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College of Law And Criminology SUMMER WORK PLACEMENTS 2016 HANDBOOK FOR UNDERGRADUATES

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Contents

Why complete a work placement? ........................................................................................... 2 Overview of the work placements scheme ............................................................................... 2 What you can expect from the College of Law and Criminology .............................................. 3 What we expect from you ......................................................................................................... 3 Placement learning record ........................................................................................................ 3 Preparing you for your placement ............................................................................................ 4 Who can apply? ......................................................................................................................... 4 How many placements can I complete? ................................................................................... 4 How to apply ............................................................................................................................. 5 Important dates ........................................................................................................................ 5 List of placements ..................................................................................................................... 6

Category A: Observational placements for LLB students ...................................................... 6 Iscoed Chambers ................................................................................................................ 6 Angel Chambers ................................................................................................................. 6 His Honour Judge Paul Thomas QC .................................................................................... 7 District Judge Graham Jones………………………………………………………………………………………….7 JCP Solicitors ...................................................................................................................... 7 Smith Llewelyn solicitors .................................................................................................... 8 Graham Evans solicitors ..................................................................................................... 8 Peter Lynn solicitors ........................................................................................................... 8 Swansea University Legal Services Department……………………………………………………………. 9 Dezrezlegal…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….9

Category B: Observational placements for LLB students and Criminology students .......... 10 Swansea Police ................................................................................................................. 10 Integrated Offender Intervention Service ........................................................................ 10 Public Defender Service ................................................................................................... 10

Category C: Research internships for LLB students ............................................................. 11 The Youth Justice Board for Wales .................................................................................. 11

Student testimonials ............................................................................................................... 12

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Why complete a work placement? Work placements equip you with new skills and experiences and boost your employability. They also reinforce what you learn during your degree. You may get to see some of what you have already learnt in action, and gain knowledge and insights that will equip you for modules that you will study in the future. In some instances there will also be the opportunity to use your work placement as the basis for an undergraduate dissertation.

There are also many other reasons for completing a work placement:

• Placements give you experience of the world of work and an insight into particular careers • Placements help you make decisions about the career path you would like to follow and

show you some of the different career opportunities that are available • Placements provide an opportunity to develop a range of personal transferable skills • Placements strengthen your CV and provide you with relevant experiences to discuss at job

interviews • Placements give you the opportunity to network with local professionals and seek their

advice on career decisions and opportunities A number of other placement opportunities are available in addition to the Summer Work Placements Scheme. These include Departmental Research Internships, the JCP Solicitors’ one year placement scheme and the College’s and University’s International Placements. Overview of the work placements scheme The work placement scheme was introduced in 2008. In its first year a total of 29 placements were offered to students across four organisations. Since then the scheme has grown every year. In the summer of 2015 students completed a total of 79 placements across 22 different organisations. This year we have updated the list of placements in response to feedback received from students.

Broadly speaking, there are two types of work placement:

• Observational placements: during these placements you will spend most of your time watching what the agency does, speaking to members of the agency about their work and visiting different offices and departments. Examples of observational placements include those at Swansea Police and local solicitors and barristers.

• Research internships: students on a research internship will be given defined research tasks to complete. Although you will have a supervisor for support and advice, you will be expected to show a high degree of initiative and the ability to work independently. Possible tasks include creating a list of books and journal articles on a particular topic, completing a literature review, and conducting empirical work. These placements may be challenging, but can give you a great sense of achievement and significantly boost your employability and CV. In the past students have completed research internships at the Youth Justice Board for Wales and within University Research Centres.

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Placements vary in length. Observational placements tend to be one or two weeks’ long. Research internships may last for longer. What you can expect from the College of Law and Criminology The College of Law and Criminology has a designated Work Placement Co-ordinator, who is available to provide logistical support concerning such things as security checks and interview arrangements (if applicable).

