The College of Legal Practice has partnered with the O Shaped Lawyer to offer a unique, practical and highly flexible course focusing on the O Shaped principles.
This innovative O Shaped Skills course is the first to be developed to specifically build O Shaped competencies, including essential human and business skills for future legal professionals.
The standalone course can also be taken as part of the College’s LLM in Legal Practice, alongside preparation for the SQE assessments.
The O Shaped Lawyer began as a movement back in 2019, when Dan Kayne, GC (Regions) at Network Rail, started sharing his concerns about how lawyers’ exclusive focus on technical legal skills, at the expense of a broader skill set and more rounded development, was not serving them or their clients well in the longer term.
Collaborating across his GC network and beyond, Dan has since developed the five O Mindset and 12 O Shaped attributes which will be brought to life through The College of Legal Practice’s course.
The legal profession need lawyers who are not only highly knowledgeable and educated in the law , but also individuals who can demonstrate a broad range of human and business skills to enable them to best service their clients’ needs. To understand customer centricity, to innovate and to create value for your clients and customers – lawyers need to be well rounded – or O Shaped.
As such, the O Shaped Skills course is designed to fit alongside qualifying via the SQE, but can also be taken by paralegals and aspiring solicitors in organisations who are looking to create an O Shaped culture. It is for those legal departments and services, who are looking to drive business growth, build stronger teams and future-proof your organisation.
Dr Giles Proctor, The College of Legal Practice, commented:
“The transition to the SQE gives rise to the biggest opportunity in recent times to transform your future trainees and identify the skills that really matter to your organisation. Firms are starting to listen and incorporate O Shaped competencies into their development plans for their new entrants, this course gives you that opportunity.”
Dan Kayne, Founder of the O Shaped Lawyer added:
“When O Shaped started as a movement back in 2019, we always felt the modernisation of legal education was an essential step in creating a more progressive profession and could set the next generation of lawyers up for a successful career in an increasingly complex and ever-changing legal landscape.
I am delighted that Giles and The College of Legal Practice share the O Shaped vision for a legal profession where everyone can realise their potential. In partnering with O Shaped, they are demonstrating the leadership our profession needs in co-creating such a forward thinking, innovative set of modules highlighting the mindset, behaviours and skills of the O Shaped Lawyer. It is a proud moment for all those connected with O Shaped and the start of something very special.”
The O Shaped Skills Module
The College is offering a fully virtual O Shaped Skills module, worth 20 credits towards their LLM in Legal Practice. The first part-time course will launch in August, where students will study for 15 hours a week for 12 weeks alongside working. A full-time course is also available from November 2022.
The 5 Os and the O Shaped Attributes have all been built into the course design and are taught in the context of core business skills. At the end of the course, the students will have demonstrated their understanding of the competencies and their practical application within the sector. Of course, this is just the beginning of their O Shaped journey, skills will need to be practiced, honed and developed as their career progresses.
The first course runs in August at an introductory price of £575, with future courses fees at £1,150.
Dan Kayne has been heavily involved in the development of the module to ensure that the O Shaped Attributes are accurately described and demonstrated within the course. He has collaborated with the College’s experienced virtual skills design team and his network of experienced GCs to create the module.
The O Shaped Skills Module can be taken separately or as part of the College’s LLM in Legal Practice that also incorporates training for the SQE assessments.
More details can be found on our website.
Background on the O Shaped Lawyer
The O Shaped Lawyer started life in 2019 as a small gathering of GCs, passionate about driving positive change in the legal industry. It has grown significantly to become synonymous with a cultural change that places people and human behaviours at the heart of a more modern, progressive legal profession.
They collaborate across the legal industry to achieve their vision to realise the potential of every lawyer, everywhere to create a more engaged, inclusive and healthy profession. As a result, users of legal services will benefit from a more relevant, efficient and customer-focussed experience.
For more details visit their website.
