Written by Dan Abel, LLM in Legal Practice Student at The College of Legal Practice
In this article, I have shared my honest reflections on studying this module and I hope it helps future students understand what is involved and what they need to consider as they start studying it.
Module Overview
In this module, I played the role of a solicitor running a case concerning a commercial contractual dispute between two companies.
The module was split into eight units, with one unit per week on the part-time course. Each unit contained reading, three tasks to complete, and a self-assessment to complete. At the end of each week, I also had a session with my module supervisor to receive feedback on the work I submitted.
I was exposed to different areas of legal practice in each module, which enabled me to develop my skills across a wide range of legal issues including:
- Client and witness interviewing
- Case analysis
- Legal research
- Legal writing
- Legal drafting
My tasks included:
- Interviewing a client and writing an attendance note
- Writing a letter before claim
- Preparing for a mediation
- Proofing particulars of claim and making amendments
- Dealing with disclosure
- Making an interim application to court
- Reaching a settlement with the other party and confirming that with a court order
The assessment at the end of the module involved:
- A portfolio containing all of the tasks I had completed
- A reflective diary
- An oral interview with my module supervisor
My experience of studying the Dispute Resolution module
Dispute Resolution in a commercial contractual dispute is a topic I do not enjoy, I will not lie about that. However, the overall exposure to key legal skills has been incredibly useful for my overall development and will assist me to prepare for SQE2.
Each unit task typically came in the form of an email from a partner in the firm. We had access to reading materials which covering the general issues and skills involved in the tasks for that week but we were left to research the specific issues or documents to draft ourselves.
The step by step learning was really helpful in guiding my learning on the module. The pre-unit reading helped to put the legal theories into context ahead of my tasks to put it into practice which helped to bring the practice area to life in a realistic setting.
Whilst I achieved a Distinction in the end, there were some areas that I found challenging. For example, time-management throughout the module was difficult for me, as I am working full-time. In my experience, I was spending a lot of time researching as the tasks involved legal documents I had never come across before. I found myself longing for examples! As a result, my three tasks were often only partially complete or sometimes not at all.
However, my module supervisor was immensely supportive and we always utilised the feedback sessions to discuss the tasks and future assessments prior to their deadlines.
The support I received from the College throughout was great and mirrored my experiences of the SQE1 preparation. My supervisor and personal tutor were always available to offer assistance and to point me in the right direction to succeed.
In summary, the Dispute Resolution module has presented me with a challenging but ultimately rewarding opportunity to build on my existing skills and to develop new skills crucial to the legal profession. I now feel more confident in my current employment and feel better prepared as I enter the next stage of my learning, the Solicitors Legal Skills module, which will help prepare me for the SQE2.
On a personal level, I have learned that practicing in a commercial dispute resolution role is not something I would likely enjoy but I am grateful to have had the opportunity to experience life in a different field to that in which I have a personal interest!
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Want to check out what our other students have said about other courses? Check out our student, Mary's, review of the Dispute Resolution module