The Work Placements Co-ordinator will also record details of your placement on your student record, so that members of staff mention it in any references they write for you in the future. What we expect from you During your placement you are expected to comply with the Placement Provider’s relevant policies and procedures including the normal working hours, code of conduct and dress code, use of technology/social media and any rules of confidentiality. As an ambassador for the University, you should behave in a professional manner at all times.

At the end of the placement we ask that you complete a placement learning record (see below) and that you fill in an evaluation questionnaire. Your feedback is very important to us and helps us improve the scheme each year. Placement learning record During your placement you will complete a Learning Record, which you will submit to the Work Placements Co-ordinator at the end of your placement. This gives you the opportunity to reflect on your placement and identify the skills that you were able to use and develop.

The learning record identifies the following seven key skills:

• Self-management: readiness to accept responsibility, flexibility, resilience, self-starting, appropriate assertiveness, time management, readiness to improve own performance based on feedback/reflective learning.

• Team-working: respecting others, co-operating, negotiating, persuading, contributing to discussions, and awareness of interdependence with others.

• Business and customer awareness: understanding of the key drivers for business success – including the importance of innovation and taking calculated risks – and the need to provide customer satisfaction and build customer loyalty.

• Problem solving: analysing facts and situations and applying creative thinking to develop appropriate solutions.

• Communication and literacy: application of literacy, ability to produce clear, structured written work and oral literacy, including listening and questioning.

• Application of numeracy: manipulation of numbers, general mathematical awareness and its application in practical contexts (e.g. measuring, weighing and estimating).

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• Application of information technology: basic IT skills, including familiarity with word processing, spread sheets, file management and use of internet search engines.

Not all of these skills will be relevant to every placement. On your learning record you will provide examples of relevant skills and prepare a statement about each skill that you could use at a job interview. The Work Placements Co-ordinator will send you a copy of the Learning Record before you embark on your placement. Preparing you for your placement For some of the placements there will be an induction event before the placement takes place. Induction events normally take place towards the end of the summer term. The aim is to prepare you for your placement and help you get as much from the experience as possible.

Feedback on the induction events has always been overwhelmingly positive:

“I found the orientation event very interesting and informative, and the format was effective”

“I found the afternoon very interesting and highly useful. I would recommend the afternoon to continue in order for others to have the opportunity. The afternoon has helped me create a better view with regards to my career prospects”

Further information on the induction events will follow in due course. Who can apply? The scheme is limited to students studying Law or Criminology. You may only apply to the scheme once during your undergraduate career.

Generally, students apply at the end of level 2 of their degree. There are certain exceptions (e.g., students on the GDL course, direct entry students and students that have transferred from other institutions). If you are unsure whether you are eligible please contact the Work Placements Co-ordinator on lawcrimplacements@swansea.ac.uk . How many placements can I complete? The different placements are grouped into categories. Students may be awarded up to two placements in total, but no more than one placement from each category.

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How to apply Before choosing which placements you would like to apply for please read the information on the different placements on pages 6-11 of this handbook. You may also find it helpful to read the student testimonials on pages 12 &13.

To apply you need to complete the work placements application form, which is available from the “Summer Placements” folder on the Law-General and Criminology Blackboard sites. In addition to the application form you should also include an up-to-date copy of your CV. To help you prepare your CV, you may find it helpful to look at the information available on the Careers and Employability tab on Blackboard. You can also book an appointment to see an Advisor in the Careers Office and look at the information on the Careers Service’s website: https://myuni.swan.ac.uk/careers/download-our-leaflets/. Please also note that:

• Some organisations ask for additional information. If you are applying for a placement at one of these organisations you will need to include this information with your application.

• Some organisations conduct interviews. If you apply to one of these organisations please ensure that you are available for interview on the specified dates.

