Subjects:

Legal Manuals

Contents:

1. Introduction

2. Interviewing and advising

3. Legal writing

4. Drafting legal documents

5. Legal research

6. Practical problem-solving

7. Negotiation

8. Advocacy and the solicitor

9. Managing your workload

10. Continuing your learning

Successful practise in the modern solicitors' firm demands a high level of competency across a range of legal skills. Mapping to the Solicitors Regulation Authority's Written Standards, Lawyers' Skills has been specifically designed to provide students with a solid understanding of the theory and concepts underpinning the key skill areas of legal writing and drafting, interviewing and advising, practical legal research and advocacy. Invaluable guidance is also provided on a range of other skills, such as effective time management, negotiation and email etiquette, which it is essential to master before going into practice.

The interactive nature of skills as a subject is reflected in the text by the inclusion of realistic examples from practice, tasks and reflective exercises throughout encouraging students to develop, practise and refine their legal skills. Learning outcomes, chapters summaries, diagrams and self test questions are also extensively featured and provide additional learning support to students during their study of legal skills.

This text is essential reading for all students and is a useful reference source for practitioners wishing to refresh their legal skills.

• Lawyer's Skills equips students with a solid understanding of the essential theories, concepts and techniques underpinning skills teaching necessary for success in assessments
• In addition to covering the key skills areas stipulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the text also provides wide ranging coverage of those skills, such as negotiation and time management, which are integral to the modern solicitors' practice ensuring that students are adequately prepared for all aspects of life in practice
• Examples, diagrams, tasks and exercises reflect the participative nature of the subject and encourage students to practise developing and refining their own legal skills in preparation for practice
• Self test questions featured at the end of selected chapters, accompanied by answers in the back of the book, enable students to test their understanding of a topic and identify any gaps or weaknesses in their knowledge prior to assessments
• Accompanied by an Online Resource Centre featuring a test bank of multiple choice questions allowing lecturers to test their students' understanding of the topics covered in the manual
• The Online Resource Centre also contains a bank of realistic sample documentation which brings the subject to life and illustrates legal writing and drafting in action

• Coverage of advocacy has been revised to include a submission before magistrates and a bail application ensuring that the trainee solicitor is fully equipped with a sound knowledge of the types of advocacy likely to be encountered in practice
• A bank of selected sample documentation available on the Online Resource Centre provides realistic examples of legal writing and drafting across a range of legal documents