During July 21-August 11, 2019, 14 undergraduate and graduate students from the Law School of Beijing Normal University, led by teacher PEI Yang, went to the British University of Law to participate in the summer vocation exchange program. The British University of Law is a professional university that specializes in legal practice courses and practical training. Two-thirds of practicing attorneys in the entire U.K. are alumni of this school. Excellent alumni include two-thirds of the current members of the British Parliament and current Mayor of London, etc.
(A group photo of the students in the British University of Law)
Preparation before departure. In order to be able to successfully go to the U.K. to study, the teachers and the students made many preliminary preparations. Teacher ZHANG Fuli had been doing the work such as communication and assistance for everyone from the release of the program notice to the final meeting before departure. The students also actively cooperated with the teacher and prepared the materials required for overseas exchange. All teachers and students convened a pre-trip meeting at 9am July 19. The leading teacher conducted an all-round training on the program introduction, foreign affairs etiquettes, team disciplines, learning tasks, safety education, living habits and other matters, and required students to make clear the learning purpose, keep in mind disciplinary requirements and return to the school on time.
(Program meeting before departure)
Learning and visit. The places of learning of this summer vocation program were the Bloomsbury campus and the Moorgate campus located in London, which had excellent locations. In three weeks of learning and living, the students not only conducted professional learning in class and accepted training on simulated court techniques but also learned specialized legal English and legal writing courses. From the perspective of form, the learning method of group learning strengthened students’ cohesion and got the team cooperation capacity practiced; the learning method of choosing themes students were interested in to freely present improved students’ capacity of expression while strengthening students’ understanding of the themes.
(Classroom presence)
In terms of the contents, the learning of the common law in class made students understand the legal systems of the U.K. and America more. The course of Legal English enabled students to have command in “using simple sentences and applying the active voice” and other seven legal English tools. The course of English Writing enabled students to learn the writing standards of English letters and English contracts. The training and competitions of simulated court familiarized students with the judicial model in case law countries.
(Group discussion)
In the whole process of leaning, everyone was very serious, actively discussed with the teachers in class and carefully finished homework after class. Especially in the simulated court competition held by the Royal Courts of Justice at last, in order to present the best status, the students logged in westlaw to search for precedents, collected information in the apartment lobby, discussed and learned till late, strove to make preparations for the final competition and eventually won the praise of teachers of the British University of Law.
(The student obtained the certificate of completion of the program issued by the British University of Law)
(The students took a group photo with the British teachers after the British Royal Courts of Justices of Justice held the simulated court competition)
Besides, apart from the busy study and life, the teachers of the British University of Law also led everyone to take a sightseeing bus to enjoy the view of London. The English explanation on the bus also presented students a lively London City. During the visit to the British Parliament, Supreme Court of the United Kingdom and The British Royal Courts of Justice, the in-depth explanations given by local guides made students have a deeper understanding of the British judicial system and its development history in the process of the visit.
(The students were visiting the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom)
(The students visited the British Royal Courts of Justice)
Return journey. On August 10, the summer vocation exchange program termed three weeks ended. The teacher and all students arrived at the school safely on the afternoon of August 11. This program was successfully concluded.
