qLegal's New Public Legal Education Module
For the 2024/25 academic year, qLegal introduced a new credit-bearing module to its programme: SOLM307 Public Legal Education for Start-ups.
The 15-credit, one semester module offers CCLS students the opportunity to spend class time preparing their client workshops and a final assessment reflecting on the role of Public Legal Education in the legal field, and the transferable legal skills involved. Offering students the opportunity to participate in qLegal’s Public Legal Education programme as one of their modules, as opposed to only as an extra-curricular programme, also makes it easier for students who work to participate in qLegal.
As with qLegal’s extra-curricular Public Legal Education programme, the module students worked in teams to prepare and deliver interactive, practical legal education workshops for live audiences. The students were trained and supervised by Eliza Platts-Mills, the module convenor, with critical, additional support from external solicitors from Covington and Burling, Baker McKenzie, Wiggin, Morgan Lewis, and Morrison Foerster.
The module students delivered six workshops:
“Computer Games and the Law” and “The Legal and Ethical Issues in Computing”, for 80 sixth form students at Ada, National College for Digital Skills.
“Working with Employees, Freelancers, Apprentices and Volunteers” and “Picking the Best Corporate Structure for Your Charity”, for charities affiliated with The Fore.
“Using Non-Disclosure Agreements” and “Understanding Commercial Contracts,” for qLegal start-ups and qLegal extern students.
The Head of the Computer Science Department at Ada, provide this feedback: “Today was a resounding success, thanks to the engaging workshops hosted by qLegal”. When surveyed about what they had learnt, the sixth form students replied: “The importance of law literacy in games development. What to look out for to avoid legal issues, and ethical issues that may arise when making a game” and “That game making is more than just development and publishing. It requires a lot of legal thought which can affect your game”.
In their final reflection, the module students shared these thoughts:
“The best part is that we get a real-world experience with the clients which is very important for our soft skills as a professional in the future. It helps in building confidence and gives a good first-hand client experience.”
“I liked the fact that the module is very interactive and encourages open discussion during classes. It is also very helpful in making us think about how this will benefit our future, as well as helping those who need our help.”
To learn more about our Public Legal Education programme, please check out the qLegal Resource Hub. If you are interested in hosting a qLegal Public Legal Education workshop, please email us at qlegal@qmul.ac.uk.