Presentation at the HEA-funded workshop 'Embedding legal research skills into the LLB curriculum'. LETR identified that “legal research skills are not sufficiently acquired by the end of the academic stage” and recommends the introduction of distinct assessment in legal research to the LLB. This workshop explored the ways in which legal research skills can be developed and assessed within a qualifying law degree. This presentation is part of a related blog post that provides an overview of the event: http://bit.ly/1hUljKb For further details of the HEA's work on teaching research methods in the Social Sciences, please see: http://bit.ly/15go0mh

1. The Vulnerable Witness Project - Local Pro Bono:
A Grounded Theory Approach to Inspire
Undergraduate Legal Research
in the Field of Human Rights
Angela Laycock
VWP Meeting 2014 VWP Delegates BCUR2013

2. Vulnerable Witness Project:
Pro Bono Local Project
• Commissioned by Greenwich Association for
Disabled People’s Centre for Independent Living
(GAD) supported by Metropolitan Police Service
(MPS)
• Analysis of closed case through police reports to
examine the effectiveness of current procedures
and pre-trial processes that facilitate the giving of
evidence by court in witnesses to disability hate
crimes
07/04/2014 HEA Workshop 7.4.14 2

3. VWP Project Management
• Team composition
– 8 (max) Level 5 & 6 undergraduates appointed to
team though CV, letter& interview
– Project Administrator (postgraduate)
– Project Leader(staff)
• Organisation of Team Business
– Weekly Project Meetings
– Monthly meetings with stakeholders (term time)
– Students take responsibility for one part of
investigation & record finings on VWP Moodle page
– http://moodle.gre.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=23527
07/04/2014 HEA Workshop 7.4.14 3

4. VWP: Research-based learning for the undergraduate
“There are four main ways of engaging undergraduates with
research and inquiry:
— research-led: learning about current research in
the discipline;
— research-oriented: developing research skills and
techniques;
— research-based: undertaking research and
inquiry;
— research-tutored: engaging in research
discussions.”
Healey & Jenkins Developing Undergraduate Research and Enquiry (2009 HEA)
07/04/2014 HEA Workshop 7.4.14 4

5. Teaching Undergraduates Human Rights Law
Through Research: The Inspiration!
MOTIVE
Prepare effective authoritative Human Rights Lawyers 
conviction grounded theory approach most effective method
of understanding and operating Human Rights Law (HRL)
MEANS
Southern African Women’s Lawyers’ (SAWL) Teaching model
OPPORTUNITY
• Emerging Jurisprudence: Biosecurity; Human Rights &
Disability
• Human Rights Act 1998Demand for Human Rights Law
Practitioners  HRL in undergraduate curriculum
07/04/2014 HEA Workshop 7.4.14 5

6. MOTIVE: FINDING A METHODOLOGY TO DEVELOP
UNDERGRADUATE EXPERTISE IN HUMAN RIGHTS
GROUNDED THEORY
• de jure equality, de facto discrimination
• Set up to “bridge the gap between law and reality”*
• Led to a recognition of a need “to understand the gap before (they)
could bridge it”
• “…AN APPROACH TO LAW BASED ON THE REALITY OF HUMAN LIFE”**
* Julie Stewart Interview 23.3.96
** Hellum & Stewart (1998), Pursuing Grounded Theory in Law page 25
07/04/2014 HEA Workshop 7.4.14 6

7. MEANS: SAWL POSTGRADUATE COURSE
• Origins - Women’s Inheritance Question:
Deep Legal Pluralism
• Course - Advice to Domestic Servants;
monitoring the success of the advice 
development of own project
• Applicable in the UK?
07/04/2014 BCUR 2013 7

8. Grounded Theory appropriate vehicle for
development of expertise Human Rights Law
“The women’s law scholar is likely to be
engaged in efforts to investigate
empirically and from this to generate
critiques and arguments as to how judges,
lawmakers and administrators could and,
perhaps, should interpret or amend the
law.”
** Hellum & Stewart (1998), Pursuing Grounded Theory in Law page 26
07/04/2014 BCUR 2013 8

9. Opportunity  Undergraduate Research
1. 2003-8: International Comparative Research
Development of mechanism for integrating
research project into UK Undergraduate
Curriculum 
2. 2008-10: Local Community Research
part of undergraduate curriculum but filling gap in
community knowledge (applied clinical legal education)

