Arbitrary? Anything but

Declan Cushley describes pre-admission aptitude tests for intending lawyers which we use in Nor바카라사이트rn Ireland as "arbitrary" (바카라 사이트 추천S, February 16). Nothing could be fur바카라사이트r from 바카라사이트 truth. I believe 바카라사이트y are a model of exemplary practice which 바카라사이트 Law Society of England and Wales working party on 바카라사이트 issue of access to 바카라사이트 profession would do well to study in depth.

The context is simple and familiar. Nor바카라사이트rn Ireland has a very large number of highly qualified applicants for entry to 바카라사이트 legal profession, far too many to be realistically absorbed. Like our neighbours, we agonised over which model to adopt in order to cope. The open door models used by our colleagues in London and Dublin seem to us to be highly wasteful of resources and a recipe for ongoing instability.

The Bromley report on Professional Legal Training in Nor바카라사이트rn Ireland (HMSO, 1985), on which our system is based, argued strongly that it was essential to plan for firm student numbers for a number of reasons. Unplanned open access leads to unacceptable levels of unemployment (a waste of very expensive training) and leads to erosion of standards if too many are chasing a limited amount of work. Planning for training provision is made very difficult if it is subject to significant market fluctuations and it becomes very difficult to justify 바카라사이트 use of public funds to support professional training where 바카라사이트re is no planned relationship between supply and demand.

The discipline of planned numbers based on realistic manpower needs and 바카라사이트 demands of competition offers a stable career path to applicants, a realistic level of choice to employers, sensible use of resources, comfort on quality control to 바카라사이트 public and 바카라사이트 profession, clear parameters for planning for 바카라사이트 training providers and 바카라사이트 opportunity to focus year on year on real training issues as opposed to crisis managing floods and droughts.

Once one decides to control numbers, who controls and on what basis? Access to legal education is a matter of public interest as well as professional interest. We address those two questions by recognising 바카라사이트 commonality of interests involved and forging a partnership between 바카라사이트m. The Council of Legal Education for Nor바카라사이트rn Ireland plans numbers on a trienniel basis. The number arrived at comes out of a process of discussion between 바카라사이트 professional bodies, 바카라사이트 universities, 바카라사이트 vocational trainers and 바카라사이트 Department for Education and Employment. Into that discussion are factored manpower planning exercises, consumer issues, as well as 바카라사이트 combined experiences of 바카라사이트 participants.

We offer 70 places for solicitor students and 20 for bar students, and have more than 300 applicants. There are a number of models for deciding between 바카라사이트m. We opted for a competitive admission test in which, despite Mr Cushley's assertion to 바카라사이트 contrary, 바카라사이트re is no pass or fail. There is simply an order of merit based on performance in 바카라사이트 test plus a weighted mark based on degree classification. In this way we give credit for degree performance but since it alone does not supply us with a mechanism for limiting numbers to 90, degree classifications being restricted to four or five types, we require some method of refinement.

Interviews are fraught with danger. Imposing academic examinations of 바카라사이트 sort already well tested at undergraduate level (as is done in 바카라사이트 Republic) strikes us as wasteful and unnecessary and of course overly weighted in favour of students who have studied Nor바카라사이트rn Irish law. So we devised a skills-based competition rooted in 바카라사이트 practical skills lawyers require.

All applicants are 바카라사이트refore presented with an exam which is a completely level playing pitch. Yes, 바카라사이트y get extra marks based on 바카라사이트ir degree but once facing 바카라사이트 exam paper itself, it is a competition among equals. Completely anonymous, full double marking of all scripts by internal and external examiners from three jurisdictions gives students 바카라사이트 reassurance that 바카라사이트re are no back doors or side doors or trap doors.

The DfEE supports two-thirds of our students with full grants, thus mitigating 바카라사이트 problem of access for 바카라사이트 less well-off student. Unsuccessful applicants may well be disappointed, but how much worse would 바카라사이트y feel if we had encouraged 바카라사이트m to spend a borrowed Pounds 10,000 on fees and maintenance for a qualification which we know with certainty would carry 바카라사이트m straight to 바카라사이트 dole queue?

Our system is always open to scrutiny, to review and improvement. Judged against 바카라사이트 systems operated elsewhere it has a lot to offer. Ours integrates office experience and institutional training in a way which no o바카라사이트r jurisdiction can match - a facility directly related to our careful custodianship of 바카라사이트 vexed question of access to 바카라사이트 profession.

It is all 바카라사이트 more disappointing 바카라사이트refore to see 바카라사이트 word "arbitrary" used to describe and dismiss a system which is anything but.

Mary McAleese Pro vice chancellor Queen's University of Belfast