LAW6033 - Family Law

Objectives:

Assessment tasks are designed to enable students to demonstrate the Learning and Employability outcomes for the relevant level of study. Level Learning Outcomes are embedded in the assessment task(s) at that level. This enables a more integrated view of overall student performance at each level.

Content:

- Analysis of the definition and historical context of marriage and civil partnership. - Consideration of the requisite formalities of marriage and civil partnership and the consequences of failure to comply. - Focus of the ending of a formal relationship Divorce, Judicial Separation, Dissolution and the Divorce Dissolution and Separation Act 2020. - Domestic Abuse and the Domestic Abuse Act 2021. - Financial Considerations on relationship breakdown, maintenance, division of assets. - Cohabitees - Death of a Family Member - Children Act 1989 and the Welfare Principle - Parentage, Surrogacy, Parental Responsibility - Private Law - International Child Abduction - Local Authority Intervention and ‘looked after children.’ - Adoption

Learning and Teaching Information:

Students will be encouraged to engage in directed independent learning prior to and following the classroom session. Completion of the independent learning will be paramount to successfully completing the module given the complexities of the subject. The classroom sessions will not take a traditional lecture/seminar approach but will put the academic principles of family law into practice. During the classroom sessions the academic principles that have been taught will then be put in a practical context reflecting everyday lawyer/client interactions which will ensure familiarity with practice protocol and introduce issues such as client care and ethics.

Workshops will serve multiple purposes. They introduce students to new legal topics, deepen their understanding of complex concepts, and enhance their practical skills relevant to the legal profession. Workshops will involve a combination of presentations, discussions, case studies, simulations, and group activities to create an engaging and immersive learning environment.

Workshops
Hours: 60
Intended group size: cohort

Guided independant study
Hours: 240

Further details relating to assessment
The summative assessment will be supplemented with formative assessment throughout the module. Weekly tests will be made available via the virtual learning environment, moodle, which will provide students with immediate feedback as to their understanding. The format has the added advantage of preparing students for progression to the SQE which is primarily assessed by multiple choice tests. Students will be given the opportunity to engage with scenarios and tasks, and both tutor assessed feedback and peer assessed feedback will be provided ensuring students are fully prepared for their summative assessment.

The essay at the end of Semester 1 will give students the opportunity to use their knowledge to critique the law.

The Practical Assessment at the end of Semester 2 will take the form of a mediation meeting with students taking the role of the legal practitioners involved which will allow students to showcase their ability to apply the law to complex scenarios

Assessment:

001 Essay; 2,500 words; end of semester 1 50%
002 Practical Assessment; 20 minutes per student; end of semester 2 50%

Fact File

Module Coordinator - PRS_CODE=
Level - 6
Credit Value - 30
Pre-Requisites - NONE
Semester(s) Offered - 6YL

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