You should send your application to the Work Placements Co-ordinator no later than 4pm on Friday 25th March. Applications which do not contain all the necessary information, which have been incorrectly filled out, or which are submitted after the deadline will not be considered. Important dates

Friday 11th March Summer Work Placements Scheme launch event Friday 25th - March @ 4pm Deadline for applications w/b 18th April Successful applicants notified Beginning of June Induction events Mid June First placements begin

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List of placements The placements that are available this year are detailed in the following pages. Please read this information carefully, to help you select which placements to apply for.

(Please be aware that occasionally, due to unforeseen circumstances, providers have to withdraw from the placements scheme. If this happens we will endeavour to organise an alternative placement for you with a different organisation. Sometimes additional placement opportunities also become available during the summer term. Should this occur, details of these placements will be advertised.)

Category A: Observational placements for LLB students Iscoed Chambers Located in Swansea, Iscoed Chambers is a leading and long established set of Chambers with a large client base. It was the first Chambers in Wales to be awarded the Legal Service Commission’s Quality Mark for the Bar.

There are a total of three mini-pupillages available at Iscoed Chambers. They will be one week long and will take place during July and August. The dates of these are not fixed; the successful applicants will need to contact Iscoed to arrange exactly when their mini-pupillage will take place. During the week you will experience a variety of court work. Depending on the work that is available when you are there, there may be opportunities to visit the Crown Court, Magistrates’ Court and County Court and to experience cases involving criminal law, family law and civil law.

Applicants for these placements should include a separate covering letter with their application which will be forwarded to Iscoed Chambers, detailing their expectations of the placement.

http://www.iscoedchambers.co.uk

Angel Chambers Located in Swansea, Angel Chambers was originally founded in the 1920s and is now the largest set of Chambers in South West Wales.

There are a total of three mini-pupillages available at Angel Chambers. Two of these will be focussed primarily on criminal law. The other will focus primarily on family law. (Though please note that the areas of law you experience will ultimately depend on the cases being heard at the time of the placement). The placements will last for one week each. The dates of these are not fixed; the successful applicants will need to contact Angel to arrange exactly when their mini-pupillage will take place.

http://www.angelchambers.co.uk

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His Honour Judge Paul Thomas QC During this placement you will have the opportunity to spend time in the Crown and County Courts shadowing a judge! Previously joint head of Iscoed Chambers, His Honour Judge Paul Thomas QC is now a circuit judge (Wales circuit). The duration and date of the placement is negotiable, to be determined once the successful applicant has been selected.

District Judge Graham Jones

Previously a Deputy District Judge based at Smith Llewelyn Partnership in Swansea, District Judge Graham Jones now presides on the South Eastern Circuit based at Reading and Slough. This is a unique opportunity to shadow Judge for the duration of one week on the the Reading and Slough circuit.

N.B. This placement is only available to students in the area of Reading and Slough during the summer recess as travel costs and accommodation will not be provided!

JCP Solicitors JCP Solicitors are one of the largest independent law firms in Wales with around 120 employees, and offices in Swansea, Cardiff, Whitland, Fishguard, St Davids, and Haverfordwest. They provide a wide range of legal services for businesses, individuals and property. These services include conveyancing, agricultural legal advice, wills and probate, family law, divorce & children issues, employment law & HR, accident & serious injury services, as well a wide range of company commercial services.

A total of four placements are available. Each will last for one week. The dates of the placements are:

• Monday 4th July – Friday 8th July • Monday 11th July – Friday 15th July • Monday 18th July – Friday 22th July • Monday 25th July – Friday 29th July

Most of the placement will be spent in the Conveyancing and Re-mortgaging Departments, where you will work alongside a paralegal. During the week there may also be an opportunity to spend some time in the Personal Injury and/or Dispute Resolution departments, and to shadow a partner. http://www.jcpsolicitors.co.uk/

Smith Llewelyn solicitors Smith Llewelyn are recognised as experts in Family Law. Two of the partners are recommended in the Legal 500 based upon contributions from fellow legal professionals and the vast majority of their work is by way of referrals from satisfied clients or other professionals.

