LLB Law / Course details

- Provide an introduction to key concepts and principles of commercial law and prepare the students for further study in commercial subjects

- Facilitate an appreciation of essential commercial subjects that represent the core of business and commercial transactions in the real world

- Enable students to understand the broader commercial context upon which complex theoretical legal research and practice are based

- Encourage the development of key transferable skills in legal reasoning and analysis through study of statutes, case law and law reform proposals in the context of Commercial Law

- Sale of goods and consumer

- Corporate law and agency

- Banking

- Intellectual property

- Competition (Mergers & Acquisitions)

This course unit uses the standard approach of a combination of lectures and 2-hour workshops as the scheduled teaching and learning activities.

Lectures will prepare students for assessments (formative and summative) by providing substantive content on the various topics, as well as developing key academic and practical skills necessary to succeed in assessments e.g. critical analysis and organisation/time management. Individual and cohort feedback will be given in assessment as well as in lectures. The practical element of the course will be built on, by inviting guest lectures from the industry, civil society, and other stakeholders to engage with the students and provide them with a view on the practical applications of the knowledge gained in the course.

Workshops will enable students to participate in a range of activities in small groups and will be led by the workshop leader. There will be 6 workshops in total (one on each of the substantive topics: Sales of goods and consumer, corporate law and agency, banking, intellectual property, and competition. Workshops will offer students the opportunity to critically discuss the substantive course material with both the workshop leader, as well as peers. Through this process, students will be able to ensure accurate understanding of the topic and apply this knowledge to academic and practical scenarios.

Workshops will play a vital role in preparing students for the assessments by enabling them to ensure a good understanding of all aspects of the topics, and by providing an opportunity for feedback (from the workshop leader) but also through important discussions with peers. During the workshops, students will be presenting their work to peers and will be getting immediate feedback on their work and how to improve it. This will be supervised by the workshop leader, who will also give oral feedback during the workshop. The workshop will encourage peer-to-peer engagement and knowledge sharing. Students will present their work in the workshops in small groups to encourage student participation and develop transferable skills as team members and leaders.

In preparation for the workshops, students will be provided with guided reading and will be given the expected learning outcomes in relation to the subject matter of the workshop in order to self-assess their preparation which will be discussed in the workshop itself.

This course unit has a Blackboard page which will be used to deliver the range of course materials and information about teaching, learning and assessment for that course unit. The teaching of this course will be aided with innovative complementary online provisions and interactions with the students and lecturers e.g. padlet, recorded video materials (introduction and revision sessions) and digitised book chapters for ease of accessing reading. Additionally, the blackboard page will provide a platform for students to communicate with the course leader/teaching staff as well as peers. This will facilitate and support students’ independent study and learning, and provide an opportunity to receive individual and cohort feedback, which will in turn help students to prepare for the assessments.

- Have a critical understanding of the foundational principles of commercial law, its essential categories and the policy considerations which shapes the law

- Obtain a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the source, scope and content of commercial law

- Identify and evaluate the overlaps, differences and connections between the essential areas of commercial law

- Present reasoned arguments supported by appropriate evidence to critically analyse commercial law in its broader context

- Explain the role and objectives of commercial law in theory and in practice

- Apply commercial law principles to real life problems and analyse the social impact of commercial law and policy

- Gain a detailed knowledge and understanding of the practical skills needed to work in a commercial-orientated law environment

- Analyse ethical and professional issues which arise in the commercial law context

- Act with substantive authority, creativity, autonomy, independence and professional integrity in a sustained commitment to the development of new ideas or processes in the field of commercial law

- Create and manage complex scholarly and professional processes in the field of commercial law

- Self-evaluate and lead contributions to academic knowledge, ethics and practice in the field of commercial law

Students will receive individual and cohort feedback

Pettet, Company Law and Corporate Finance (5th edition, Pearson, 2018)

Bently & Sherman, Intellectual Property (5th edition, OUP, 2018)

Whish & Bailey, Competition Law (10th edition, OUP, 2021)

Chiu & Wilson, Banking Law and Regulation (OUP, 2019)

Canavan and Twigg-Flesner, Atiyah & Adams’ Sale of Goods (14th edition, Pearson, 2020