Employment and Family Law Relations
MODULE CODE
CREDIT VALUE
Module Aims
Aim 1
To examine the law regulating the employment relationship using statutory provisions, legal judgments, and case law, identify the extent and limitations of the law in its social and economic context. To introduce the law governing family relationships and aspects of the law relating to children in the family; analyse the substantive legal provisions applicable to marriage and cohabitation, parents, and children; and identify deficiencies in existing provisions and evaluate proposals for reform.
Module Content
• The formation of the employment relationship: analysis of the different legal status accorded to employment relationships and the consequences of such classifications
• Contractual rights: implications of rights and obligations arising from the contract of employment
• Contractual claims: consideration of the law of wrongful dismissal
• Statutory employment claims: consideration and application of the law of unfair dismissal
• Changes to workplace employment: application of the impact of economic dismissals, including business reorganisation, redundancy and transfers of undertakings
• Regulation of equality in employment: analysis and evaluation of the definitions of discrimination, the grounds protected, the prohibited acts, the defences and remedies available
• Family Friendly policies: effects of the law governing maternity, paternity, parental leave and other family friendly policies
• The family- definition and legal regulation: the nature and role of the law regarding domestic partnerships; the marriage contract and civil partnerships; the cohabiting couple (heterosexual and same-sex); children (marital and non-marital); general principles of Children Act 1989 (parental responsibility and welfare)
• The family in crisis: children in need: provision of services by local authority; domestic violence: remedies; children at risk: the statutory framework of childcare and protection
• Family breakdown: dissolution of marriage: financial provision and property adjustment for spouses; ancillary applications for children; the rights of cohabitees re finance, property and children on breakdown of relationship
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module, a student will be able to:
Teaching Methods
Campus delivery will be organised around lectures and workshops. Lectures will introduce new legal ideas and concepts and build an outline of the structure of legal rules and principles. Further reading of cases and statutes in secondary and primary legal sources will consolidate and expand the breadth of knowledge and depth of understanding. Small group workshops will allow students to test their level and range of understanding and reflect formatively on areas of strength and weakness. Workshops will also develop and support general legal techniques and skills in support of legal reading, analysis, writing, drafting and note taking, legal problem solving through IRAC type techniques, as well as test formative knowledge and understanding. Summative assessment will focus on the accuracy of synoptic knowledge across the whole
syllabus and evaluate legal problem-solving skills and the ability to create structured legal arguments that draw reasoned conclusions through factual scenarios that raise key legal issues from the syllabus. Module support materials (lecture outlines lecture recordings, Office Mix presentations, Power-points slides, workshop questions, cases, case materials, technique and skills materials, exemplar assessments) will be located on a dedicated module virtual learning environment, which will also be used as the repository for assessment submission, student communication, and e-discussion boards.
Assessment Methods
This module is assessed through two Essays.
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Compulsory
Optional