Their family law team deal with a range of issues including:

• Divorce/separation/nullity • Pre & Post Nuptial Agreements • Domestic violence and injunctions

Their childcare team offers specialist advice and assistance in a range of situations which includes:

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• Foster care • Adoption • Care and Supervision Orders

The firm also advises prospective adopters and parents in relation to Placement and Adoption Proceedings.

One placement is available. It will last for one week and will focus on childcare and family law. http://www.smithllewelyn.com/ Graham Evans solicitors Graham Evans is the largest law firm based in Swansea City Centre. It serves clients throughout South Wales and West Wales. It has specialist departments in the areas of Personal Injury Compensation, Family and Child Care Law, Criminal Law, Property Conveyancing, and Wills and Probate. The firm prides itself on combining a modern approach with the values of a local high street firm.

There are two placements available at Graham Evans. The dates are negotiable and will be arranged directly with the successful applicants. http://www.geplegal.co.uk/

Peter Lynn solicitors Peter Lynn & Partners has a number of offices in Swansea, and offer a wide range of legal advice and services to individuals and businesses across the South Wales region. The Commercial Law team helps all types of businesses from cradle to grave for a variety of legal issues including; starting up, contracts, HR and Employment Law, finance options, and exit strategies. The firm also provides clients with professional legal services in lots of other sectors including Personal Injury, Family Law, Wills and Trusts, Residential Property, Commercial Property, Litigation and Dispute Resolution, Criminal Law, Agricultural Law, and Sports and Entertainment Law.

Twelve placements are available, each lasting for a period of two weeks. Applicants will be shortlisted and interviewed. You will spend one week at the firm’s SA1 office, where you will focus on commercial and employment law, and one week at the firm’s Morriston office, where you will focus on the work of a high street practice.

http://www.peterlynnandpartners.co.uk/

Swansea University Legal Services Department The University has an in-house legal team based on the Singleton campus which is part of the Vice-Chancellor’s Office. The team was established in 2013 in order to provide legal support and advice on a comprehensive range of legal matters relating to the work of the University, its Colleges and administrative departments. The Team receives requests for advice on a wide area of legal matters codes of conduct and practice; collaborative arrangements; contractual matters; commercialisation; complaints; compliance; conflicts of interest; contract review; equality and diversity matters; Freedom

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of Information and Data Protection; grant funding matters; immigration regulations; insurance matters; intellectual property; leases, licenses and management agreements; legacies; new legislation; procurement; property-related matters; Public Interest Disclosure (Whistle-blowing); records management; safeguarding; security; staff recruitment. The main areas of work include contract, employment, procurement and property matters. The team currently works closely with the College of Law and Criminology’s Legal Practice Course offering work placements to students. There are 6 placements available in Swansea University’s Legal Services Team. The duration and dates of the placement are negotiable however we generally expect each placement to last for one week in order for the candidate to gain the most from the experience. Each placement will involve the student working on live files and assisting with day to day work and associated research. Candidates will be expected to sign a confidentiality agreement in order that they can undertake work on live files; this will be done when they arrive on the first day of their placement. http://www.swansea.ac.uk/the-university/world-class/vicechancellorsoffice/legalservices/

Dezrezlegal DezrezLegal started in 2009 as an alternative to the residential property services available through traditional solicitors and the volume conveyancing warehouses. We saw the benefits of each approach; a personal service from a conveyancer who knows you as a name and not as a file number, and a willingness to embrace modern technology to open up information for clients and third parties. We believe in both these principles and have embraced the ethos of a personal service driven through the adoption of modern technology to understand what our clients really want. Today DezrezLegal have multiple teams of conveyancing specialists working closely with estate agents across the country to get our clients moving as quickly and easily as possible. Even though we’ve grown we still hold true to our mission and we continue to be proud of our team based way of working.

