We spoke with Edward Jones, Solicitor, Associate Professor at the University of Leicester, about how legal education is evolving to better prepare students for practice.
At the University of Leicester, legal education is focused on more than just teaching students what the law is. The priority is ensuring they can apply it in practice, developing the skills, judgement and confidence expected of trainee solicitors.
With Lexis+® with Protégé™ Leicester is helping students develop those capabilities earlier, progressing from understanding to application faster.
Closing the gap between study and practice
One of the biggest challenges in legal education is moving students from knowing the law to using it effectively.
At Leicester, this shift is happening sooner. Students using Lexis+ with Protégé are building practical legal research skills earlier, and it shows when they enter interviews and early roles.
“They’re many stages further forward in the abilities that they show… they become prized paralegals.”
From broad research to practitioner thinking
Students quickly evolve in how they approach legal problems.
What starts as broad, exploratory research becomes more focused, structured and aligned with real legal practice.
“Within a short space of time… they’re creating prompts that are focused, specific and exactly what we would want.”
“They’re using it like practitioners.”
Faster development, not just faster research
The impact goes beyond efficiency.
Students aren’t just completing tasks more quickly, they are developing professional capability at a faster pace.
“It’s not just speeding up the work… it’s actually speeding up their development.”
This allows them to reach a more advanced level of skill earlier in their studies.
Confidence built on trusted sources
With Lexis+ with with Protégé, students are guided towards relevant, authoritative legal information, helping them focus their research and build confidence.
“It provides the tools that they need… without the overwhelm that can be created by having a massive hit list.”
At the same time, they develop critical skills in evaluating sources and understanding what is truly authoritative.
Easy to adopt, quick to embed
For teaching teams, introducing the platform has been straightforward.
“The system is so easy to use… once we started using it, we’ve really flown.”
Students and staff can quickly start using the system without extensive onboarding.
The result
Leicester is not just teaching the law; it is accelerating how students learn to apply it.
Graduates leave not only with knowledge, but with the ability to think, research and work like practitioners from an earlier stage.
“I would wholeheartedly recommend Lexis+ with Protégé to any university…”
See how Lexis+ with Protégé can help your students develop faster and graduate ready for practice.
Watch the full video to hear directly from the University of Leicester.
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