Records of Legal Education Project Archive

Background

The Records of Legal Education Project (RLEP), funded by the Leverhulme Trust, ran from October 1994 - May 1998. It was based at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, and its brief was to:-

• investigate records of legal education housed in selected institutions, primarily in the Greater London area, and report on their availability, accessibility and significance;
• create a Guide to Records of Legal Education and Law Schools to enable researchers to trace the location of documents of relevance;
• publish and disseminate its findings to assist researchers in law, the humanities and the social sciences;
• exceptionally, collect, maintain and make available for research, records of legal education where the creating/controlling agency was unable to make any alternative archival provision. This material was placed in a Records of Legal Education Archives located in the IALS Library.

Research was concentrated on institutions and records in the Greater London area, since this is a) where the highest proportion of legal education material was to be found; b) where the project was physically located. The project's resources were too limited to go further afield.

The project was co-ordinated by Clare Cowling, an Archivist employed on a part-time basis, under the direction of an Advisory Committee comprising Jules Winterton, the IALS Librarian, Avrom Sherr, Woolf Professor of Legal Education at IALS, David Sugarman, Professor of Law at the University of Lancaster and William Twining, Quain Professor of Jurisprudence at University College London until 1998. The Project was based in the IALS Library and was granted use of its facilities.

Records of the Project

The records listed below comprise the entire administrative and research archive of the Co-ordinator.

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RLEP ARCHIVES: CLASS LIST
quantity: 9 boxes
access: open

Class Ref No Dates Description

A.RLEP 1 1994-1998 Administrative records

A.RLEP 2 1994-1998 Correspondence files

A.RLEP 3 1994-1998 Progress reports

A.RLEP 4 1994-1998 Background papers on legal education

A.RLEP 5 1994-1998 Papers relating to the Guide to Records of Legal Education and Law Schools

A.RLEP 6 1994-1998 Records relating to the publicising of the Project and its findings

A.RLEP 7 1994-1998 Records of Legal Education Archives: policy files

A.RLEP 8 1994-1998 Records of Legal Education Archives: individual record collection files

RLEP ARCHIVES: HANDLIST OF RECORDS

A.RLEP 1: ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS, 1994-1998
1 folder

The file contains information concerning the proposal to the Leverhulme Trust, annual reports on progress to the Trust and terms of employment and contract of the Co-ordinator.

A.RLEP 2: CORRESPONDENCE FILES, 1994-1998
4 boxes

This class contains the correspondence, with related papers, of the Co-ordinator. It includes correspondence with universities, private educational institutions, repositories, libraries, legal publishers, law firms, legal societies, pressure groups and individuals. Contact was primarily for the purpose of obtaining accurate entries for the Guide to Records of Legal Education and Law Schools, intended as the major achievement of the Project. Papers filed with the correspondence include background information, lists of relevant records and draft entries for the Guide. The order is chronological by date of first contact letter, with letters numbered 1-163; there is a key to the papers at the front of A.RLEP 2/1.

Ref Dates Description

A.RLEP 2/1 1994-1998 Nos 1-9. Includes key to contents of class

A.RLEP 2/2 1994-1998 No 10 (Law Society)

A.RLEP 2/3 1995-1998 Nos 11-14

A.RLEP 2/4 1995-1998 Nos 15-20

A.RLEP 2/5 1995-1998 Nos 21-27

A.RLEP 2/6 1995-1998 Nos 28-31

A.RLEP 2/7 1995-1998 Nos 32-49

A.RLEP 2/8 1994-1998 No 50 (University of London)

A.RLEP 2/9 1995-1998 Nos 51-55

A.RLEP 2/10 1995-1998 Nos 56-65

A.RLEP 2/11 1996-1998 Nos 66-72

A.RLEP 2/12 1996-1998 Nos 73-86

A.RLEP 2/13 1996-1998 Nos 87-99

A.RLEP 2/14 1997-1998 Nos 100-120

A.RLEP 2/15 1997-1998 Nos 121-163

A.RLEP 3: PROGRESS REPORTS, 1994-1998
4 folders

The Co-ordinator prepared monthly reports on the progress of the Project. These reports were circulated to the members of the Advisory Committee for information and comment. Regular meetings were also held to discuss priorities and progress; reports on these meetings are filed with this class. The order is chronological.

Ref Dates Description

A.RLEP 3/1 1994-1995 Progress reports

A.RLEP 3/2 1995-1996 Progress reports

A.RLEP 3/3 1997 Progress reports

A.RLEP 3/4 1997-1998 Progress reports

A.RLEP 4: BACKGROUND PAPERS ON LEGAL EDUCATION
1 box

This class comprises copies of articles collected as background information for the Project. The articles cover both the historical development of legal education in England and Wales and current developments. They are filed alphabetically by author. An early copy of the Select Bibliography which was eventually published in the Guide is filed with this class, as most of the articles are included in the Bibliography.

Ref Dates Description

A.RLEP 4/1 n.d. Articles A-F. Includes copy of Select Bibliography

A.RLEP 4/2 n.d. Articles G-K

A.RLEP 4/3 n.d. Articles L-R

A.RLEP 4/4 n.d. Articles S-Z

A.RLEP 5: PAPERS RELATING TO THE GUIDE TO RECORDS OF LEGAL EDUCATION AND LAW SCHOOLS, 1994-1998
2 folders

Production of the Guide to Records of Legal Education and Law Schools was intended as the major outcome of the Project. The files below cover general policy and progress, plus arrangements for publication. The monthly progress reports at A.RLEP 3 also contain information of relevance. Copies of individual Guide entries will be found with the relevant correspondence files and the Records of Legal Education Archives files.