There are 6 one week placements available at Dezrezlegal. The dates are negotiable and will be arranged directly with the successful applicants. You should only think of applying if you have a genuine interest in land law/conveyancing as the firm is hoping to spot talent through the scheme with a view to offering paid employment down the line.

http://www.dezrezlegal.co.uk/ Category B: Observational placements for LLB students and Criminology students Swansea Police These placements will give students the opportunity to witness the work of a variety of police departments. The placements may also include some time with the Crown Prosecution Service and at the Magistrates / Crown Court, tracking the passage of a case through the system.

The placements will be based at Swansea Police Station and will include input from some of the following areas:

• Scenes of Crime

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• Youth Bureau • Domestic violence and rape suite • Hate crime • Armed vehicle response • Anti-social behavior • Ethnic youth support team • Neighborhood policing • The central arrest ‘hub’ • CID

(The nature of police work means that it is not possible to state with certainty which departments you will have the opportunity to spend time in – but you will enjoy a varied and wide-ranging experience)

There will be 4 placements available, each lasting 1 week (2 per week). The provisional dates of the placements are Monday 12th – Friday 23rd September. Successful applicants will be required to complete Police internal vetting forms. http://www.south-wales.police.uk/en/

Integrated Offender Intervention Service The IOIS (Integrated Offender Intervention Service) team provides a beginning to end package of support for current and ex substance misusing offenders. It assists in areas such as access to clinical and health solutions together with psychosocial interventions. Housing provision, skills development, access to employment and help with mental health and family issues are also provided. It aims to break the cycle of drug misuse and offending behaviour by intervening at every stage of the criminal justice system to engage offenders in drug treatment.

The two placements will be based at the IOIS base in Swansea, and you will have the opportunity to spend time in the custody suites, the court, the IOIS offices, as well as sitting in on group work and accompanying the volunteer manager.

The dates and duration of the placement are to be arranged directly by the student. Once the placements are over, you will have the opportunity to continue to work with the IOIS as a volunteer. If you do so, the IOIS hopes to be able to pay for you to receive training and may also be able to offer you the opportunity to undertake paid sessional work.

Please note that you will be required to sign a confidentiality agreement before the start of your placement and provide a CRB check if you have one. Note too that if you were to carry on as a volunteer an enhanced CRB check would be required.

Public Defender Service The Public Defender Service (PDS) gives advice to people in custody and represents clients in the Magistrates’ and Crown Courts. There are four PDS offices in England & Wales, in Cheltenham, Darlington, Pontypridd and Swansea.

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There are two placements available this summer in the Swansea office of the PDS. The duration of the placements is negotiable. The successful applicant will arrange the dates of the placement with the PDS.

http://publicdefenderservice.org.uk/

Category C: Research internships for LLB students The Youth Justice Board for Wales The successful applicants will be expected to undertake discrete pieces of work that will directly contribute to projects that are part of the YJB’s work programme in Wales. The work will be undertaken in the Performance and Oversight Branch or the Effective Practice and Innovation Branch. This can include: field work; literature searches; report writing; data collation; and, basic data analysis. The exact nature of the work will be outlined during interview. Students will be asked to specify the branch they would like to undertake their placement in.

It is essential for applicants to have good written and oral communication skills; including the ability to construct reports which present large amounts of information in a clear and concise manner. For those with expressions of interest in working in the Effective Practice and Innovation Branch, knowledge and/or experience of using mixed research methods would also be an advantage.

The successful applicants will be expected to meet the costs of an enhanced CRB check. Students will be based in the YJB’s Swansea Office; however there will be opportunity to visit YOTs, secure establishments and the Welsh Government. Please note that, dependent on the piece of work being undertaken, you may also need to travel independently during the working day.

Two placements are available, each lasting for a period of two weeks. A total of four applicants will be shortlisted and interviewed. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/youth-justice-board-for-england-and-wales

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Student testimonials From a student who completed placements at Graham Evans and Partners: “I had a very warm welcome from everyone in the firm and was given tasks and work to do throughout the week. The court visits were amazing and I sat in on a number of cases in magistrates, crown and family courts. It helped me to get a better picture of what I need to do to become a solicitor and they offered me the chance to go back in the future to do voluntary work if I so wished.”

