Module Overview
This module aims to introduce students to the general principles of English criminal law, with particular emphasis on the essential elements of a crime, namely 'actus reus' and 'mens rea', strict, vicarious, and corporate liability and the defences. The module also explores the nature of liability in relation to offences against the person, for example, murder, manslaughter, assault and battery, sexual offences, and offences in relation to property, for example, theft, fraud, and criminal damage. This module is designed to provide students with the opportunity to develop an understanding of the relationship between criminal and civil law and introduce them to the criminal justice system. Students will also develop their legal skills further, including by participating in a criminal law moot.
Module Overview
The aim of this module is to provide students with an opportunity to build on skills they are expected to have developed in the previous two years through other subjects such as legal reasoning and problem solving. Initially, students can be introduced to the doctrine, maxims and remedies of Equity but the main emphasis will be upon the nature of a trust which has always been the principal concern of Equity.
The classification, nature and creation of various types of express and implied trusts can be considered together with the appointment, powers and duties of trustees. The law relating to charitable trusts may also be examined and the module aims to conclude with an investigation of the implications of a breach of trust.
Module Overview
This module aims to introduce students to the general principles of civil liability for tortious wrongs and complements the Contract Law module. The module aims to examine the different forms of liability attaching to the main torts and the principles upon which liability is based in such areas as negligence, nuisance, liability for escapes, trespass and defamation by adopting a contemporary approach to the study of this subject.
The relationship between common law, legislation and judicial policy will be highlighted during examination of this subject. This module aims to contribute to the development of the student’s skills in legal analysis and problem solving as well as their research and reasoning skills. Students will have the opportunity to be introduced to the ‘compensation culture’ and how compensation claims are dealt with; CFAs and problems associated with bringing personal injury claims.
Module Overview
The aim of the European Union Law module is to develop students' understanding of the Constitution and Institutions of the European Union and, in particular, the constitutional principles, the administrative and procedural law, and substantive policies of the European Union.
Students will be given the opportunity to develop an understanding of the relationship between European Union law and national law; and to appraise the principles of supremacy and direct effect, and the principles of interpretation and Member State liability. The role and jurisdiction of the Court of Justice of the European Union can be examined concerning enforcement, preliminary rulings and judicial review.
Students will have the opportunity to develop an understanding of substantive European Union law through the study of the free movement of goods and workers; the freedom to move and reside of citizens of the Union; social policy and equality of treatment and pay in employment; and, in an area of freedom, justice and security, the European arrest warrant and migration and asylum issues.
Module Overview
This module aims to introduce students to alternative dispute resolution and mediation specifically. Students can learn the advantages of alternative dispute resolution over litigation and the principles of mediation. Students are able to explore theories of conflict and conflict resolution as well as use practical role plays to demonstrate the effectiveness of mediation. Students can gain not only theoretical knowledge, but practical application of mediation techniques to resolve disputes. The module will examine the legal framework for alternative dispute resolution as well as recent developments such as government proposals to make alternative dispute resolution compulsory for claims up to £10,000 by the end of 2024.
Module Overview
This module will look at the practical application of company law principles. The module will be taught by means of a practical guided simulation, spanning the lifetime of a business. It will address different business structures and enable students to both identify differences and choose the media most applicable to their client’s requirements.
The module will also encompass key business transactions and the reporting and filing requirements. Taxation and accounts relevant to the different business media will also be covered.
The importance of business planning and marketing strategies will be addressed, with a view to enabling students to appreciate the issues faced by businesses in the ‘real world’.
Finally, students will be presented with problem-based scenarios in relation to an insolvent business and will be required to consider the various options and liabilities.
Module Overview
This module is designed to look at the practical application of the law in respect of civil litigation. Building on their knowledge of contract and torts, students will look at the professional responsibilities of solicitors to their clients and to their regulator. Students have the opportunity to consider what information is needed to progress a case through the Court, considering witness evidence, formal drafting requirements and key elements of Courtroom etiquette.
Module Overview
This module is designed to introduce students to the core principles of commercial law and commercial sales, offering consideration of the practical application of the law and also considering potential areas of uncertainty, or where the law might benefit from reform. The module allows students to explore the basic principles of private property law, the obligations on those who take possession of property on behalf of others, the manner in which borrowers can offer security to lenders, either by possessory or non-possessory means, and the key principles in relation to the sale of goods. Throughout the module, there will be consideration of the nature of the obligations that the parties to commercial relationships may owe to one another and the potential remedies for breach of those obligations.
Module Overview
This module is designed to give students an introductory insight into the structure and management of companies and the financial aspects of company management. An aim of the module is to examine the theoretical and practical basis of company regulation within the perspective of ownership and control of companies and students have the opportunity to be introduced to the legal relationship between directors, shareholders, creditors and employees. Some financial aspects of company law.
