Lawyering Skills at Kent Law School: October 2021 update

Opportunities include: Boys & Maughan Civil Advocacy Competition; Stage 2 Moot Training; and a new Student Outdoor Clerk Scheme at Kent!

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Lawyering Skills Induction Course

In the first two weeks of the Autumn term, 155 law students (Stage 2, Stage 3 and LLM) completed Kent Law School’s Lawyering Skills Induction Course. During the sessions, students discovered the importance of:

  • communication
  • professionalism
  • voice coaching
  • and confidence building.

They now move on to continue with their chosen co-curricular modules in:

The Law School’s Director of Lawyering Skills, Darren Weir, hopes to run further induction courses throughout the year.

Boys & Maughan Civil Advocacy Competition

The Boys & Maughan Civil Advocacy Competition is open to students across ALL stages at Kent Law School. It is sponsored by Boys & Maughan Solicitors, a regional firm with offices across Kent.

The annual competition offers an excellent opportunity for aspiring lawyers considering civil advocacy work to explore their options and build their skills. Students who take part in this competition have, in the past, gone on to obtain scholarships and interviews.

As a competitor, you get the chance to have a go at the type of scenario you can expect to work on as a trainee solicitor or pupil barrister. It’s an opportunity to apply your learning in a practical context and will introduce you to the ‘Civil Procedure Rules’. For the winner, there is a mini-pupillage and a cash prize.

A one-hour induction and orientation session will be held via Zoom at 18.00 on Tuesday 12 October (find the Zoom Link on Moodle).

Stage 2 Speed Moot training

Speed Moot training is aimed at Stage 2 law students who are thinking about mooting but who have never mooted before.

In addition to the training sessions, you will also be able to take part in a Speed Moot event – all under the watchful eye of Lord Reed of Allemuir, the President of the Supreme Court, and ten other practitioners.

At a Speed Moot, you are given the facts of the scenario, all the legal cases you need, and skeleton arguments. No prior research is required. All you have to do is prepare oral arguments for both sides and speak for seven minutes. You then go around the room, presenting your arguments in front of each different judge. The idea is that each time you do it, you will grow in confidence and ability.

There are 36 spaces available. This is open to Stage 2 law students (and first-year Senior Status students) and is not open to anyone who is already on the Lawyering Skills programme.

As a participant, you need to be available for ALL of the following dates and times:

  • Wednesday 3 November: 18.00 – 19.30h (Moot Court, Wigoder Law Building)
  • Wednesday 10 November: 18.00 – 19.30 (Moot Court, Wigoder Law Building)
  • Monday 15 November: 16.00 – 17.00 (Woolf Lecture Theatre)

To apply, visit the Mooting page on Moodle and select the ‘Stage 2 Speed Moot’ tile.

Apply by Friday 15 October 2021.

Launch of the Student Outdoor Clerk Scheme

  • Would you like to get first-hand experience of Courtroom life?
  • Would you like the opportunity to connect with a law firm?
  • Would you like the opportunity to assist a barrister in court?
  • Are you a Final Stage undergraduate, LLM, or Senior Status student?
  • Do you believe in Social Justice and a fair criminal justice system?

If you can answer YES to these five questions, the new Student Outdoor Clerk Scheme (SOCS) could be for you!

SOCS is open to around 30 students who are willing to be trained as solicitor outdoor clerks and attend Canterbury or Maidstone Crown Courts to assist counsel during trials. As a Student Outdoor Clerk, you will take notes of the evidence and sit in conferences with the client. You will have to write an attendance note for your firm of solicitors and understand the case you are watching.

The Scheme is endorsed by the Kent Law Society and will be an invaluable addition to your CV. It also earns you Employability Points.

To apply, visit the SOCS page on Moodle

Apply by Friday 15 October 2021.

KLS Lawyering Skills programme

The Lawyering Skills programme at Kent Law School (KLS) is co-curricular and allows students to take modules in Client Interviewing, Mooting, Mock Trial Advocacy, Mediation and Negotiation.

For more information: