Of writing this book. Or at least, the draft I’ll submit!
What does it look like?
Intro- looking ahead to the book. Sets the context- the importance of law and the need for people to know it, challenges to the university and law school, engagement as one way to respond to both of those those areas. Underlying idea is the law school *can* respond to challenges, but in a systemic and co-operative way- a challenge in market environment…
History- a *very* broad overview of university and law school history, focusing on England. Highlighting the current challenges of neoliberalism, the liberal / vocational divide, and how that divide can be- and has been- transcended. Roles of the university and law school- teaching, research, engagement.
Engagement- again, a *very* broad history- of engagement this time. Defining engagement- connecting with the world, understanding the world, responding to the world. The public understanding of law as an aspect of engagement, with a closer look at public legal education and information. The wider institutional context of engagement- organisational systems, ideals and values, and options and choices. The delivery of engagement- ideals and outcomes, methods and people. The challenges of engagement. How engagement can be delivered. This chapter might be split up…
Public understanding of law- defining publics- as groups both created by issues and the work of law schools, and as creating themselves. How the law school connects with, forms an understanding of, and responds to publics. How the public experiences and sees the law. How the law school works with the law. What understanding the law is- using ideas of legal literacy, capacity, and capability. What delivering understanding aims at, what it looks like, and how you know it’s worked (or not…) This chapter might be split up…
Examples- drawn from various law schools. Includes law clinic and other areas *not* about public understanding of law, but PUL is the focus. Common elements are identified.
Model- drawing on institutional context and critical realism, broader issues are covered- structure. agency, culture. Focusing on engagement delivery, activity theory is adapted to look at elements from examples. The two are then connected. To see this in action, two imaginaries- the Hilltop and Riverside law schools- are used- looking at how they respond as institutions, and how they deliver engagement.
Conclusions- summary of the book, and some alternatives- ways of being a university (commons, co-ops) and of moving beyond the university.
Public understanding of law 