Of all the articles that have appeared in A-LEVEL LAW REVIEW over the last 5 years, Chris Gale’s piece on the value of A-level law (Vol. 4, No. 3, April 2009, pp. 32–33) has yielded the greatest response from readers. This is an issue that is close to the heart of all A-level law teachers and students; it is why we are here, on this page, thinking about a subject that we enjoy and find so stimulating.
Law teachers, in particular, have been looking for a unifying force to express their views ever since The Times (Rebecca Attwood, ‘A-level Law: Don’t be Soft’, 15 January 2009) ran an article in its law pages drawing attention to a report, by the Policy Exchange think-tank, suggesting that students wishing to join the legal profession should ‘think again’ before taking A-level law. Based on an infuriatingly narrow set of research findings, the article implied that the qualification is a ‘soft’ option that impresses neither admissions tutors nor graduate employers. The article also undermined the positive comments from some admissions tutors, such as the head of law at Durham University, with the suggestion that public statements mask private prejudices against the subject at ‘highly selective’ law schools.
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