Ref Dates Description

A.RLEP 5/1 1996-1998 The Guide: policy and progress

A.RLEP 5/2 1998 Publication of the Guide

A.RLEP 6: RECORDS RELATING TO THE PUBLICISING OF THE PROJECT AND ITS FINDINGS, 1994-1998
1 box

A second important aspect of the Project was the provision of records management advice as requested and the publication and dissemination of its findings to assist researchers in law, the humanities and the social sciences and to raise the consciousness of the administrators and teachers of Law concerning the importance of proper records management, not only for efficiency in administration but for posterity. A major aspect was the publication of the Guide to Records of Legal Education and Law Schools (see A.RLEP 5), but a number of other papers were produced dealing with other aspects of record keeping and offering advice. The records listed below represent the efforts of the Project Co-ordinator and the Advisory Committee to achieve these aims.

Ref Dates Description

A.RLEP 6/1 1994-1998 Correspondence and papers concerning publicising the Project, including background material, publication of Project details, attendance at conferences and seminars

A.RLEP 6/2 1995-1997 Papers prepared for dissemination/publication by the Project Co-ordinator:-

i) The Value of Records Management and Archives, 1994 (prepared for Gray's Inn)

Records of Legal Education: the importance of retaining Records, 1995 (given at the Annual SPTL Conference)

ii) The Integration of Law Teaching and the Management of Records of Legal Education, 1996 (prepared for Annual ALT Conference)

iii) The IALS's Legal Education Project and the Study of Legal Education, 1997 (prepared for Theory in Legal Education Colloquium, IALS, 1997)

iv) Archives and Information Management: revised paper no i), 1997, updated at the request of several agencies seeking records management advice

A.RLEP 6/3 1996 IALS: survey of records and recommendations on information management, by Project Co-ordinator

A.RLEP 6/4 1996-1997 IALS: survey and collection of records of historical interest for projected anniversary history, by a trainee archivist supervised by the Project Co-ordinator

A.RLEP 6/5 1997-1998 Papers concerning collection of information for and production of Archives and Information Management: Guidelines for Law Schools by the Project Co-ordinator, to be published by the SPTL. Includes draft Guidelines

A.RLEP 7: RECORDS OF LEGAL EDUCATION ARCHIVES: POLICY FILES, 1994-1998
5 folders

The third aim of the Project was to take into custody at IALS records of agencies and individuals who could not find or did not already have an established institutional repository for their papers. Resources for this service were limited, and the Project Co-ordinator was to make such offers only as a last resort, i.e. where no alternative custodian was appropriate.

Space was made available in the IALS Library for this archive, named the Records of Legal Education Archives, and agreements were made with various agencies and individuals for the transfer of their records on a regular basis. Access to records varied according to the terms of each individual deposit. A Guide to the Records of Legal Education Archives was produced as part of the Project, for publication by IALS, and training seminars were given by the Project Co-ordinator to Library staff in the care of the Archives following the Project's completion.

Ref Dates Description

A.RLEP 7/1 n.d. Information papers on general archive policy, codes of practice and guidelines

A.RLEP 7/2 n.d. Papers relating to copyright

A.RLEP 7/3 1995-1998 Papers relating to formulation of RLEA policy on collection, deposit agreements, access, regulations for use

A.RLEP 7/4 1996-1998 Papers relating to production of the Guide to the Records of Legal Education Archives

A.RLEP 7/5 1998 Papers relating to training of Library staff

A.RLEP 8: RECORDS OF LEGAL EDUCATION ARCHIVES: INDIVIDUAL RECORDS COLLECTION FILES, 1994-1998
2 boxes

The files listed below contain details of the acquisition and maintenance of each collection of records in the RLEA, plus a copy of each class list. Arrangement is alphabetical by agency.

Ref Dates Description

A.RLEP 8/1 1995-1998 ALT: Association of Law Teachers archive

A.RLEP 8/2 1995-1998 BAR: Barrow Inquiry - papers deposited by Ruth Deech

A.RLEP 8/3 1996-1997 CHULS: Committee of Heads of University Law Schools archive

A.RLEP 8/4 1993-1998 CLE: Council of Legal Education archive

A.RLEP 8/5 1995-1997 CLEA: Commonwealth Legal Education Association archive

A.RLEP 8/6 1995-1997 CLRP: Commonwealth Legal Records Project archive

A.RLEP 8/7 1995-1997 LLM: University of London LLM Review papers

A.RLEP 8/8 1996 LSRG: Legal Skills Research Group, IALS - papers of Professor T Daintith

A.RLEP 8/9 1996-1998 MARSH: papers deposited by Dr S B Marsh

A.RLEP 8/10 1997 READ: papers deposited by Professor J S Read

A.RLEP 8/11 1994-1998 RLEP: Records of Legal Education project archive

A.RLEP 8/12 1997 SALS: Society for Advanced Legal Studies archive

A.RLEP 8/13 1995-1997 SCLE: Standing Conference on Legal Education - minutes

A.RLEP 8/14 1996-1997 SLSA: Socio-Legal Studies Association archive

A.RLEP 8/15 1994-1998 SPTL: Society of Public Teachers of Law archive

A.RLEP 8/16 1995-1998 TWIN: papers deposited by Professor W L Twining

A.RLEP 8/17 1997 UKNCCL: United Kingdom National Committee of Comparative Law archive

You can search records for the Records of Legal Education Project Archive on the SHLs Archives Catalogue.

Access is by prior appointment. (Email: ials@sas.ac.uk or telephone 020 7862 5790)