New law course

Important reforms in the law course are now being completed. At Salient's invitation, Prof. C. C. Ackman, Dean of the Law Faculty, comments:

Over the past four years the Council of Legal Education, on which the Judges, the legal profession and the four law faculties are represented, has been discussing changes in the law course. The Council has now agreed on new regulations for the professional examinations in law: and the Law Faculty is at present working on regulations for a new LLB course.

The two sets of regulations will be so inter-related that a student who completes the LLB courses along with a small group of professional subjects will also have completed the course prescribed by the professional regulations.

The professional regulations which provide the basis for the new development are naturally a compromise between the professional and university points of view. The profession wanted to strengthen the practical side of the course and this has led to the introduction of subjects like taxation and estate planning, advocacy and elementary bookkeeping, including trust account procedures. At Victoria, we have welcomed the emphasis on taxation and estate planning as can be shown by the recent appointment of Professor I. L. M. Richardson as a specialist in this field.

The profession was also anxious that the distinction that has existed between the professional qualifications of barrister and of solicitor should be removed; and that all entrants to the legal profession should hold an LLB degree. Agreement was reached on these points.

The universities, for their part, did not wish undue, emphasis to be placed on "practical" subjects, especially so far as the degree was concerned. They also saw some advantages In a shorter degree course than that for the present LLB. These views led to the new arrangement under which there will be a four-year LLB course of 17 subjects, and a further course of practical subjects, which can be completed in one year, for those graduates who wish to enter the legal profession.

The Law faculties were anxious to introduce some flexibility within the degree course itself—there is none at present. They were also anxious to begin, teaching a number of new subjects that have increased in importance in recent years—subjects like Criminology. Industrial Law, Planning Law and International institutions. The three objectives—a shorter LLB, greater flexibility, and new subjects—could be met only by introducing a number of options into the LLB course. The question as to which of the present LLB subjects should be included amongst the options was the most controversial issue that arose in the discussions. The Victoria faculty, for one. would like to have seen greater flexibility than has been achieved in the case of students who propose to enter the profession.

Nevertheless, those students will now be able to introduce some specialisation into their courses. Students who are studying law as a qualification for diplomacy, administration or business, will have a wide range of choice in their subjects. They will also be able to take advantage of the shorter degree.

The opportunity to teach new subjects is particularly attractive to the faculty at a time when staff numbers are increasing. We will be strengthened by the opportunity to develop new areas of specialisation; and we shall be able to draw on a wider range of skills in making new appointments.

The Victoria faculty also proposes to take advantage of the present changes in the law course to introduce an Honours LLB course. Decisions have not yet been taken on the content of this course, but it is likely to follow the same lines as the LLB course, with emphasis on more full-time studv and a higher level of performance.