LLB Law with International Study / Course details

Year of entry: 2024

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Course unit details:
Law in Practice (Simulated)

Course unit fact file
Unit code	LAWS22040
Credit rating	20
Unit level	Level 2
Teaching period(s)	Full year
Available as a free choice unit?	No

Overview

The course will provide students with an opportunity for critical self-reflection of their participation in pro bono work within the Justice Hub’s activities and will particularly seek to:

1. Enable students to explore and apply legal rules, doctrines and concepts in practice;

2. Expose students to the human, professional and social contexts of law and develop a deeper understanding of the concepts of social responsibility and access to justice;

3. Develop students’ oral and written skills and group work;

4. Develop students’ knowledge of procedural law and developing key practical skills such as drafting and letter writing;

5. Develop reflective practice as an instrument for personal and professional growth and as a means to develop wider understanding.

Aims

The course will provide students with an opportunity for critical self-reflection of their participation in pro bono work within the Justice Hub’s activities and will particularly seek to:

1. Enable students to explore and apply legal rules, doctrines and concepts in practice;

2. Expose students to the human, professional and social contexts of law and develop a deeper understanding of the concepts of social responsibility and access to justice;

3. Develop students’ oral and written skills and group work;

4. Develop students’ knowledge of procedural law and developing key practical skills such as drafting and letter writing;

5. Develop reflective practice as an instrument for personal and professional growth and as a means to develop wider understanding.

Syllabus

This is an optional level 2 course for students in the second year of the LLB programmes.

The unit builds upon the learning in level 1 and in particular, the Introduction to Law and Legal Skills course and provides a foundation for the study in level 3 and in particular, the Law in Practice, Miscarriages of Justice and Advocacy Units. It will be a simulated client module, where students explore the human dimension and social impact of the law. As part of the unit, students will learn to develop their oral and written skills, in order to navigate complex areas of procedural and substantive law and translate complicated legal jargon into understandable language. Teaching on the course will be transactional, where students build a case study and their own simulated case, where ultimately, the students will undertake a mock trial of the case.

As part of the unit, students will also learn about the context in which the law operates and its often inaccessibility to the most vulnerable and disadvantaged members of society. Learning will be reinforced through the concept of reflective practice, particularly for professional development, and the adoption and practice of this pedagogical foundation for learning.

Students will develop presentation and group work skills, which will form part of their final assessment.

Teaching and learning methods

All Level 1 and Level 2 Law course units use a combination of lectures and 2 hour workshops as the scheduled teaching and learning activities.

Lectures will be interactive, with students arranged in their groups (firms) and working on tasks related to their case-study.

Workshops will enable students to participate in a range of activities in small groups and will be led by the workshop leader. These will incorporate simulated client meetings, drafting exercises, presentations and representations to the court. The final workshop will provide the opportunity for students to participate in a mock trial.

Each 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. Students will build a case file of precedents and documents that they will be able to use for assessments.

Knowledge and understanding

1. Demonstrate an understanding and knowledge of procedural and substantive law, in the context of the Civil Procedure Rules’ Small Claims Track, and an ability to apply and analyse the law in a clear and comprehensible way, accounting for emotions and feelings, where appropriate.

2. Recognise and reflect upon the humanistic and social context in which the practice of law operates and exhibit an ability to reflect upon experiences for the purpose of continuing professional development.

Intellectual skills

1. Display an ability to draft appropriate letters/memos/legal documents in a manner appropriate to the designated audience.

2. Construct and deliver an original and innovative group presentation, demonstrating the ability to work together to deliver an effective oral/visual message, as well as answer unprepared questions in a clear, knowledgeable and incisive way.

Assessment methods

Method	Weight
Written exam	70%
Oral assessment/presentation	30%

Feedback methods

Students will receive both individual and cohort feedback

Study hours

Scheduled activity hours
Lectures	20
Practical classes & workshops	12

Independent study hours
Independent study	168

Teaching staff

Staff member	Role
Philip Drake	Unit coordinator

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