One of the most senior judges in England will officially open the University of Worcester's new law school next week.
Sir Andrew McFarlane, Lord Justice of Appeal, will perform the formal opening of the University of Worcester's new Law School on Thursday, January 26. The University LLB Qualifying Law Degree course is in its inaugural year. Pride of place in the excellent facilities enjoyed by the 38 students on the course is the purpose built, fully accessible mock courtroom or "moot room", with benches for judges, barristers, defendants, witnesses and public including members of the press, plus a separate jury room to simulate the real court experience. Students also benefit from outstanding teaching delivered by the University's new Law Faculty in the excellent seminar rooms and lecture rooms which have been created in the fully refurbished Jenny Lind House which is the former headquarters building for Worcester City Council.
Lord Justice McFarlane was called to the Bar in 1977 and has appeared at all levels of court including the House of Lords and the European Court of Human Rights. He was appointed as a Lord Justice of Appeal in July 2011 and now sits in the Court of Appeal. He is also a member of the Privy Council.
Professor David Green, the University's Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive said: "With the help of leading members of the law profession in Worcester and outstanding leadership from the University's Professor of Law and Deputy Vice Chancellor Sarah Greer and Bill Davies, the Head of the School, colleagues have created a truly first class qualifying law degree course here in Worcester. We are delighted that 38 students were successful in applying for a place in the first year and that applications for next year are already nearly double. Law students in partnership with qualified professionals will soon be launching an advice centre based at the Hive, which will I am sure be a great benefit to many citizens in the months and years ahead."
Bill Davies, Head of the University of Worcester School of Law, said: "It is an honour to have a lawyer of such high standing in the profession coming to open the University of Worcester School of Law.
"We are very excited to have the opportunity to show public representatives and members of the legal profession the new facilities which have been created, which we believe recreate as closely as possible the experience of working in a live courtroom. Together with our high quality and excellent practical experience this will help make our students very well prepared when they are confronted with major cases and legal issues in their future careers.
"Applications to study Law at the University from next September have increased significantly and there is the potential for a great deal of public benefit from this development."
The Law suite has been developed in the University's Jenny Lind building, in the heart of the City, close to the Law Courts and just 100 metres from the Hive. The new LLB course, which has been officially accepted as a qualifying law degree, has a specific emphasis on employability, using a combination of skills-based training within the curriculum and opportunities for work-based experience.
Students have the chance to study a variety of aspects of law, such as Disability Law, Human Rights Law, Employment Law, Company Law, Family Law and Media Law. From September 2017, students will also be able to study Law with Criminology and Law with Forensic Psychology.
The new LLB Law degree at the University of Worcester is a Qualifying Law degree, accredited by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Bar Standards Board and covers all the foundation subjects required to pass the "Academic Stage" " the first step in qualifying as a barrister or a solicitor.
In keeping with the University of Worcester's ethos of serving the region's community, the School of Law will open a Legal Advice Centre in January 2017. With the assistance of local practitioners and qualified academic staff who will supervise law students, it will offer much needed free legal advice initially in employment law, and eventually in family and child law.