Legal Skills Guide

Mooting is an excellent way of learning, practising and perfecting advocacy. By participating in mooting, you will learn to do what lawyers do on a daily basis. Plus, you will increase your confidence and enhance your CV. About Mooting What is Mooting? A moot is a fictitious legal debate simulating the argument of counsel on points…

Legal research skills are an essential part of any practising lawyer’s toolkit. If you intend to pursue law as a career you can expect to spend a good deal of your time doing legal research. Even if you are not thinking of becoming a solicitor or a barrister law is, by its very nature, an…

Do you write essays or answers to problem questions without understanding what you are supposed to do? Do you know how marks are awarded for written work? Do you want to do better in your legal assignments? The ability to write clear, concise, and accurate documents is an essential skill for anyone working in the…

Presentation skills are core life skills, but they are doubly important if you wish to practise as a lawyer. You will use presentation skills in a variety of different ways, including: Generally: Within a professional context: Learning Presentation Skills Unfortunately sitting there listening to a lecturer all day will not render you competent at presentation.…

Client interviewing is one of the most important skills required of a lawyer, yet law students rarely spend much time practising it. Interview Aims Try it yourself! Imagine a client is arriving at your office in ten minutes time. What should your main objectives in interviewing them be? A legal interview has three key aims: Interview…

Negotiation skills are important for all practising lawyers. Lawyers in any situation need to explore all potential avenues for resolving disputes, including methods which do not involve litigation. This applies as much to everyday disputes, as to global crises. Kanda Karthigesu, Senior Legal Officer for the United Nations UNAMID Mission in Darfur, Sudan describes negotiation as playing…

In your studies you will encounter many case reports. Knowing more about how case reports work and are organised can help you to read them more effectively and deepen your knowledge and understanding of the law. A basic knowledge of their structure will assist you in focusing on the most important sections of a report…

In your studies you will often encounter legislation. Knowing more about how Acts of Parliament (or statutes) work and are organised can help you to read them more effectively. A basic knowledge of statutory interpretation will also deepen your knowledge and understanding of the law. Role of Legislation Legislation is designed to both regulate behaviour…