Developing professional skills and values

The practise of law is an intellectually challenging and rewarding profession. It demands highly developed skills of communication, analysis, information literacy and presentation. The values of devotion to public service and integrity are the guiding principles of the members of this learned profession. 

CAMS School of Law will seek to instil these skills and values in you. You will emerge from CAMS School of Law with a broad technical competency and an appreciation of how the law operates in practice. You will also have acquired highly developed research and analytical capabilities, a facility to quickly master a situation and the ability to present a case in a persuasive and convincing manner. All of these elements are important components of our legal training.

Practical Legal Skills training

Practical Legal Skills training is conducted through the medium of fictional law firms. The firms are assigned tasks designed to train students to apply their theoretical learning to the practical work performed by lawyers. The tasks involved include:

• interviewing clients
• advising clients 
• conducting negotiations
• drafting contracts. 

Professional experience

As part of its orientation towards practising law, CAMS School of Law requires its students to acquire some experience of legal practice during their course by working for a period each year in a law related environment. This requirement is designed to enrich your formal legal education and to ensure that you have practical experience of the operation of the law and those who work in the legal system.

Professional experience placements may occur in any environment in which you can gain experience on how the law, or the legal system, operates in practice. Placements with a barrister, advocate or firm of solicitors, in a public law or regulatory office such as the Ombudsman or the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, or in a court are examples. It is not expected that there be any formal instruction. Rather, you are expected only to be able to experience the work undertaken by those working at the placement. In particular, it is hoped that you will be able to experience some or all of the following:

• the types of routines and procedures commonly found in the office 
• the dynamics which are commonly associated with the provision of legal services by the office 
• the process of becoming a professional. 

Law Clinic

In conjunction with community legal services, CAMS School of Law offers a clinical skills unit. You will work at a legal service under the supervision of a legal practitioner and assist the practitioner, take instructions and advise and represent clients. This forms the basis of the development of skills in interviewing, counselling, negotiation, communication and advocacy.

Dispute Resolution

Dispute Resolution is an important part of the LLB program. Because of its importance within our programme, you will be required to complete exercises in the following, over the duration of your course:

• Moot 
• Mediation 
• Arbitration 
• Witness Examination 
• Oral Advocacy

These exercises assist you to acquire skills in advocacy, research and the preparation of a brief. Within the structure and procedures of a court setting, you are required to develop and argue a case as part of a team. You are also encouraged to participate in a number of mooting competitions, at home and abroad.

Teaching is a priority

Within CAMS School of Law, teaching is our first priority. CAMS School of Law academic staff are committed to ensuring that you are taught in the best possible manner and provided with all the facilities you need to further your education. 

First year students attend two hours of lectures and one tutorial (one hour) per week for each Law subject they undertake. Later year students attend three hours of lectures per week for each Law subject they undertake. On-campus classes are scheduled between 2pm and 8pm Monday to Friday, which permits practising lawyers to teach and share their experience with CAMS School of Law students. 

Study groups
CAMS School of Law students are encouraged to study and learn cooperatively by using their practical legal skills firms to form working relationships amongst themselves. This creates a law school environment that is personal and cooperative but which remains demanding and challenging in character.

If you are a student here, CAMS School of Law will expect much of you; from the very first day of class, it will challenge you to think and do things you didn’t know you could. It will reward you by exposing you to ideas that will captivate and inspire you, by teaching you skills and ways of thought that will serve as the foundation of your career. 

ACADEMIC STAFF

• Mr Rizwan Akhund, BCom (Kar), LLB & LLM (Lon), Barrister-at-Law 
  and Solicitor
• Mr Khurram Rashid, LLB (Buckingham), Barrister-at-Law

ADVISORY COUNCIL

• Mr Rasheed Akhund, BA & LLB (Kar), Advocate Supreme Court 
  of Pakistan
• Mr Justice (Retd.) G.H. Malik, Barrister-at-Law
• Mr Justice (Retd.) S.A. Sarwana
• Mr Rabel Akhund, LLB & LLM (Lon), Solicitor