective participation in these sessions.

Summative Assessment: The module will be assessed by a written, closed book assessment set by the University but prescribed by the BSB.

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The Professional Practice and Ethics module is a year-long module delivered on the Bar Course and across the portfolio of Bar programmes at Northumbria University.

On this module you will learn about the nature of professional practice and the professional values which underpin practice at the Bar of England and Wales. The module aims to develop knowledge of key areas of practice and instil and consolidate the essential qualities of ethical behaviour at the Bar by nurturing and developing these existing attributes in students to a high level. Encompassing more than the knowledge and formalities outlined in the Bar Standards Board Professional Statement for Barristers and the Handbook and the Code of Conduct, the module will furnish far reaching and fundamental knowledge of ethics that underlies practice at the Bar.