3. 2012-14 Pro bono: Commissioned
undergraduate research project independent
from degree programme 
07/04/2014 HEA Workshop 7.4.14 9

10. VWP: Commissioned Pro Bono Project
Motive Means Outcomes
1. Give legitimacy to
undergraduate
research projects as
bona fide
contributions to
knowledge.
2. Ensure the survival
of undergraduate
research projects in
law.
3. Continue community
partnerships.
Research
1. Team Meetings
across years
2. Stakeholder
meetings
3. Presentation &
Report
4. Fieldwork
• Value of
Undergraduate
research
• Unique reality of
student learning
experience raised
academic performance
• Employability
• Improving the
student’s experience.
07/04/2014 HEA Workshop 7.4.14 10

11. Benefits of Learning through Community
Research Projects - Curricular
• Deep Learning
• Enhanced Academic Performance
• Transferable Skills & Student Development
• Teamwork
07/04/2014 HEA Workshop 7.4.14 11

12. Serving Two Masters!
Research-based Learning Practicalities
Learning & Teaching
• Validation
• Assessment Regime
• Meet Resource
Requirements
Research
• Research and Ethics
• Research
Outcomes/Partner
expectations
07/04/2014 HEA Workshop 7.4.14 12

13. VWP Student Evaluation
• “The VWP enables you to widen the breadth of your
understanding of law. The VWP opens your eyes to how the
law can actually affect people, both in a negative and positive
way, which I feel is a vital skill needed for every future lawyer.”
Stuart Barnes 2013-14 (Level 6)
• “ The promise of working on real cases had been one of the
main factors that drew me to the project, and it did not
disappoint. Some of the happenings in the cases alone were
very interesting, and after the tedious procedure of redacting
names was complete, we were able to include these and our
findings in our final presentation which we presented at the
University of Plymouth to an audience of our peers at the end
of the academic year. Without a doubt, I found the first year
of the project very rewarding.”
Jessica Gray, 2012-14 (Level 5 &6)
07/04/2014 HEA Workshop 7.4.14 13

14. Legal Education and Training Review 2013
Recommendation 11
“There should be a distinct assessment of legal
research, writing and critical thinking skills at
level 5 or above in the Qualifying Law Degree …
Educational providers should retain discretion in
setting the context and parameters of the task,
provided that it is sufficiently substantial to give
students a reasonable but challenging
opportunity to demonstrate their competence.”
07/04/2014 HEA Workshop 7.4.14 14

15. Legal Education and Training Review 2013
Recommendation 7
“The learning outcomes at initial stages of LSET
should include reference (as appropriate to the
individual practitioner’s role) to an
understanding of the relationship between
morality and law, the values of underpinning the
legal system, and the role of lawyers in relation
to those values.”
07/04/2014 HEA Workshop 7.4.14 15

16. The Vulnerable Witness Project - Local Pro Bono:
A Grounded Theory Approach to Inspire Undergraduate Legal
Research in the Field of Human Rights
THANK YOU
Angela Laycock
A.M.Laycock@greenwich.ac.uk
References
Healey, M. & Jenkins, A., (2009) Developing Undergraduate Research and Enquiry, The Higher Education Academy
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/documents/resources/publications/developingundergraduate_final.pdf
Hellum, A. & Stewart, J. (editors) (1998) Pursuing Grounded Theory in Law: South-North Experiences in
Developing Women’s Law, Harare: Mond Books
Kerrigan, K. & Murray, V., (editors) (2011) A Student Guide to Clinical Legal Education and Pro Bono,
Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan
LAYCOCK, Angela. Grounding research projects in the undergraduate curriculum: assessment strategies.
Compass: Journal of Learning and Teaching, [S.l.], v. 4, n. 8, dec. 2013. ISSN 2044-0081. Available at:
<https://journals.gre.ac.uk/index.php/compass/article/view/123>. Date accessed: 18 Mar. 2014
Macduff,A.(2005) ‘Deep Learning, Critical thinking and Teaching for law Reform’ Legal Education
Review Vol.15, no.1 &2, 2005pp125-35
SRA, BSB,IPS Legal Education and Training Review: Setting Standards: The Future of Legal Services
Education and Training Regulation in England and Wales June 2013 http://letr.org.uk/
07/04/2014 HEA Workshop 7.4.14 16