We thank God for the Successful completion
of the Externship Programme; we wish the entire Bar Aspirant safe trip back to
their various campuses……
REMEMBER THE FIRST LAW OF
EXTERNSHIP PROGRAM:
‘’THE LAW SCHOOL WILL NOT ASSIST ME
NOT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE EXTERNSHIP PROGRAM.’’
REMEMBER;
The objectives of
the placement of students in the courts and law offices and organizations are:
1) To
ensure that each trainee is exposed to learning experience which provides
reasonable opportunity for them to achieve the outcomes of learning at the
Nigerian Law School
2) Develop
the Externs Ability to reflect on and learn from experiences
3) Develop
extern lawyering skills
4) Inculcate
professional responsibility…..
N.B: INFORMATION
FROM THIS ARTICLE ARE SOURCED FROM THE EXTERNSHIP HANDBOOK FOR STUDENTS
THE
PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT
THE PURPOSE
The student would
be scrutinized by the panel to ascertain that:
a) The
student participated; and participated actively in the programme; and
b) The
student was able to gain from the activities engaged in or observed during the
attachment. He/ she must be able to demonstrate a standard of competence of a
person about to commence legal practice for the first time in the following:
I.
Intellectual, analytical and
problem solving skills;
II.
Core knowledge and understanding
of the law as applied in Nigeria such as Jurisdiction, authority and procedures
of legal Institutions, constitutional law, rules of professional conduct
(including accounting rules), regulatory framework, law of contract, tort,
criminal law, property, equitable rights and interests and evidence.
III.
Ability to complete legal
transactions and resolve disputes:
IV.
That the student can:
Demonstrate practical
understanding of the values, behavior, attitudes and ethical requirement of a legal practitioner; and
Demonstrate the professional,
personal management and client relationships skills required of a lawyer.
COMPOSITION OF
PANEL
The panel shall be made up of;
I.
At least one full-time teacher
and
II.
One adjunct who is a barrister
FORM OF
A form of assessment shall be
used and the final score for each student shall be the average marks of the
panel members.
The Sample Form
|
S/NO
|
ACTIVITIES
|
PANEL
SCORE A
|
PANEL
SCORE B
|
|
1
|
ATTENDANCE
AT COURT PLACEMENT: SCORE: 10 MARKS
|
|
|
|
2
|
ATTENDANCE
AT LAW FIRM PLACEMENT: SCORE: 10 MARKS
|
|
|
|
3
|
EVIDENCE
THAT STUDENT ENGAGED IN REAL WORK (TOTAL MARK OBTAINABLE-50 MARKS:
a)
Proper Entries in Log Book—10 Marks
b)
Proper Reflection in the Log
Book—10 Marks
c)
Responses During Panel
Interview---20 Marks
d)
Examination of Documents in
Portfolio---10 Marks
|
|
|
|
4
|
PORTFOLIO
PRESENTATION: Presentation skill including how Power Point slides are organized---10
Marks
|
|
|
|
5
|
REFLECTIVE
ESSAYS: Includes Organization, Grammar and Coherence—10 Marks
|
|
|
|
6
|
FIELD
SUPERVISOR REPORT(LAW FIRM)—10 MARKS
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL
MARK
|
|
|
|
|
AVERAGE
MARKS OBTAINED
|
|
|
N.B: FOR AN EXTERN
TO QUALIFY FOR CALL TO BAR, THE STUDENT MUST SCORE A MINIMUM TOTAL MARK OF 70%
AT THE PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT. STUDENTS WHO SCORE BELOW 70% WOULD BE MADE TO
REPEAT THE ATTACHMENT AT A SUITABLE DATE AND SUBMIT FRESH PORTFOLIO FOR
ASSESSMENT……
CONTENTS
OF THE PORTFOLIO
1. Two
Log Books (For Each Placement)
2. Two
Reflective essay: An Essay on each topic;
a) The
Management and Organisation of the Law Firm where I was placed and
b) An
ethical dilemma (Either Hypothetical or Real)
3. Confidential
Externship Evaluation Report from the Law Firm Field Supervisor
4. Two
Evaluation/ Survey Forms Completed by Extern
5. Copies
of documents showing evidence of engagement in activities such as;
a) Copies
of Legal Opinions
b) Letters
c) Reports
d) Writs
e) Pleadings
and Draft of other documents and
f)
Forms written by the Extern
during the Externship
6. A
general Report by the Extern: This will be presented before the Portfolio
assessment panel by Power Point Slides only….
