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16 J. Prof. Legal Educ. 1 (1998)
Firming up the Framework: Untangling the Web of Confusion over Competency Development in Entry-Level Lawyers

handle is hein.journals/proleged16 and id is 5 raw text is: Journal of Professional Legal Education Vol. 16 No. I FIRMING UP THE FRAMEWORK: UNTANGLING THE WEB OF CONFUSION OVER COMPETENCY DEVELOPMENT IN ENTRY- LEVEL LAWYERS Gay Crebert and Anne Smith' Even the most cursory reading of the literature and professional documentation related to the competency debate suggests that there are numerous ways to conceptualise competencies, skills and attributes. The persuasiveness of the competency debate, both in the broad context and in the context of practical legal education, has been diminished by confusion and imprecision in the use of terminology. Frequently, three very different concepts which are fundamental to the debate over the role of the university in the development of the 'well-rounded' graduate so sought after by today's employers are conflated. These concepts are: 'generic competencies,' 'generic skills' and 'generic attributes.' In an attempt to clarify some of the confusion surrounding these terms, the authors step back from the current state of play in the competency debate in the legal profession, and examine the meanings of the three terms under consideration. Data from interviews conducted with a small group of law graduates on the issue of their own competency development are used to inform their understanding of the terms and how they are implemented in practice. INTRODUCTION National and international surveys conducted by employer groups, professional associations, universities and other educational organisations are generally united in their findings that today's graduates are inadequately prepared for the world of work (Arnold 1985; Smith, Wolstencroft & Southern 1989; Business/Higher Education Round Table (B/HERT) 1991; 1992; 1993; Wickens 1994; The Association of Graduate Recruiters 1995). More often than not, such research suggests that a 'well-rounded' graduate (i.e., a graduate able to demonstrate a range of generic skills) is valued as much as, if not more than a 'technically competent' graduate (i.e., one with an extensive knowledge base and specific work-related skills) at the commencement of employment. Generally speaking, these views are held by employers across the board and are strongly expressed in the literature, of which there is now a considerable body. Much of this literature,

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