What is the purpose of legal education?

Education is the act or process of acquiring knowledge – it comes from ‘educatio’ and carries with it a meaning of bringing out a person from darkness to light. Like Prof Gary Slapper, I believe in lifelong learning, and I feel that it should not be given an arbitrary cut-off age. Part of it must be training, but part of it must surely be life enriching. I was once told by a Professor of Law at Queen Mary and Westfield College at the University of London that no knowledge or learning would go to waste, as you would never know when it would come in useful. I strongly believe this as it happens, as I have found myself being able to make numerous linkages in my academic training in law, neuroscience, medicine and business through a ‘Medici effect‘. Like Gary I suspect, I loved studying classics at school, and likewise I do not consider this to have been a waste of time, as it helps you to understand structure and logic. Finally, I hope that you may be able to join me on my twitter threads @legalaware for a general conversation about the law and societal issues, or @tc_applications for ‘bridging the gap’ between students, teachers and practising lawyers. The purpose of this is to have an open inclusive conversation of people in the same network discussing what works, and what doesn’t. You might find it helpful to look at the formal ‘Legal Education and Training Review‘, currently underway, with some key players’ views, including @RichardMoorhead, @BexHuxBinns and @JohnAFlood. Personally, I think the answer lies in innovation, with people like @legaltrainee, @colmmu and @claychristensen.