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After Dark and Out in the Cold: Part‐time Law Students and the Myth of ‘Equivalency’
Author(s) -
Francis Andrew,
McDonald Iain
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of law and society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.263
H-Index - 48
eISSN - 1467-6478
pISSN - 0263-323X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-6478.2009.00464.x
Subject(s) - context (archaeology) , vocational education , legal education , face (sociological concept) , legal profession , law , practice of law , sociology , action (physics) , political science , social science , paleontology , biology , physics , quantum mechanics
This paper presents the findings of the first major research study of part‐time law students. It argues that many face multiple disadvantages, largely unrecognized by universities, whose emphasis on the formal equivalency of part‐time and full‐time law degrees ignores the distinctive backgrounds and needs of part‐time students. As a result, many are marginalized, impacting on their retention, overall performance, and work prospects. It is also argued that the context within which part‐time law students experience legal education contributes to a collective habitus which may structure what is ‘thinkable’ for their futures. Such concerns are of particular importance given the strong vocational drive amongst part‐time law students. An effective response requires action by both universities and the legal profession. Without this, part‐time legal education will remain a fundamentally paradoxical experience, offering broader access to legal practice for non‐traditional entrants, while continuing to inhibit their chances of success by entrenching their difference in the eyes of the profession.