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The NLJ Column

18 October 2007
Issue: 7293 / Categories: Opinion , Legal News
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Education, not more legislation, will help the public understand
—and respect—the law

Much lip service is paid to egalitarian access to legal education. The dean of the law faculty of the University of Oxford recently announced to graduate students at the start of their term that they may well be studying in lectures cheek by jowl with the general public, who would be able to walk in off the streets and be educated by Oxford’s finest minds. At first blush, one could be forgiven for thinking that the City of Oxford was on the threshold of becoming one of the most legally knowledgeable populations in the UK.

But, like all statements of intent, when it comes to legally educating the public there is less to this than meets the eye. On closer consideration of the university’s lecture admissions policy (available on its website and printed lecture sheets), a “lecture permit” must be obtained by the general public at least three working days in advance of their proposed attendance.

learning lessons

It is not acceptable, in a

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Carey Olsen—Kim Paiva

Carey Olsen—Kim Paiva

Group partner joins Guernsey banking and finance practice

Morgan Lewis—Kat Gibson

Morgan Lewis—Kat Gibson

London labour and employment team announces partner hire

Foot Anstey McKees—Chris Milligan & Michael Kelly

Foot Anstey McKees—Chris Milligan & Michael Kelly

Double partner appointment marks Belfast expansion

NEWS
Is a suspect’s state of mind a ‘fact’ capable of triggering adverse inferences? Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Smith of Corker Binning examines how R v Leslie reshapes the debate
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has not done enough to protect the future sustainability of the legal aid market, MPs have warned
Writing in NLJ this week, NLJ columnist Dominic Regan surveys a landscape marked by leapfrog appeals, costs skirmishes and notable retirements. With an appeal in Mazur due to be heard next month, Regan notes that uncertainties remain over who will intervene, and hopes for the involvement of the Lady Chief Justice and the Master of the Rolls in deciding the all-important outcome
After the Southport murders and the misinformation that followed, contempt of court law has come under intense scrutiny. In this week's NLJ, Lawrence McNamara and Lauren Schaefer of the Law Commission unpack proposals aimed at restoring clarity without sacrificing fair trial rights
The latest Home Office figures confirm that stop and search remains both controversial and diminished. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort University analyses data showing historically low use of s 1 PACE powers, with drugs searches dominating what remains
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