An EMPLOYMENT LAW ELECTIVE Guest Lecture:

“The Immigration Rules in Commercial Legal Practice”

 

Morgan Cole LLP is a UK law firm committed to providing the highest quality legal services and commercially focused advice from offices in South Wales and southern England.

 

Swansea LPC would like to invite all LPC, GDL and Level 3 Law Swansea University students to a presentation by Glyn Lloyd, a solicitor with Morgan Cole LLP who will talk about his experiences as an employment solicitor in a commercial law practice, with particular reference to his work as a specialist in immigration law and practice.

The lecture will primarily focus on:

• the immigration system and its legal context;

 

• issues which are particularly relevant for employers;

 

• the employer's obligations on recruiting and dismissing overseas workers; and

 

• compliance and enforcement

 

Date: Monday 21st May 2012

Time: 4-5pm

Location: Advocacy Suite, School of Law

For further details, please contact :

Richard Leonard-Davies at:

r.s.leonard-davies@swansea.ac.uk

 

 

On April 1^st 2011 the School of Law hosted a 6^th Form Conference which was attended by over 50 pupils from Schools/Colleges in Swansea and Gorseinon. The Conference has become an annual event (since 2009) and has proved popular with students and teachers alike. Once again, this year’s Conference was a success, with students and teachers commenting to organisers on how much they enjoyed the event. The Conference gives pupils the opportunity to visit the School of Law and experience teaching within a University setting.  Students are able to participate in seminars which are organised by lecturers from the School of Law on various topics. This year these included: a seminar held by Dr Patrick Bishop (LLB Admissions Tutor) on the extent to which the law is able to protect against the invasion of privacy. The session focussed on a number of high profile cases involving celebrities and the developing law and the balance struck between the right to private life (under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights) and freedom of expression (Article 10).  Another seminar, led by Richard Caddell, dealt with the topic of human trafficking and the key legal provisions under international and European law to deal with these crimes. The seminar also examined some of the problems that the UK government and law enforcement agencies have faced in fighting trafficking and implementing these international commitments. The students were also able to participate in a seminar on Young People's Autonomy Rights in the Context of Medical Treatment which was led by Alison Perry.   

 

 

 Students attending the 6th form conference

 

Adopting a different approach to the seminars, and moving away from academic law to law in practice, members of the Legal Practice Team at the School of Law provided a session during which students enacted an Employment Tribunal in which they had to consider a scenario involving age discrimination. This session was given by Richard Davies and Laura Howden-Evans. This session was given a degree of realism as Laura Howden-Evans is a judge of the Employment Tribunal. Other members of the LPC team, Michael Draper and Amanda Rees conducted a session in which students worked in small groups to identify a law that they would like to see introduced and to present the arguments in favour. This produced several interesting proposals.    

 

Dr Simon Hoffman, who was one of the organisers of the Conference commented that: ‘the conference was a great success with strong representation from students studying law at local schools and colleges. The School of Law is very pleased to arrange this type of Conference as it gives 6^th form students the opportunity to enjoy seminars on topics which they might not otherwise come across, but also to offer them a taster of the university teaching environment. We are very pleased with the way the Conference went, students were very enthusiastic and feedback on the day was that they thoroughly enjoyed the experience’.

 

On 30^th March 2011, the School of Law hosted its annual Career Fair which was attended by a wide spectrum of organisations.  Over 100 LLB students attended which again proved to be a very successful event.  The Career Fair enabled students to meet and talk face to face with representatives from local and international firms who specialise in different areas of law including: P & I Clubs, international trade and shipping, commercial, property, employment, competition, Intellectual Property, finance and insurance.  The representatives from the firms gave valuable advice to our students on the recruitment process.   

 

One of our level 2 LLB students who attended the Career Fair Ornela Ngandu ‘ found the day very insightful, the law school put together a great range of law firms from all around the country. Prior to attending, I was unaware of the vast legal opportunities in Wales; particularly in Maritime law. I left the event with a renewed passion for law, and with clear instructions on ‘how to become a solicitor’.  One representative from John Collins & Partners LLP, Jon Budge described the event as  ‘a well organised event that allowed us to speak  many ambitious students  in a  relaxed  environment ,  generating plenty of interest about  our  firm and  our  graduate opportunities’.   

 

 

Law students at the Career Fair 

 

Jane Williams, (Careers and Employability liaison officer) said ‘our approach has been to build on specialist links of particular interest to LLM students and also links with local firms which will be of particular interest to LLB, GDL and LPC students.  From that we have created a wider opportunity for all students across all programmes to discuss their plans and prospects and learn more about how employers view recruitment and business development in the immediate and longer term. Crucially students can learn about what employers are looking for in law graduates. Feedback from the law firms on their impressions of our students was very positive and this event will prepare our students for the job market’.   

Dr Helen Quane, (Director of Undergraduate Studies) commented that ‘Swansea Law School intends to develop and expand our successful annual Law Careers Fair in the coming years as part of a comprehensive strategy on careers and employability, and taking full advantage of the excellent relations the School enjoys with local, national and international firms’.