Module Overview
The aim of this module is to give students the opportunity to explore what has been described as a dynamic area of law. The module seeks to examine specific areas of consumer law, much of which has been influenced by the rapid expansion of consumer law legislation emanating from the European Union. The module gives students the opportunity to explore the intricacies, any inconsistencies, and issues of policy involved in particular areas of consumer protection law.
Module Overview
Contemporary Media Law focuses on the intersectionality of law within a particular sector of modern society. The module aims to introduce students to a range of specific areas of substantive law applying to media businesses across different mediums. Students can examine areas including, freedom of expression, duties of care, privacy law, intellectual property, consumer law, and competition law, together with an overriding theme of regulation and regulatory enforcement, with these areas of law being discussed in the context of topical, controversial, or developing areas of modern media practice.
Module Overview
Employment law is a complicated yet dynamic area of study subject to rapid and constant change. The aim of this module is to examine critically the sources and institutions of employment law which attempt to regulate and support relations between employers and employees.
The study of this module will also give the students an opportunity to appreciate the impact of European Law and Human Rights Law on UK national law in this area. The module seeks to concentrate on the employment relationship, issues of discrimination in the workplace, equal pay, equality in the workplace and termination of employment. Further, this module provides students with an opportunity to develop not only knowledge and understanding of the technical law relating to aspects of employment but also the opportunity to examine ethical, contemporary and perhaps controversial issues in this field.
Module Overview
The Environmental Law module aims to introduce students to the concepts, principles and sources of environmental law. It aims to address the questions of what constitutes the environment, what are environmental problems and what is environmental law.
Students have the opportunity to develop an understanding of substantive environmental law, through the study of the law regulating: the protection of air against pollution and climate change; water pollution and quality; waste management; environmental permitting; contaminated land; and nature conservation.
Module Overview
The Equality Law module is structured around the Equality Act 2010 and covers the law and academic literature on the nine protected characteristics. The module will cover each protected characteristic in turn, together with a consideration of various arguments for reform. Despite the adherence to the statute, this is a socio-legal module that will suit students who have an interest in social justice and are comfortable engaging with feminist, queer, and critical race theory.
Module Overview
This module enables students to explore contemporary global issues in a creative way within the context of international law principles and, where relevant, of domestic law. The module aims to foster a sense of inquiry and curiosity, greater global awareness, and the ability to apply the law in a practical way. It provides a grounding in key international law rules and an introduction to international organisations, and showcases a range of current issues. Delivery focuses on pre-selected topics from which students will choose a specific legal issue to research. Through guided research, independent study and tutor supervision during the course of the module, students create and present a theoretical campaigning argument on their chosen issue.
Module Overview
This module is designed to introduce students to a fast-growing and controversial subject through a detailed and comparative account of the nature and development of the protection of human rights at an international and national level. An overarching theme is to place the emergence, location and meaning of human rights in its global context. It aims to engage in a critical analysis of human rights philosophical and historical foundations, seeks to look at the post-1945 development of international and regional systems for protection of human rights and aims to examine how the European Convention on Human Rights has been incorporated into English law.
Module Overview
This module aims to explore a fast-growing and controversial subject through a detailed examination of the nature and development of human rights as a concept, and their protection at the national level. It starts by providing students with the opportunity to consider the concept of “rights”, and human rights in particular, drawing on political and philosophical analyses. The module aims to look at the protection of human rights in the UK via the Human Rights Act 1998. The module is devoted to a critical analysis of a range of rights and the extent to which they are recognised and protected within the United Kingdom.
Module Overview
Intellectual Property law protects various forms of human creation or inventions of the mind. This module will look at the principal areas of intellectual property law, namely patents, designs, trademarks and copyright law. Each area has its own discrete set of legal rules for the creation, ownership and infringement of the rights in question.
The module will look at the requirements for obtaining protection, the scope of that protection and the limits to that protection. Intellectual Property rights are often the most valuable assets owned by a business. Businesses are extremely concerned about protecting these assets both nationally and internationally. Students are expected to develop an understanding of the relevant statutes and case law surrounding the protection of these inventive and original works.
Module Overview
The aim of this module is to introduce students to the dynamic, constantly evolving area of international law. Students will have the opportunity to study legal rules which operate in a much broader theatre than national law, with the aim of helping them develop a greater understanding of a changing world order. The module seeks to examine both theoretical and practical applications of International Law and aims to provide students with ample scope for research and independent study.
Module Overview
This module is designed to introduce students to the historical origins of English law. Students will have the opportunity to critically analyse the historical development of key legal institutions and principles, critiquing the rationale for why the law developed as it did, and reassessing the impact of the law on those who did not write it, including women, minority groups, and religious communities.
The module will be taught through a series of case studies, allowing students to explore the key event, the legal principles that are relevant to the event, and how the law developed as a result. Wherever possible, the students will be introduced to primary historical sources, allowing them to engage in source criticism and understanding biases both in contemporary sources and in later evaluations of those sources.
