Law for Life: the Foundation for Public Legal Education
The Public Legal Education Network has become Law for Life: the Foundation for Public Legal Education. Law for Life is a new charity dedicated to promoting and developing public legal education.
In our December newsletter we publish an important new evaluation framework for PLE projects and are delighted to have a 60 second interview with our new chairman, Michael Smyth CBE.
What is public legal education?
Public legal education aims at increasing our capacity to deal with legal issues - by improving our understanding of the law, explaining when and how to take action, or by making better choices and avoiding problems.
Projects showcase
These projects give a flavour of the diversity of PLE initiatives. We’ve arranged them by broad themes: raising awareness, self-help and legal capability, and community development and law reform.
PLE materials
Here you will find a selection of examples of materials that make for successful PLE. They are targeted to meet the needs of their users, from raising awareness of discrimination to a survival guide for divorce.
Project tools
A selection of best practice guides and tools for successful PLE projects, including practical tools for making sure information is accessible and relevant, a classification system and guidance on how to evaluate a PLE project.
Research and theory
PLE covers a wide range of research and evaluation disciplines, from legal and education theory to empirical research. In order to thrive PLE needs to build and improve the body of knowledge that lies at its core.
Discussion and themes
This section has articles discussing key issues around the development of PLE including legal capability. The aim is to provoke discussion and debate, and build the body of knowledge of how to deliver PLE effectively.
International PLE
In many countries, PLE is already an important component of models to provide a community legal service. This section has a selection of inspiring international initiatives including recent events and developments
Events
Awareness of PLE continues to grow and several important conferences have taken place. Looking back we can see how these mark key stages in the development of PLE in the UK.
PLE News
A quick round up of recent activities in the world of public legal education.
