English Legal System and Method

Course Content:

This module provides the incoming level 5 student with sufficient understanding of the
English legal system (ELS) ? courts, procedure and sources of law ? in order to make
sense of their legal studies. It also provides a toolkit of legal method, meaning skills for
legal research and writing in their other academic legal studies and in legal practice.

Topics covered include:

Autumn Semester:
? Introduction
? Sources of law
? Civil courts
? Criminal courts
? Precedent
? Statutory interpretation
? Civil procedure,
? Criminal procedure 1
? Criminal procedure 2

Spring Semester:
? Alternatives to the civil courts
? Legal profession
? Judges
? Juries
? Magistrates
? Revision/exam technique

Teaching: 1-hour lectures and 2-hour seminars

Assessment:
STUDY OPTION 1:
? 1.5 hour unseen Exam (50%)
? Coursework (50%):
? A slim portfolio evidencing legal and transferable research and writing
skills, such as Westlaw and Lexis certificates, a brief piece of legal
drafting, case and/or statute analysis, and self-marked tests on
precedent and statutory interpretation, citations and using a law library.
STUDY OPTION 2: Alternative Assessment: Coursework assignment (TBC)
STUDY OPTION 3: Alternative Assessment: Coursework assignment (TBC)

Study Option 1 = Whole Year
Study Option 2 = Autumn
Study Option 3 = Spring/summer