Law School Bulletin February 2024

Welcome to your February newsletter, and happy new year to all of you who have been celebrating the lunar new year. It continues to be busy at the Law School and as we head into the final stretch of term, this newsletter is themed around getting the most out of your feedback.

David Yuratich

Deputy Director of Education and Student Experience

📖Education Matters: Feedback

Most of you will have been receiving feedback on assessments at this time of year. Receiving feedback can be a positive experience but we recognise that it is also one which can be unsettling or confusing. We are here to help.

Feedback is intended to help you take stock of where you are in your academic journey and to identify areas for improvement and areas of strength. Law School staff are there to help you with this process of reflection. If you need help clarifying aspects of feedback you have received on specific assessments, you can book to meet with your seminar tutor in their office hours. And you can reach out to your personal tutor for help identifying broader themes and areas to work on from your feedback across modules.

Some of the common issues which we see each year relate to legal skills (including analysis and use of legal materials), referencing, and communication. Remember that on the Law ELE Gateway you will find a tab called ‘Skills & Resources’ which is a treasure trove of resources that provide advice and support to assist with common issues. 

Remember too that feedback doesn't come only from written feedback on assessments. Although this feedback is undeniably important, feedback comes from other sources too, and is an ongoing process. For example, every time you interact with a seminar tutor or with one of your peers in the classroom, that is a form of feedback: a way to clarify your understanding and test ideas. Your studies here are a process, not a destination!

All this week until 1 March

The Feedback Festival is underway, and is your ultimate guide to getting the most from feedback on your assignments. The festival offers a variety of online and on-campus activities to help you: 

• Understand Your Feedback: Dive deep into what your feedback really means and how to use it to improve your work. 
• Build Your Feedback Toolkit: Learn strategies to make the most of both positive and constructive feedback. 
• Make Your Voice Heard: Share your experiences and ideas about what makes effective feedback – and help us to help you better! 

Find out more about the festival, access online resources and book on to daily events on Study Zone Digital. 

📰News ⌨️

The Exeter Law School Client Interviewing Team has just competed in the on-line regional round of this national competition. Many congratulations to Marilee Udsen and Eve Sheasby who have successfully made it through to the in-person national final. 🎉🥳  This will take place on 9 March when they will compete against Sussex, Oxford Brookes, Birmingham, Bangor, South Wales, Swansea, Sheffield, ULaw, Reading, Nottingham Trent and Coventry. Good luck from us all.

Women and Law Society Podcast

Two members of the society, Ella and Issy have recently started a podcast. They plan to do episodes every two weeks and topics will include commercial awareness, application tips, Q&As, and discussions with women in the legal industry. You can listen to their podcast via this link.

📆 Opportunities and Events 

Littleton Chambers: Sports Law Essay Competition

Barristers at Littleton often contribute to the legal discourse in sport by interacting with sports personalities and organisations through written work. This is the second year of the sports essay competition and you can enter now. Cash prizes and a mini pupillage will be awarded to the entrants who author the top three essays. Closes 0900 Monday 25 March. Full details here.

Virtual Pupillage Event: Apply by 29 February

Are you interested in public and administrative law, environmental law, or the legal process governing what gets built where and how? Then you may be interested in a career at the public and environmental Bar.

Francis Taylor Buildings will be offering interested students an opportunity to attend and participate in a Virtual Mini Pupillage Day on 4 April 2024. Read the full details on our webpage here.

📆 Events 

Module Fair: Wednesday 6 March

On the afternoon of  Wednesday 6 March we will be running our annual Module Choice Fair. You’ll have the chance to speak to the convenors of the optional modules which you choose for your third year. This is an excellent way to get an insight to the modules on offer and to speak directly with tutors. You can take a look at the Online Module Selection page here. You'll be sent a timeslot so that we can ease the passage of students through the Fair.

Events in March

As we draw closer to the end of term, look out for some more fun activities which are open to all students.

Student-Staff Moot on Tuesday 20 March 

Quiz night on Thursday 28 March at iSCA Eats with David Yuratich

Our Instagram will be highlighting five vaguely Easter-themed cases, to bring some legal flavour to your chocolate eggs!

Have you had a chance to pop into the Intercultural Café? It's open every Wednesday and Friday during term for a free hot drink and pastry. They put on a variety of different sessions from crafts and careers to celebrations from around the world. Full details on their page here. 

🤳 Law School Socials 😍​​​​

UNIVERSITY OF EXETER LAW SCHOOL

If you would like to see previous editions of the bulletin, they sit on our Law webpages here.  And if you have any suggestions for future editions, or would like to share a story with us, please email lawcomms@exeter.ac.uk. Fin