HR & Law, Should they be combined?

I have been in HR now for a number of years (15+) and over this time I have noticed the need for HR professionals to be more aware and knowledgable of the legal side of things. Not just the normal basics such as the equality act and working time directives, but more important things like contract law and case law. 

Given this new side to HR I am thinking it might be beneficial rather than just do the normal law updates we attend a few times a year, but also doing a part-time law degree. I feel it will make me a better HR professional and of course more employable in the future. But I would like to know what other peoples experiences and advise would be on this as I know its an extra cost to the layout but feel it's going to be worthwhile in the long run.

Parents
  • Hi Simon

    Maybe look at a postgraduate qualification in employment law specifically?

    AFAIK an LLB will incorporate a lot of legal topics of little or no relevance to HR specifically , even if you pick one that has a bespoke employment law option.

    Such as an LLM in employment law or postgrad cert or diploma won't be likely to cover eg contract or H&S Law, but the principles thereof tend to come out in the wash.

  • Thanks, David, I have already got my MSc in HRM and CIPD level 7 but even then it was not very in-depth on the employment law side. But definitely get your point so I will do more research on the optional modules to see if I can tailor it to cover the contract and H&S elements.
  • I am an employment lawyer. I have known one or two HR people do an employment law qualification through the University of Northumbria I think. I'm a big believer that no knowledge is ever wasted but it is expensive and you could pay to do an awful lot of training for the same cost
    I've got some really good text books that I've just replaced so have last year's versions if you would like them: it would be a good starting point to dip into and get more knowledge that way. My email address is at www.refreshinglawltd.co.uk.
  • Following-up Anna’s post, a few years back I completed Northumbria University LawSchool LLM in applied employment law by distance learning and found it immensely valuable as a complement to CIPD / practical experience and not too expensive. The optional weekend seminars in Newcastle at the Law School were most illuminating; the required dissertation was tough but well worth the effort and I still miss no longer having online access to such as Westlaw and Harvey on Employment Law. All in all, from personal experience, I’d heartily recommend it.
Reply
  • Following-up Anna’s post, a few years back I completed Northumbria University LawSchool LLM in applied employment law by distance learning and found it immensely valuable as a complement to CIPD / practical experience and not too expensive. The optional weekend seminars in Newcastle at the Law School were most illuminating; the required dissertation was tough but well worth the effort and I still miss no longer having online access to such as Westlaw and Harvey on Employment Law. All in all, from personal experience, I’d heartily recommend it.
Children
No Data