ABSTRACT
This chapter explores from an experiential or 'insider' perspective the values embedded and mostly hidden within current models of legal education at university level in the United Kingdom. The exploration will take place at various levels - the content of law school curricula, methods of teaching and assumptions about what constitutes a 'good' lawyer. The power of lawyers to shape individual behaviour and social change is becoming more evident as law impinges further and deeper in many fundamental areas of life. Genetics and the new reproductive technologies are one example of an important new arena for legal endeavour. In the 1980s, the 'Critical Legal Studies' movement gave rise to the exploration of legal education itself as a site of research, theoretical analysis and strategic engagement. The composition of the judiciary and legal profession at the highest levels in the UK still reflects dominant interests and values, despite recent indicators suggesting greater potential for increased representation.