 

 

The School of Law recently played host to a number of local schools and colleges who participated in two 6th Form Conferences held on the 22nd and 26th March 2010.  The conferences proved very popular with pupils and teachers from secondary education institutions from Bridgend, Gorseinon, Llandeilo, Llanelli, Neath, Port Talbot and Swansea with over 130 participants attending over the two days. 

 

As part of the School of Law efforts to ease the transition between secondary and higher education the conferences were organised to give pupils studying at AS level the opportunity to experience teaching in a University setting.  Pupils and teachers from the schools and colleges were given the opportunity to take part in 4 seminars which were organised by lecturers from the School of Law on a diversity of topics, ranging from anti-social behaviour law, terrorism, children’s rights and employment discrimination, through to how the law protects privacy, the validity of identification evidence and the ownership of wrecks. Dr Simon Hoffman one of the event organisers said ‘these conferences give students a feel for what studying the law is all about’, adding the experience would help students to decide whether or not to undertake a law degree.

 

 

 

 

Pupils taking part in one of the seminars delivered by Dr Stuart Macdonald.

 

 

 

 

Lecturers from the School of Law taking part in one of the seminars.  Pictured from left to right: Ms Kathryn Devonald-Davies, Ms Michaela Leyshon and Ms Amanda Rees.

 

In addition to the seminars those pupils who attended the conference held on the 22nd March were given the opportunity to take part in a mock trial and asked to play out various roles such as barrister, judge and jury which were intended to give pupils a taster of law as a profession.  As well as attending seminars or participating in a mock trial pupils were given information about what the School of Law is able to offer by way of undergraduate and post-graduate courses.    

 

During the conferences the School of Law benefited from its close links with the local judiciary and practitioners. District Judge Ray Singh attended the conference on the 22nd March to give the closing address, speaking of the opportunities available to pursue a career in law. On the 26th March two local barristers from Iscoed Chambers, Nicola Preece and John Hipkin who both specialize in criminal law gave a joint address. Both Judge and barristers emphasized the benefits of studying law, and the quality of legal education at Swansea University. Nicola Preece welcomed the School of Law initiative and emphasized the ‘benefits for students of close links between the University and the legal profession.’ Catherine Reohorn, Head of Law at Bishop Gore School described the day as a ‘brilliant experience’ and confirmed that pupils had been left with a very positive view of the School of Law and Swansea University. Other teachers and pupils were also in agreement that the conferences were an enjoyable and worthwhile experience and that they provided a valuable insight into university teaching.

 

 

As part of their preparation for entry into the legal profession, students of the Law School are actively encouraged to develop their powers of advocacy and sharpen their forensic skills by participating in internal moots and competing against teams from other leading Law Schools in a variety of national mooting events.

The excellent standard of mooting achieved by our students has most recently been demonstrated in the highly prestigious Oxford University Press/BPP National Mooting Competition in which two of our second year students, John Jessup (Junior Counsel) and Clare Passé (Lead Counsel) have progressed to the semi-final stage after defeating University of Gloucester and will now compete in the semi-finals of the competition against Sheffield Hallam University. The Swansea team convincingly defeated previous champions, Southampton University on their home turf in the first round and then knocked out a formidable team from Strathclyde University in the second round which was staged in the Law School’s state-of-the-art Advocacy Suite.  This builds upon the impressive performance of our students in the 2009 and 2010 Welsh National Mooting Competition in which we emerged as runner up for 2 years running having narrowly lost to Aberystwyth University in the finals.  The Swansea team consisted of Penelope Harry (Lead Counsel), David Turner (Junior Counsel) and Charley Hasim (Researcher).
 
This success at the national level has led to an upsurge of interest in this year’s internal mooting programme organised by our Students Law Society which has attracted nearly 120 participants.  These participants benefitted from intensive training sessions delivered by Andrew Perkins, a Swansea alumnus and Barrister whose input has helped ensure a remarkably high standard of mooting from the very first round.  

According to the current Mistress of the Moots, Clare Passé, “It is amazing and gratifying how mooting has grown from strength to strength in the Law School. We are determined to sustain this momentum by giving a good account of ourselves in the latter stages of the OUP/BPP competition as well as in this year’s Welsh National Mooting Competition for which we have also entered. Given the depth of mooting talent in the Law School, we are also planning a series of summer schools where we can prepare more students for national mooting competitions”.

 

The Swansea contingent for the OUP/BPP Mooting Competition

 

Pictured above from left to right: Andrew Perkins (Barrister and Postgraduate Research Student –

Adviser to the Swansea Team); Clare Passé (Senior Counsel and Mistress of the Moots); John Jessup (Junior Counsel);

David Turner (Student Law Society President – Clerk of Court)

 

The Swansea team for the Welsh National Mooting Competition

 

Pictured above from left to right: Andrew Perkins (Team Adviser);

Clare Passé (Mistress of the Moots); Penelope Harry (Lead Counsel), Charley Hasim (Researcher)