Module Overview
The module enables students to experience law in practice, applying their legal knowledge and research skills to factual legal problems in a clinical setting.
Students will interview real clients, research both legal and practical solutions to the issues identified in order to achieve the clients’ goals and will advise accordingly, in writing, on the options available.
The module is designed to provide students with an opportunity to take their legal knowledge out of the classroom and to give them an insight into how their theoretical studies relate to the practical application of law. The module aims to develop practical lawyerly skills (interviewing, writing and presentation skills).
Selection for the module will be based predominately on level 2 grades and attendance. Depending upon demand, written submissions and/or interviews may be considered.
Module Overview
The Law Dissertation module aims to provide the student with an opportunity to undertake a substantial piece of investigative academic work on a chosen area of law or a law-related topic. The dissertation may develop ideas encountered in other modules or it may be concerned with matters outside such modules. The end product, a piece of written work approximately 12,500 words in length, should demonstrate, in the context of existing knowledge, understanding, critical analysis and original thinking as well as general academic and communication skills.
In addition to providing academic opportunities, the dissertation is also designed to provide the student with the opportunity to develop practical skills such as (depending on the topic and methodology adopted) interviewing technique, questionnaire design and information retrieval. The language of submission of the dissertation will be English language for all students.
Module Overview
This module is designed to provide students with an opportunity to evaluate the political and sociological issues affecting the practice of law and how law can operate as a business.
In recent years, law firms have faced many challenges, for instance:
- Firms have been subjected to increasing regulation in the form of money laundering requirements, and outcome based regulation, whilst others have seen the latter as a relaxation of standards.
- Newcomers to the legal marketplace, with the advent of ‘Alternative Business Structures’ have challenged the traditional delivery of legal services.
- The drastic reduction of public funding for cases (legal aid) has stifled the cash flow of many high street practices and medium size practices which had based its business model on that particular income stream.
- Leading firms have faced insolvency, a situation almost unheard of before the current decade.
- Increasing fees in Courts and Employment Tribunals have reduced the availability of claimant work.
- Direct public access to Counsel challenges the traditional solicitor/barrister partnership model. Students will be encouraged to view legal practice in a business and regulatory context and develop commercial awareness around the practical pressures and difficulties faced by firms operating in the current legal market place.
Module Overview
This module aims to complement the substantive modules of the law degree course, and the litigation processes covered in the common law subjects. Although in the main it aims to concentrate on criminal evidence, the rules relating to civil evidence may be examined where appropriate. The rules on admissibility of evidence and judicial discretion aim to supplement the Criminal Law module students will have the opportunity to make a contrast between exclusionary rules in criminal and civil law.
Module Overview
This module is designed to introduce students to the law in England and Wales relating to wills, intestacies, the administration of estates and tax planning. The module aims to place a strong emphasis on the practical application of relevant law to factual situations and on the effect of such application upon the interests of the parties involved.
Module Overview
This module enables students to experience law in a workplace setting. Students can either arrange their own suitable work experience (one half day per week or equivalent, as agreed in advance with module co-ordinators) or will be allocated a placement by the module coordinator.
Students will be expected to evaluate the workplace structure and the key roles within it. Students will have the opportunity to consider any regulatory impacts on the organisation (including the roles of the Compliance Officers for Legal Practice (COLPs) and for Finance and Administration (COFAs), where relevant), the recruitment and marketing policies, as well as exploring the application of theoretical legal knowledge to on-going legal problems.
Module Overview
Society is increasingly digital and reliant upon technology. We all use the internet and technology for a variety of functions including watching videos, catching up with friends and family, gaming, planning trips, shopping, and much more. Increasing uses and abuses of technology have raised important questions about its role, its regulation, and how law can (or should) seek to impose itself.
This module explores the legal and societal challenges that the internet and other technologies pose in the UK, the EU, and the Americas. You will explore how these innovations interact with law and policy concerning our online and digitally connected world.
Module Overview
Penology is the study of the penal system. While some diversionary sentences can be given at the police station, the majority of this module will consider sentencing in the context of the Magistrates’ and Crown Court in England and Wales. The lectures will start by looking at penal theory, discussing why we sentence people who commit crime and considering what we are trying to achieve before looking at the sentencing rules and practices in the criminal courts. The module will then go on to consider the sentences delivered by the court, including nominal and financial penalties, the community order, and a custodial sentence. How a person experiences prison will be considered in addition to how this impacts on children and families. Finally, students can consider a range of offender groups including children, women, and dangerous offenders.
Module Overview
This module aims to explore the powers of the police in England and Wales. It seeks to look at the ways in which the police forces are organised and the different national agencies that operate in the area (such as the Serious Fraud Office, and the Serious Organised Crime Agency). The human rights context can also be examined. Students have the opportunity to be taken through the various stages of policing from stop and search to charge. The module concludes by providing students with the opportunity to consider the ways in which police powers can be challenged.