The complicated legal system, frequent changes in legislation, and different interpretations of regulations require that lawyers demonstrated extensive knowledge, flexible thinking, and effective use of professional tools. Wolters Kluwer Polska, a publishing company specializing in legal publications, has collaborated with the biggest law firms in Poland to developed a training program that teaches young lawyers advanced skills in using the LEX, the Polish System of Legal Information. The acquired skills help young adepts of the legal profession to increase work effectiveness and are appreciated by employers.
Recognizing the importance of the latest professional tools needed by young professionals in their future careers, SWPS University has joined the LEX Certification Program. Thanks to this initiative students of law may participate in the LEX training program, free of charge, and gain professional certificates, if they successful pass appropriate exams. In April 2020, close to 40 students of law from SWPS University in Warsaw, Wrocław, and Poznań took the final Lex Silver Plus Certification exam.
We talked about the LEX Certification Program with Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Law in Warsaw, Professor Sławomir Kursa, and Director of the Training Department at Kluwer Polska, Michał Ponikowski.
What is the LEX Certification Program?
Professor Sławomir Kursa, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Law: The program teaches students how to use LEX, a professional database of legal regulations and documents. This competence is highly valued by lawyers working in law firms, public administration, and business, because it shortens the time needed to search for the appropriate regulations or interpretations, in the form of judicial decisions or legal literature, and it minimizes the risk of making mistakes in daily work involving regulations and legal documents.
Why has SWPS University joined the LEX Certification Program?
Prof. Sławomir Kursa: Teaching practical law requires passing on skills of efficient legal database search and the ability to appropriately apply regulations in practice. The practical program offered by our School of Law is focused on acquiring practical skills and practicing them during workshops. Hence, the course on using the LEX professional database of legal regulations and documents.
How useful is the LEX Silver Plus certificate for young lawyers?
Prof. Sławomir Kursa: To get the Certificate, students must demonstrate skills that can be applied on the job market immediately. Students who successfully complete the certification have a market advantage, confirming their excellent knowledge of this extremely important for the legal profession program. Certainly, the Certificate will also help them find better employment, when they are still university students.
In the era of technological revolution and constant legislative changes, continual professional education is a recipe for success. Therefore, I am very happy that SWPS University is open to changes and that it ensures high quality of education for lawyers. The more so, that the “analogue” education model unfortunately still prevails in some universities.
Michał Ponikowski, Director of the Training Department at Kluwer Polska
Can you tell us about your experience of working with our students?
Michał Ponikowski, Director of the Training Department at Kluwer Polska: I have been working with SWPS University for the past three years, teaching students how to use the Lex system. I am very optimistic about the new generation of lawyers. They are not afraid of new technologies and they gladly use them in their daily learning or working. For them, the LegalTech solutions are natural and useful tools. It is very satisfying to know that they like our new search engine LEX Search. These students are also open to new professional challenges, because the legal profession has been undergoing significant changes. A number of reports published recently confirms this trend.
What benefits does the LEX Certificate offer?
Michał Ponikowski: Every time I remind students that classes are not for me, but for them and that they should get as much out the lessons as possible. And they are aware that the ability to use professional legal tools and an official confirmation of their skills may make their learning and working much faster and it helps to eliminate potential errors. In the future, a holder of a LEX Certificate will stand out from the competition, which may result in getting a job in a renowned law firm and a great career development.
Thank you for telling us about the LEX Silver Plus Certification Program.