THE
ORDER OF PROGRAMME AT THE PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT
1. Each
Portfolio assessment shall last a
minimum of 35 minutes and a maximum of 45 minutes.
2. The student must make a presentation of a summary of his/her portfolio by power point slides
within not more than 15 minutes of
the portfolio assessment time frame.
3. The
Panel shall not dismiss any Extern before the end of 35 minutes.
4. There
is an obligation and responsibility on the part of assessors to use the time
provided by this programme for giving the Extern robust feedback as a form of
formative assessment aimed at driving the outcomes of the set goals for the
externship programme.
THE
RULES GUIDING THE WRITING OF ESSAYS…
THE
ALMIGHTY RULE: DO
NOT PLAGIARIZE ……
RULE
2;
Each Essay must have
a Logical development and coherence. It should be written in simple English,
appropriate punctuation and simple grammatical constructions
RULE
3
Each Essay should
be;
a) typed on an A4 Paper
b) using
Times New Roman font,
c) font
size 12
d) Justified
e) Single
line spacing and
f)
1 inch (or 25.4mm) margin at the
top, bottom, right and left;
g) Maximum
page Number, 2
HOW
TO WRITE AN ETHICAL DILEMMA
Ethical dilemma is
one of the two essays law school students are required to submit as part of
their portfolio. The exercise is to test the student’s appreciation of the
legal professional ethics as contained Rules of Professional Conduct (RPC), and
the application of the rules to real life situations.
Your essay should
contain three basic contents – introduction, the problem and the solution. Your
introduction should have your name; registration number; campus; and the title
of the essay in bold letters. The problem is a statement of facts that present an
ethical dilemma for a legal practitioner or judicial officer. The facts could
be a true life story you encountered during externship or a fictional story,
but ensure that the dilemma your story presents is curable by one or more
provisions of the RPC. The solution applies the relevant RPC rules to the
problem and answers the dilemma.
FOR EXAMPLE;
You
are moving an application for bail on behalf of your client who has been in
detention for one year, and in the middle of your presentation, a Senior
Advocate of Nigeria steps in and seeks the audience of the court. Surprisingly,
the court stopped your matter midway and availed the learned senior advocate an
opportunity to do his case. The dilemma the scenario presents is one that
bothers on your duty to your client, observance of the hierarchy at the bar and
respect to the court. Whatever decision you make would necessarily amount to
transgressing the other duties you have as a legal practitioner.
OR
The
Story of a lawyer who is in a dilemma as to whether to partner with a
non-lawyer and share his income with the non-lawyer because the non-lawyer is
ready to sponsor the lawyer in establishing his law firm and build his client
base? See Rs 3(1)(C), 4 and 5…..
RULES
GUIDING POWER POINT PRESENTATION
According to the Handbook your
Power- Point Presentation should contain;
1. Introduction;
a) Externs
Personal Details
b) Placement
(Court and Law Firm) details
c) The
Period of each Placement (Commencement and Last date)
2. The
goals of the Externship programme
3. Knowledge,
skill and values learnt : Give concrete examples to show that the goal of the
externship was attained
4. Highlight
of the Extern’s survey/evaluation of the court where the extern was placed
5. Highlight
of the Extern’s Survey/evaluation of the Law Firm where the extern was placed
6. Highlight
of activities where the extern participated directly
7. List
of written materials in the Portfolio prepared by the Extern
8. Highlight
of the Extern’s reflective essay on an ethical dilemma
9. Highlight
of the extern’s reflective essay on the Management and Organization of the Law
Firm where I was placed
10. Challenges
faced during the externship programme
11. Conclusion:
This should include suggestion and recommendation on how the externship
programme can be improved..
TIPS ON DRAFTING POWER-POINT
SLIDES
SLIDE STRUCTURE
·
Use 1-2 slides per minutes of
your presentation
·
Write in point form
FONTS
·
Use at least an 18-point font
·
Use different size fonts for main
points and
·
Use a color of font that contrast
sharply with the background
·
Use background attractive and
simple
·
Use backgrounds which are light
·
Proof your slides for;
Spelling mistakes
FINAL WORDS: DRESS WELL, PRAY WELL, EAT WELL AND PREPARE
WELL….PRACTICE YOUR PRESENTATION BEFORE FACING THE PANEL….REMEMBER YOU WOULD BE ASSESSED BASED ON YOUR PRESENTATION
THE END
