If you are attending the UK Association of Law Teacher's conference at the University of Exeter on April 16 & 17, please join us for the first event in the Symposium Series moderated by Nigel Duncan (Professor Emeritus, City Law School). The 90-minute session Thursday, April 16 at 1:30 pm "Reimagining legal education for the future of law: Advancing reflective practice as a core professional competency" explores how reflective practice has been evolving in the UK. The goals of the International Symposium Series: Reflective Practice for Legal Professionals will be explained. Presenters will then set the stage for a group discussion.
Michele Leering (Queen's University, Canada) will share how reflective practice has been captured in the scholarly/grey literature in England & Wales, followed by Roddy Cairns’ (University of Strathclyde) insights on the Scottish experience. Chloe Sheppick (Kings' College London) will speak to "The ever-growing importance of reflective practice for lawyers and how this can be taught at law school," articulating lessons learned from implementing it in the MSc in Law and Professional Practice. Philip Drake (University of Manchester) will elaborate on the empirical research findings from a study of law students building their capacity for critically reflective practice using LEGO™ SERIOUSPLAY™. A research project involving law students exploring the impact of AI on assessment will be described by Jenny Gibbons (University of Manchester).
Session participants are invited to share observations about how well reflective practice has been accepted and implemented in the UK. Does the literature capture all the evolving developments and imperatives? How can the Symposium Series and its legacy website contribute to advancing reflective practice as a meta-competency in law? What else could help?
Date Published: April 6, 2026