Public Legal Education (PLE) will be given a
welcome boost following the launch of a PLE vision statement.
Solicitor General QC MP will announce
the vision today at the All-Party Parliamentary Group
Public Legal Education and Pro Bono event.
Legal education is about ensuring people know about the law
and their basic civil and criminal rights - from knowing if
you’re entitled to a refund in a shop or whether you’ve
been a victim of discrimination.
The statement creates a shared vision for
the PLE community to
aspire to which will help drive forward legal education
initiatives. The statement reveals 7 goals for
where PLE might be in 10
years’ time.
The goals are:
-
PLE will
be supported by a robust evidence base, showing what the
need is and what works best.
-
PLE will
be of high quality, maintained to ensure that it remains
accurate and accessible and useful for the people who
need it.
-
PLE will
be universal and reach across all demographics,
prioritising children, young adults and vulnerable groups
-
PLE will
be scaled up through delivery by the legal community
-
PLE will
harness technology and be delivered through innovative
methods, both on and offline
-
PLE will
be embeded into public services and government
departments
-
PLE will
be understood as beneficial and utlised by other sectors
Speaking ahead of the launch, the Solicitor General said:
Teaching people about their legal rights and
responsibilities, together with helping them gain the
confidence and skills to get access to justice can really
make a difference to people’s lives – as well as our
legal system.
The new PLE vision statement
creates a shared ideal for the legal education community
to aspire to. Focusing all on one common goal – to
encourage more people to help educate the public about
their legal rights and responsibilities.
Our aim is to create a country where everyone, and every
group, is able to access justice. Where nobody, no
community, is denied their legal rights. This is why I’d
like attendees to sign up to the vision statement.
There are many ways to get involved in educating people
about the law, such as interactive presentations, mock
trials and role play exercises to awareness raising
campaigns or information in leaflets – which can be
tailored to different groups, from educating primary and
secondary school pupils to prison inmates, community groups
and homeless people.
Commenting on the statement, Michael Olatokun, Bingham
Centre for the Rule of Law and , LawWorks said:
Public legal education can enhance knowledge of the law,
empowering citizens and communities to give effect to
their rights, remedies and responsibilities. The vision
published today, developed by a broad range of
stakeholders, provides a roadmap to deliver a society in
which no-one is denied justice simply through ignorance
of the law and the legal system. This is supported by the
long-term goals of PLE.
The APPG on
Public Legal Education and Pro Bono in conjunction with
the APPG on the
Rule of Law will work alongside MPs and Peers to make the
vision a reality.
The statement has been produced by PLE representatives
including those from the following organisations:
Citizenship Foundation, The Law Society, Bar Council,
CILEX, Magistrates’ Association, Ministry of Justice,
Judicial Office, Solicitors Regulation Authority, Citizens
Advice, Law for Life, Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law,
Youth Access and Law Centres Federation.
