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LAW3003 - Understanding UK Case Law

Objectives:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
Demonstrate understanding of main ways and avenues through which legal cases are reported.
Understand the layout of Law Reports and the types of information included.
provide basic analysis of the summary judgement; orders of the court; and subsequent history of the case.
Locate and interpret cases in Westlaw UK and LexisLibrary.

Content:

This module introduces students to principal ways legal judgments are reported. Students are guided through the various types of law reports (in newspapers, specialised Law journals, Specialised Law reports and the Main Law Reports series); what the essential information is that is being reported; how citations work; and how to research cases.

Learning and Teaching Information:

Significant or striking cases are used to stimulate student interest. In seminars students will work in groups to engage with selected case reports and to locate additional case reports through standard reference resources (such as The Times; the Main Reports series; Law journals; and LexisLibrary). Guidance will be provided on understanding citations (names of parties, and report reference), legal terminology, and understanding the layout of the reports, and the legal details contained in the reports (texts of judgments, including statements of facts and judicial reasoning made by judges).

Seminars:
Contact Hours: 60
Intended Group Size Cohort

Guided independent study
Hours: 240

The report (3,000 words) will be constituted from a series of portfolio exercises (of around 500 words each) analysing a range of cases. Individual portfolio items are formative and may take the form of on-line quizzes, or Moodle reports. The report that is submitted for assessment will develop these formative exercises into an overall summary of the reporting of legal cases.

Assessment:

001 Report; 2,500 words; end of semester 2 %

Fact File

Module Coordinator - Simon Best
Level - 0
Credit Value - 30
Pre-Requisites - NONE
Semester(s) Offered - 3YL