Welsh rue skill flaws

There are significant gaps in legal education in Wales that could threaten the ambitious agenda of the Welsh assembly and other governmental bodies, a study released this week has warned.

The MaLEW (Mapping Legal Education in Wales) report concluded that there are emerging skill shortages in the law teaching profession, compounded by frustration over low pay and a lack of administrative and managerial support.

In schools and further education colleges, there were problems finding staff to teach law, especially in Welsh.

In higher education, the study highlighted the lack of undergraduate or postgraduate law degree courses north of Aberystwyth and found that all training to become a solicitor or barrister is concentrated around Cardiff.

The report found 'important gaps' in the higher education law curriculum in Wales.

Subjects with particular relevance to Wales, especially since devolution, 'seem to have limited provision', it said.

Project director Professor Patricia Leighton from Glamorgan University said: 'There seems to be a mismatch between the political, economic and social agendas in Wales and current legal education provision to support them.

We must urgently address these issues or there is a serious risk that the ambitious agenda of the Welsh assembly and other governmental bodies in Wales will be thwarted by a lack of legal skills to support key initiatives.'