Law and Practice LLB(Hons)

This module explores all the foundational and fundamental aspects of the creation of a legal agreement that is, contract. It explores how a contract comes to light, how it can evolve based on the inclusion of certain terms and how the courts keep upholding underlying principles which underpin contract while balancing ideas of justice and public interest and policy. You will learn some of the key doctrines in Contract law, key debates and discussions on the underlying idea of contract law, the evolution of its principles and doctrines, the role of contract and the limits to what it can achieve.

This module will enable you to acquire a thorough understanding of the principles of criminal liability, and how these principles are applied to specific offences. A range of offences will be considered, including homicide, offences against the person (such as assault and battery) and property offences (theft, burglary, robbery and fraud). You'll also acquire knowledge of the basis of a defendant’s liability and the skills to apply your knowledge in problem situations.

The English legal system is complex, rooted in history and constantly evolving. This module introduces you to the key elements of the English legal system and also looks at the procedure to enact legislation, an analysis of the anatomy of an Act of Parliament, delegated and secondary legislation and principles of statutory interpretation. A brief history of the evolution of common law is also considered, together with an analysis of the current English court system and the continuing importance of the doctrine of precedent. In this module you'll also learn the methods and techniques necessary for using legal resources, such as cases and legislation to construct legal arguments.

This module explores the original theories of law, as well as legal theories which disprove the myth of law as inherently neutral. By exploring areas such critical race theory, feminism and/or postmodernism, this module is inspired by Woodie Guthrie: this module kills fascists. The module explores depictions of law and legal injustices in popular culture and looks at the nature of human rights, the Human Rights Act 1998, and the place of the individual in society.

Are the powers of the government unlimited? Can the UK Parliament really ban smoking on the streets of Paris? Is the rule of law a fiction? This module provides you with an introduction to key concepts, theories and research of the legal rules which govern how the state works. Emphasis is placed on the law relating to the United Kingdom constitution, the legal framework in which the Government and Parliament operate, and the relationship of Her Majesty’s subjects to Governmental and regulatory actions and decisions. As there is no single document which you can look up and read which says ‘The UK Constitution’ on the front, this module asks you to consider the question of whether the UK has a legal or political constitution and what that means for society.

In this module you'll learn about equity and trusts and consider the creation and constitution of a variety of trusts, and how legal certainty and flexibility can be negotiated in the application of trust law to modern life. You'll have the opportunity to learn about the life of the trust: how it operates, by whom, and what happens when it goes wrong and how to gather evidence, assess the strength of the client’s case and deciding whether to seek equitable remedies such as specific performance or consider alternative dispute resolutions will also be examined.

This module provides you with knowledge of the structure of land law as it relates to England and Wales. It explores the different types of estates in land, the interests that can arise over land owned by another, the formalities for the creation and protection of estates and interests, rules relating to the transfer of land and the rights and liabilities of owners of the estates and interests.

You'll learn about the common law of England and Wales concerning liability in tort. Particular emphasis is placed on the theoretical justifications of a duty of care, the coherence of breach of duty, as well as causation and defences. You'll also learn through an in-depth analysis, of specific torts as black letter law.

In this module, you'll have the opportunity to gain an understanding of the specialist legal principles of commercial law, within relevant aspects of their social, institutional and cultural contexts. A wide range of commercial transactions are regularly conducted by businesses who use agents and this practice has given rise to disputes about the rights and obligations of the businesses, agents and customers. You'll also learn about the body of legal principles that has emerged to provide solutions to these types of disputes and the growing reliance on alternative methods such as mediation, arbitration and the use of the Financial Ombudsman Service.

In this module you'll explore the legal framework necessary for a limited company in the UK (England and Wales), including an understanding of the importance of limited liability and separate legal personality to facilitating business enterprise. You'll also have the opportunity to examine the internal workings of companies, i.e. the rights of the shareholders, the rights and obligations of the company's directors and the regulation of the company's capital and the challenges of addressing different interests within companies and the conflicting interests of shareholders and other stakeholders within and outside the company.

