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Applied Legal Studies 630 Topics in Professional Practice
Todd McKendrick
Todd McKendrick has been working with and educating BC Notaries Public for 20 years. He has taught in the MA-ALS Program from the beginning. Now a nonpractising lawyer, Todd keeps busy with a variety of part-time commitments. His education has been similarly varied: BA in History and Philosophy, JD, MBA, and M Ed. Todd also has a diploma in teaching English to speakers of other languages.
ALS 630 Topics in Professional Practice
This is the final course of the MA-ALS Program. It serves as a bridge of sorts between the academic courses in the Program and the practice-oriented training Notaries receive from The Society of Notaries Public after graduation.
A wide range of topics is covered in ALS 630. Students begin by considering what it means to be a professional and to practise professionally. a flexible approach to continued learning and innovation.
The course itself is delivered with a combination of lectures, projects, and self-assessments. Students read texts, articles, and cases and discuss issues arising from the readings. A significant team project must be completed that focuses the team’s attention on learning and explaining in detail one aspect of the overall subject matter.
The intention behind the way the course is delivered is to introduce some students and reinforce others to the skills needed to function as a professional. Students work collaboratively in various group situations, manage their time and projects, and apply their learning to real world situations, all while continuously critically assessing their own and others’ work. For many students the course is an opportunity to get to know other members of their cohort on a deeper level and to begin building a network that will support them in the future.
The course is a lot of work. At the end of the course, the hope is that students will continue an awareness of the tasks that lie ahead and how to begin planning for a successful and helpful career and life as a BC Notary Public. s
In all areas of the course, maintaining a responsible and ethical standard is in the forefront. The course continues with an introduction to understanding business concepts that will be necessary in creating and/ or maintaining a client-focused sustainable practice such as • how to determine a value proposition; • how to approach marketing, staffing, technology, risk management; and • how all those elements must be accounted for in strategically planning and keeping current a professional practice.
Attention is also paid to the role of the Notary in society and in the professional organizations that regulate the practice. As the nature of professional practice, law, and business continue to evolve (consider the changes in technology and its effect on practice in the last 20 or even 10 years), students in particular are encouraged to adopt
