Equips aspiring lawyers with human and business know-how
BPP‘s solicitor apprentices will now have an opportunity to gain key human and business skills valued by law firms as part an extended partnership between the law school and O Shaped lawyer.
Based on a framework of five competencies — optimism, opportunistic, originality, openness and ownership — and 12 attributes, O Shaped teaches participants the mindset of a well-rounded lawyer.
From September 2023 apprentices on BPP’s six-year or graduate solicitor apprenticeship programme will be taught the O Shaped competencies and attributes. These skills will be developed and woven into day-to-day legal practice through a reflective portfolio.
The O Shaped concept is the brainchild of Dan Kayne, former senior legal counsel at Network Rail. Dan will be chairing the innovation session at LegalEdCon next week.
The move builds on an earlier partnership with BPP which saw the O Shaped skillset embedded into their range of SQE prep courses last year.
Commenting on the expansion of the partnership, Kayne said:
“The success of our collaboration with BPP on its postgraduate SQE programmes makes applying O Shaped to its industry-leading Solicitor Apprenticeship programme a natural next step for both of us. O Shaped is a practical, client-led approach which perfectly complements BPP’s focus on supporting solicitor apprentices’ wider development.”
Jo-Anne Pugh, dean of BPP University Law School, added: “We’re delighted to be working closely with O Shaped. I am confident that this collaboration will support a significant number of aspiring solicitors to thrive whilst on their journey to qualification and beyond.”
BPP isn’t the only law school to embed O Shaped competencies into its teaching. The programme has similar partnerships in place with the likes of BARBRI and the College of Legal Practice.