From a student who completed a placement at JCP Solicitors: “The experience allowed me to gain insight into the real world of a law firm and allowed me to see and partake in activities that I was not able to do in a lecture room. The staff were all very welcoming and helpful, I truly felt like I was an employee of JCP solicitors”

From a student who completed a mini-pupillage at Iscoed Chambers: “The aspects I enjoyed the most was being able to assist with elements of the trial. I felt this was beneficial because before the placement I was unaware of how much actually needs to be done alongside a trial for its successful completion. Also, the hands on experience is something that was exciting as well as educational, and has helped with my future career choices, following when I leave university.”

From a student who completed a placement at Swansea Police: “I had a fantastic time during my two-week placement with Swansea Police. During the fortnight I was able to experience and see the many different aspects of policing. Each day I saw something different which provided a brilliant insight into police work and projects. I spent time in departments such as hate crime, crime prevention, school liaison and I even got to spend a day in the South Wales Police Headquarters in Bridgend. I also enjoyed being able to see first-hand what community projects the police are involved with. “This placement has been beneficial for my CV as it has given me experience of law in a different context. It can also show future employers that I have had a wide range of work experience of law along with the other placements I have done. This opportunity was a fantastic and unique one which I would not have been able to experience were it not for the Law School's scheme. I would recommend the placement to all future students”

From a student who completed a placement at Swansea Police: “This experience was fantastic and I cannot say anything negative about it. The organiser was incredible and the entire station was so friendly. I could say thousands of positive things about this experience and although it was only two weeks, I feel that the Police is for me and I will continue to apply in the future. This placement isn't for the faint hearted because it gives you a real insight to everything that the Police actually do. I am just so thankful I got this placement and I have met the people I have”

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From a student who completed a research internship at the Youth Justice Board for Wales: “I spent two weeks working for the Youth Justice Board in the Effective Practice and Innovation Branch. I thoroughly enjoyed my placement and would recommend it to other students looking to gain an insight into the youth justice system. “I was asked to produce several pieces of work on the general topic of suicide. My primary task was to conduct a literature review, identifying the information available on suicide and suicide prevention, and to produce a summary report of my findings that could be distributed to the YOTs (Young Offending Teams) to help in their work with young people. I was also asked to research into the various suicide prevention strategies implemented by prisons, which took me to Parc Young Offenders Institution Prison whereby I had the opportunity to discuss such strategies with members of staff, and to summarise my findings. Finally I was asked to compile a directory of support agencies which again could be distributed to the YOTs. “The majority of my research could be undertaken at home, which gave me an excellent opportunity to demonstrate trust and reliability. Additionally the opportunity to conduct interviews with various professionals allowed me to build upon my communication skills, and the research-based tasks allowed me to further develop my research techniques and writing skills, whilst gaining valuable feedback on the work I produced. “It was a great opportunity to learn about something I was unfamiliar with, but also from a perspective relevant to my law degree, and it opened my eyes to the various employment opportunities available upon completing my degree”

From a student who completed a research internship at the Integrated Offender Intervention Service: “This experience gave me a great insight into an aspect of criminology that I would never get elsewhere. It enabled me to discover if this area of work was right for me and make contacts that I will be able to use during and after I finish my degree”

From a student merely given the opportunity to of a placement on the scheme:

“I shall not shame any other institution, but I completed a foundation course in law before I arrived at Swansea University. I'm very aware that at that institution, very few graduates come out able to gain employment in the legal industry - this is largely (in my opinion) due to a lack of work placements offered to students in the area. I admit myself, I was unable to gain work experience without assistance of the Uni. If I do (hopefully) gain work experience in the legal industry upon my graduation I believe a huge proportion of that will be owed to the university and to the work placement scheme. I am thrilled to have been given the opportunity to take part.”