Training
The BIALL scheme is a member-to-member mentoring scheme. It is an opportunity for more experienced members of the profession (the mentor) to support less experienced members (the mentee) who wish to achieve a desired outcome.
The Professional Development Committee organises courses and social events for the benefit of BIALL members. The Committee tries to plan events that will be of interest to as many BIALL members as possible, and is always keen to receive suggestions for topics of interest to members. Please contact the Committee Chair if there are any topics you would like to be considered for future courses.
Our two regular courses are the Legal Foundations Course and the Legal Reference Materials Course. Other courses held include Moys Classification, International and Foreign Law, Pepper v Hart, and EU law.
BIALL Mentoring Scheme
This new BIALL scheme is a member-to-member mentoring scheme. It is an opportunity for more experienced members of the profession (the mentor) to support less experienced members (the mentee) who wish to achieve a desired outcome. See our dedicate Scheme pages for more details.
Legal Foundations Course
The Legal Foundations Course is run by BIALL’s Professional Development Committee in conjunction with the University of Westminster Department of Professional Legal Studies.
This is an online course which will be of particular interest to new entrants to the legal information profession. The course provides a grounding in legal concepts for librarians, knowledge managers and information workers. It is not a course on how to conduct legal research, but rather a way of getting to grips with the concepts and terminology used in the legal profession, providing you with a better understanding of the law in England and Wales and how it has been applied in various subject areas.
Find out more about the Legal Foundations Course
Legal Reference Materials Course
The aim of the course is to introduce the structure of the legal system in the UK and use of key legal information sources. The course runs as an all-day in-person event, or online over two mornings or afternoons – it is our intention to alternate. It covers the theory of the English legal system, legislation, case law and practical legal research experience.
The focus is on the law of England and Wales, but some consideration is given to the devolved nations. (BIALL offers separate courses on European Union Law and Foreign and International Law).
This course is intended for recent entrants to law librarianship, and for those working in more general libraries which have legal materials. It is suitable for both librarians and library assistants.
Next in-person date: Summer 2025
Next online date: Winter 2025-26
Course outline
In-person timetable
| 09:30 | Registration |
| 10:00 | Introduction to the Legal System |
| 10:30 | Legislation |
| 11:30 | Break |
| 12:00 | Legislation exercises |
| 13:00 | Lunch |
| 14:00 | Case Law |
| 15.30 | Break |
| 15:45 | Case Law Exercises |
| 17.00 | Finish |
Online timetable
Day 1
| 12:50 | Registration |
| 13:00 | Welcome |
| 13:10 | English Legal System presentation |
| 13:30 | Legislation presentation |
| 14:45 | Break |
| 15:00 | Legislation questions |
| 15:45 | Legislation answers |
| 16.30 | Finish |
Day 2
| 12:55 | Registration |
| 13:00 | Case law presentation (part 1) |
| 13:45 | Break |
| 14:00 | Case law presentation (part 2) |
| 14:30 | Case law questions |
| 15:15 | Break |
| 15:30 | Case law answers |
| 16:30 | Finish |
BIALL-IALS International and Foreign Law Course
A one-day course that introduces the legal systems of, and sources that can be used to find, public international law and the law of other non-UK jurisdictions including the United States and European and African countries.
Pepper v Hart Research Course
This one-day course which provides theory and practice in finding parliamentary debates on legislation.
Moys Classification Course
A half-day course explaining how the Moys Classification System functions. Includes practical exercises.
EU Law course
A half-day course which covers the foundations of EU law, including the workings of the main EU institutions, the intricacies of the legislative process and the EU court system.
Recorded training content
There are short training videos in the members area of the BIALL website. Topics include: Business law, Scots Law, Troubleshooting, AI, and Project Management. A brief video is available on how to access the content.
I found the course very useful and informative; particularly with regards to understanding the difference between different kinds of Government publications and the difference between a law report and a copy of the judgment, so being explained the fundamentals helped to slot these aspects into place within the context of my own work – Legal Reference Materials
How do I find out about these courses?
Forthcoming courses are advertised on our Events page, on this page, and on the Professional Development Committee page. We also use the member only BIALL mailtalk email list to notify members about forthcoming courses.
Forthcoming Courses
Our next course will be the Legal Foundations Course in October 2024.
REMEMBER
BIALL offers bursaries to members to attend training events and conferences – see the Bursaries page for more details.
Terms & Conditions
The following terms and conditions apply when booking BIALL Professional Development Committee training courses and events
Booking Form
We reserve the right to refuse bookings from individuals or organisations if payment for previous courses or events is overdue.
Booking Fees
Member Discounts
Payments
Payment for social events will be in the manner prescribed by the notice advertising the event. Methods of payment not specified in the notice will not be accepted for social events. You are advised to keep a record of any bookings or payments made online.
Cancellations
- If you cancel your booking more than 5 working days before a course we will provide a full refund;
- If you cancel your booking within 5 working days of a course, we will charge 50% of the course fees to cover our costs.
In the unlikely event that we have to cancel an event, we will provide a full refund of course fees, but we will not reimburse associated travel and hotel costs. We will also offer you priority booking if the cancelled event is rescheduled in the future.
Substitutions
If you are unable to attend an event, we are happy to accept substitutions, providing that you advise us of the change at least 1 working day before the event.