Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Professional Work Placement
Other languages of instruction: Catalan
Teaching staff
Reyes Alcón: ralcon@uic.es
Office hours: Monday to Friday from 9.30 a.m. to 1.30 p.m. In all cases an email should be sent in advance to arrange an appointment.
Introduction
External work placements introduce students to the detailed analysis in situ of a relevant experience of either legal consultancy or forensic intervention through direct contact with a law firm or an institution engaged in legal activity.
The University Master’s Degree in Law has a strong professional orientation, which makes the internship period very important. Work placements provide a further means of training the student in terms of knowledge and skills. They are the result of an agreement made with an office or institution involved in legal activity which is supervised and monitored by the University and a representative of the host institution.
Pre-course requirements
To have passed the first semester.
Objectives
The objective of work placements is that students come into contact with the reality of legal practice which they can then apply to the theoretical assumptions and theoretical concepts learned in the Degree and the Master’s courses. This experience will help them in their future insertion in the world of work.
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
- CA05 - Know and be able to apply professional ethical rights and duties in the lawyer’s dealings with clients, third parties, courts, public authorities and other lawyers.
- CA06 - - Know and assess the different responsibilities associated with professional practice, including the basic principles of offering free legal assistance and promoting the social responsibilities of the lawyer.
- CA07 - Know how to identify conflicts of interest and know the techniques used to resolve them, establishing the scope of professional confidentiality and upholding independent judgement criteria.
- CA14 - Know how to carry out professional work in specific and interdisciplinary teams.
- CA15 - Know and be able to apply in practice the organisational, management and commercial aspects of the legal profession, as well as company, tax and employment law and legislation on the protection of personal data.
- CB09 - Know how to communicate their conclusions to specialist and non-specialist audiences alike in a clear and unambiguous way along with the rationale and knowledge that supports them.
- CG01 - Acquire the ability to work individually and as part of a team as well as the communication and leadership skills required to progress in the legal profession.
Learning outcomes of the subject
Students will learn how to:
- Recognise and value the everyday internal functioning of a professional office.
- Prepare all the procedural documents required for the defence of a client.
- Apply the basic principles of substantive and procedural law and identify the main problems that may arise both at the consultancy stage and in the course of the legal process.
- Deal with professional ethical problems.
- Become familiar with how institutions involved in the legal profession operate and the difficulties they face.
- Understand the activity of other legal operators, as well as professionals related to the practice of their own professional legal field.
- Receive updated information on professional career development and the possible lines of activity, as well as on the instruments for its management.
- In general, develop the skills and abilities necessary for the practice of the legal profession.
Syllabus
• Deal with professional ethical problems.
• Become familiar with the functioning and problems of institutions related to the practice of the professions of lawyer and court solicitor.
• Know about the activity of other legal operators, as well as professionals related to the exercise of their own profession.
• Receive updated information on professional career development and the possible lines of activity, as well as on the instruments for its management.
• In general, develop the competences and skills necessary to practice the professions of lawyer and court solicitor.
Teaching and learning activities
In person
Work placements will take place in the offices of professional firms and collaborating entities of the Faculty of Law, with a duration of 30 ECT credits from the 2nd semester of the Master's Degree course.
Throughout the internship period the student will have two tutors, one from the University and the other a lawyer from the office or institution providing the work placement.
The Master’s Degree tutor will supervise the improvement of the student’s competences. Once the work placement is finished, students must present the work they have undertaken to the host institution in the form of a report.
The assigned tutors will issue a joint report on the student’s performance and make suggestions for improvement.
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
Work placement tutors report: 90%
Student Self-Assessment Report: 10%