Legal Method
MODULE CODE
CREDIT VALUE
Module Aims
Aim 1
The sources of law.
Aim 2
The principles of professional ethics.
Aim 3
The legal system of England and Wales, its constituent institutions and processes, and the broader legaland political context within which they operate.
Aim 4
The skills necessary for the effective study of law
Module Content
The module will introduce students to:
• Finding the law: to include training in use of a range of legal resources and databases; and search
strategies
• Understanding the law: to include consideration of a range of sources of law including statutes and case
law; introduction to legal vocabulary; navigating sources of law; the doctrine of judicial precedent; and
statutory interpretation
• Writing about the law: to include approaches to problem solving and essay writing in the context of
academic law; and the use and citation of legal authority (avoiding plagiarism)
• Applying the law during a moot
• Speaking about the law: to build confidence in speaking; basic presentation skills; preparation of legal
argument; and mooting
• Making law: the institutions and procedures involved
• Professional ethics
• The Legal Profession and Legal Services: structure and regulation of the profession; legal roles within the
profession; and delivery of legal services
• The Judiciary: role and profile; and evaluation of the judiciary
• Criminal Process: the suspect and the police, classification of offences and the criminal court structure;
Trial by Jury; role of the Crown Prosecution Service; and Miscarriages of Justice
• Civil Process: structure of the Courts exercising Civil Jurisdiction; Civil Procedure Rules, including
allocation of cases and case management; impact of reforms on the civil process
• Alternative Dispute Resolution: Introduction to Arbitration, Tribunals, Mediation and other types of ADR
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 one Workbook and one Moot.
View The Other Course’s Modules
Compulsory
Optional