Employment law regulates the legal relationship between employer and employee, as well as the various other forms of work. In this module you'll have the opportunity to examine the formation of contracts of employment, its implied terms, and termination of the relationship between employer and worker at common law and under statute. Issues of anti-discrimination law in the field of employment will also be discussed.

In this module you'll explore how law deals with inequalities, not only the legal framework of non-discrimination both nationally and internationally, including its strengths and weaknesses but also how gender, race, disability interact with law. You'll do this by drawing on critical theories such as intersectionality, identity politics, discrimination as stigma and/or post-colonial theories to critically analyse legal responses to inequalities. This is an importance subject in the era of #metoo, the Black Lives Matter movements and other contemporary debates. This module will also explore the impact of globalisation on inequalities, considering the relationship between law and various systems of oppression such as gender, race and disability.

In this module you'll explore the relationships between members of a family and how the law is applicable to the breakdown of marriage/civil partnership or the relationship of a cohabitating couple. You'll evaluate the legal provisions relating to divorce and dissolution proceedings in respect of married couples and the legal principles that apply when dividing financial assets. The terms relating to married couples and their finance will be contrasted against the lack of formality surrounding cohabiting couples and their finances on relationship breakdown. The module also consider remedies available to couples in respect of domestic abuse.

The current use of easily accessible copyright-protected works is putting pressure on a law that effectively originates from a 19th Century construction of law with a 20th Century application in a society for whom accessing the internet was inconceivable. In this module you'll explore the nature of how copyright works, together with related rights including those assigned to databases and computer programs. This module will also provide a link between legal study and application of the law in a real-world 21st Century context, focusing on memes to explore the interrelationship between copyright and other forms of law beyond Intellectual Property (IP) rights.

This module will give you an understanding of the principles and practice of taxation law, specifically concerning the capital and income taxation of individuals, partnerships and limited companies. There is a particular emphasis upon income tax as it affects the employed and self-employed respectively, and the importance of distinguishing income receipts from capital receipts. VAT and inheritance tax are also covered. You will learn how to apply the law to realistic situations, including carrying out basic computations and learn the key role of HMRC in enforcing tax law, as well as the tax appeals system.

In this module you'll explore the legal challenges and opportunities presented to those who set up, run and invest in businesses. You'll adopt the role of an adviser and learn about the legal rules that apply to businesses, both large and small, the legal rules on how to start a new business, how to run it, raise finance, how to buy or sell an existing business, and the risks and consequences of insolvency, giving you the opportunity to develop your ability to give practical, ethical, timely and cost-effective advice.

This module has a highly practical focus and would be of interest to you if you are considering careers connected with the criminal litigation system (e.g. magistrates’ court clerks, police officers and other police staff, prosecutors and prosecution caseworkers, probation officers and police station advisers in addition to those who are seeking a career as a solicitor or barrister). You'll consider and examine criminal litigation practice and procedure from a suspect’s arrival at the police station to the commencement of proceedings, the progress of a case through the court system by way of pre-trial steps, applications and evidential issues to trial in the magistrates’ court or Crown Court and ultimately to sentencing.

In this module you'll learn about the practice and procedure of dispute resolution in a range of civil legal problems including analysing the meris of a claim and its defence. You'll learn how to understand the differences between settling a dispute, the use of mediation and arbitration as well as the steps for commencing, responding to or progressing a claim and preparation of a case for trial, the trial itself and any post-trial steps.

This module is designed to provide you with a working knowledge of the importance of acting with integrity and honesty when practising as a lawyer as required by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). A solicitor’s day to day professional conduct is set by a complex combination of bespoke conduct rules as well as general legislation which protects the data and finances of the public. You will learn about the importance of applying ethics and responsibility to inform your professional practice in law, and that breach of the SRA rules can result in serious professional and personal sanction for any practising lawyer.

This module is designed to provide you with practical insight into English residential property transactions (the process of conveyancing). The process of legally conveying a residential property from one party to another is complex. In this module, conveyancing will be considered in all its contexts: freehold and leasehold, registered and unregistered, new builds and existing. The emphasis will be on developing your awareness of the core transactional steps through practical application.