Here are some of the questions we are often asked.
If you have a different question please do contact us on info@juniorlawyersclub.co.uk and we will be happy to answer your query and add it to the list opposite.
Yes you can. We are a licensed Approved Activity Provider for the Skills section of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards.
We hold ongoing term time workshops. At the end of each week, you will receive a summary of the workshop and some suggestions for further research/reading. Together this counts as your one-hour activity for the week. If you are unable to make a workshop, due to an expedition for example, we send you catch-up materials to complete and submit for that week.
During the holiday weeks, you will receive an assignment to complete that will take one hour. You will need to submit written evidence of having completed this during that week, and we can credit you with having completed an hour’s activity to keep your credits going during the timeframe. There is no charge for the written assignments.
Each week, you will need to complete your DofE activity log. To do this, you can write a sentence stating ‘This week we looked at…’ setting out the theme or topic for the workshop or assignment.
- After you book you will receive a Zoom link and passcode. A tutor will be admitting each participant from the waiting room into the main room, and the Zoom name MUST match the name of the participant on our register to be allowed into the main room.
- Screens and microphones are activated as soon as participants join the main room, so be prepared for this. Be aware of what is showing in your background throughout the session.
- We disable screen sharing by anyone other than the tutors in the session. We also disable chat boxes, so students can only communicate verbally.
- We do not record or store sessions, and participants are not allowed to take pictures, stream or record the workshops.
- We will ask you to activate your camera so everyone can see who is talking to them. You can choose a virtual background, to mask the background of your room, so long as the processor on your computer is able to cope with this. It is fine for participants to join from a bedroom but please ensure no bed is visible on screen.
- We expect a parent or guardian to be present during the session, but not visible on screen. Parents/guardians remain responsible for participants under 16 during the online workshops and are expected to be aware of what is showing both on and in the background of the screen.
- Tutors will remove participants from the room if anything inappropriate is shown or heard in their backgrounds.
- Dress code is the same as if you were attending any face-to-face class in public.
New online workshops each week run as follows:
Autumn Term 2024: Workshops run Sat-Thurs in the weeks beginning
19 October, 9 November, 16 November, 23 November, 30 November, 7 December
Spring Term 2025: Workshops run Sat-Thurs in the weeks beginning
11 January, 18 January, 25 January, 1 February, 8 February, 22 February, 1 March, 8 March, 15 March, 22 March.
Summer Term 2025: Workshops run Sat-Thurs in the weeks beginning
26 April, 3 May, 10 May, 17 May, 31 May, 7 June, 14 June, 21 June, 28 June, 5 July
Please note DofE students will be provided with a piece of work/research to complete each week of the holidays. This must be submitted within that week, and demonstrate one hour’s worth of work.
- To develop the underlying skills for debate and public speaking. Skills which are useful for anyone, aged 8-80
- To engage in debates, games and activities that are fun, stimulating and thought-provoking
- To hear tips and feedback within the session, from tutors who are experts in their field
- To have a space to practise, imagine and create
- To work in groups of students aged 8, 9-11, 12-14 or 15-18. You will work in different, mixed teams, but your focus is on achieving your own, personal best
- To practise expressing your thoughts clearly, concisely, logically and persuasively
- To learn how to work as part of a team, as both a leader and a follower
- To receive constructive feedback and learn how to give constructive feedback
- To shine within the Junior Lawyers Club in your own, unique way
Yes, you can, subject to availability. Workshops operate on a rolling basis, with new themes and topics covered each week. We do not repeat term time workshops, so every week we cover new stimulating themes.. This allows students to progress through our completion levels, covering different aspects of our programme and the ability to discuss and debate issues in Law, Politics, Economics, and a whole host of other areas from current affairs and AI, to creative themes such as art and philosophy.
The JLC programme consists of regular Zoom workshops which teach the key transferable skills of a lawyer through games, role-plays, debates and team challenges. Our panel of tutors includes lawyers and actors, all DBS checked and fully trained in the JLC teaching methods.
Students build confidence and ability in debate and public speaking skills, in a supportive and friendly environment. Students work in small groups of up to six students per tutor in breakout rooms and may also speak in the main room in front of the whole tutor panel and larger groups of students.
