Exploring the need for numeracy skills in legal practice

Abstract

Legal practices are perceived as an epitome of the battle between good and evil. However, a different battle over the preparedness of the next-generation lawyers is now trending amongst law practitioners. Analytical ability, attention to detail and logical reasoning were perceived as sufficient skillsets for legal practitioners. However, are these skillsets adequate when conducting a substantive legal analysis that might require some form of numeracy? To answer this question, two focus-group discussions were held with various legal practitioners, in order to explore the need for numeracy skills in legal practice. The findings revealed that numeracy skills are deemed highly important, since the majority of legal practices require numeracy at some or other stage. In view of the findings, it is recommended that curriculum practitioners start with the review process of these qualifications, in order to prepare industry-ready graduates that are equipped to deal with numeracy in a confident and knowledgeable manner.