Our workshops focus on three core skills areas:
- Debate & public speaking skills;
- Creative & critical thinking skills;
- Soft skills such as teamwork & leadership, negotiation and interview techniques and practice.
We do not teach traditional debates, but instead build up the underlying skills needed for debates. The themes for the sessions are engaging and stimulating. As well as developing awareness of current affairs, students will also pick up substantive knowledge on politics, law and philosophy, presented by University lecturers and UK lawyers.
Activities and role-plays can range from preparing an election speech, to designing a new school and rewriting the school rules. Children might act out a trial, or design a new product and pitch for investment.
Activities are age-related and are carefully designed to be topical, thought-provoking and (most importantly!) fun.
The JLC Certification Programme
Students can follow the programme by signing up to one workshop, several workshops, or by following the workshops over a number of months and gaining exams and certificates along the way.
The full programme consists of 10 completion levels. Every five classes attended amounts to one completion level and students receive an e-certificate for membership after completing the first level. We run new workshop themes every week, covering different topics and skills. This allows students to learn something new in each workshop as they progress through the completion levels.
As the complete attendance in the workshops, students will be invited to take the Bronze, Silver and Gold awards to mark their achievements. These test the knowledge and skills that students have gained during the programme. They will receive an e-certificate and a report with written feedback after completing the Bronze, Silver and Gold achievement awards. Once they achieve Gold, they become a JLC Graduate, and can then work towards Mastery Levels.
These are purely optional and each student can decide whether or not to participate in the awards.
Bronze Award
Requirements:
- Give a short presentation on a given topic;
Silver Award
Requirements:
- Act as an advocate for a third party;
- Demonstrate critical and creative thinking skills in front of a panel.
Gold Award:
Requirements:
Students will be given a number of rigorous challenges to complete, to demonstrate competence in the skills and knowledge gained during the programme.
Yes certainly. We organise the activities and roles in the workshop to encourage all children to engage in the class, and vary their roles in the activities, whilst ensuring that the atmosphere and feedback is supportive and encouraging.
Connection:
- A good broadband connection is essential. We must be able to hear you properly for you to participate in the activities.
- Lagging/connectivity – check your broadband connection against the Zoom minimum requirements which are as an absolute minimum: 2.0 Mbps upload and download for single screen. These are an absolute minimum and you may still experience audio/screen issues if you have higher than that. Connection quality will depend on factors such as the time of day, other devices being used, and the hardware you use. This can affect your audio and camera quality. Connection quality can also vary considerably in different rooms.
- Test out your broadband connection using a speedchecker to check the speed. Remember to check both the download AND the upload speed. If your upload speed is slow, this will affect how we can hear and see you on screen.
- Remember that broadband speed can vary considerably if other people in the house are using it to stream eg. watching Netflix/gaming/downloading/video conferencing.
Speakers and Microphone:
- Do ensure you test your mic and speakers before you join the class.
- You can use the button with the microphone icon to mute and unmute yourself. If you click on this, you can also select ‘Test speaker and microphone’ to check your audio. Please do this if you lose sound in the session.
- Make sure you have the right microphone connected – click on the microphone icon and choose ‘audio’ under settings then select the correct microphone.
- Sound issues are often caused by poor broadband connection or upload speed. It can also involve something as simple as checking the volume on your microphone and speakers or making sure the microphone is not too near your mouth when using headphones.
- Buzzing noise – this can sometimes be caused by faulty headphones or headphone connection, or when a mobile phone is kept too near to the computer.
- Feedback noise- this is often caused from slow internet connection, creating a feedback loop.
- Some issues can be solved by logging out and then back in again to Zoom. If that fails, please try logging on using a different device.
These are developed during the workshops as students interact and present in different roles and social situations. They are given feedback on their performance, with positive suggestions for building on their abilities. Leadership, teamwork, resilience and self-confidence are some of the key life skills the students will develop throughout the programme.
Some of the key aspects of an assessment, exam or interview are the ability to remain calm under pressure, to think on your feet and express your points clearly and logically. These are pervasive elements of debating in the workshops, with constant timed activities that are fun and challenging. Students become experienced in analysing and responding to questions and thinking of points quickly.
Our workshops are also excellent preparation for the oral presentations in GCSE English Language.