Conversion in Law - LLM

This module explores two key questions: ‘What is the law?’ and ‘How does the law work in England and Wales?’ It offers a vital foundation for your legal studies and is essential for anyone aiming to become a legal professional in England and Wales. 

By examining the nature, sources, and characteristics of law, you’ll build a strong understanding of the UK legal system and gain insight into how it compares with other international systems. This knowledge will support your learning in core modules such as Contract Law, Tort Law, Criminal Law, and Constitutional & EU Law, and will also be relevant at the more advanced stages of your law degree. 

You’ll also be encouraged to reflect on the structure of the legal system, the role of judges and lawyers, and broader issues such as ethics and diversity within the profession. This will help you begin developing the professional mindset and values expected of future lawyers and provide an insight into various issues that will shape the legal system of tomorrow. 

In this module you will learn essential skills for research at Masters level and applying your knowledge and skills from Masters’ study to enhance your employability. It provides a platform for your studies on the course.  

We will help you transition from undergraduate to Masters’ level study to tackle complex issues, make grounded judgments with incomplete information, and articulate sophisticated ideas in writing and orally. This will also involve learning how to take responsibility for the direction of your studies and your future career in organising and planning your work. This will involve learning reflective practice. The assessments in the module are deliberately broken into four sections to allow you to show gradual improvement, build your confidence and adapt to Masters level study.  

This module covers two subject areas; the Law of Contract, introducing you to the way in which the Law forms, regulates, polices and enforces contracts, and the Law of Tort focussed on the more common tortious wrongs, associated defences and remedies in English Law. This module has been designed to align with aspects of the functioning legal knowledge of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam. 

This module provides students with an understanding of the Law of Obligations as a study of both Contract Law and Tort Law, within a carefully designed employability framework. Embracing employability, the Law of Obligations is explained through workshop activities that simulate a legal working environment where students are part of a legal team under the supervision of their tutor, acting as their potential employer.  

This module will introduce the main policy and theoretical considerations within the Law of Obligations and its function in dispute resolution in civil law. This includes a focus upon concepts and principles such as the Tort of Negligence and Contractual Liability. 

This module has been designed to align with aspects of the functioning legal knowledge of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE). The module aims to provide you with a broad overview of the fundamental legal principles and concepts of criminal law. This overview will be conducted through the examination of criminal offences against the person and property along with general defences. 

Criminal Law is an area that cuts across several sectors. Although, this module examines criminal offences from the legal perspective, it is grounded by relevant themes on sustainability such as justice and inequality. This module will require you to learn, understand and apply substantive criminal law but from a wider context that also considers its economic and social consequences.   

The module promotes the development of your autonomy and your professional and ethical attributes through a practice-informed education and exploration of topical issues with real-life case examples. This module will foster a diverse and inclusive learning, teaching and assessment feedback experience. By fully engaging with the module and upon subsequent reflection throughout your learning, you will develop and strengthen your ability to understand and apply the fundamental principles of criminal law. 

This is module has been designed to align with aspects of the functioning legal knowledge of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam. The module will provide you with an understanding of the legal principles and rules involved in land law and an introduction to property transactions (also known as conveyancing). You will consider how they operate in the wider social and economic context and the legal ethics of property transactions. You will carry out your own research and will consider conflicting interests of parties and the position of professional advisers.  

You will consider real life scenarios throughout the module in lectures and seminars to contextualise land law and to encourage the development of your increasingly enquiring mind. You will advise upon land law related issues, whilst also developing your professional and ethical awareness continuing the realistic problems that pervade the module. 

This module has been designed to align with aspects of the functioning legal knowledge of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam. The module aims to introduce the concept of equity and how it interacts with the law to create the trusts by building on what you have already learned in the Law of Obligations (Contract Law) and Land Law and about equitable remedies and property ownership. 

The module will develop your ability to undertake independent research while critically analysing the way in which the law applies to real life scenarios. It will do this by incorporating a rich, diverse and inclusive learning environment which draws upon the knowledge which you have already gained and challenging your understanding through group work and interactive materials taking a student-led approach. The assessments will further challenge your ability to conduct independent research and critically analyse the application of the law. You will then be asked to write a formal letter/email to your supervisor to outline your findings. In addition, through the use of weekly MCQs, you will be preparing for SQE 1 style assessments. The module will support your personal development in taking on these challenges by using a wide range of feedback techniques which will improve your confidence in your own ability and help build resilience to challenges.  

Public Law is a core module which incorporates Constitutional, Administrative, Human Rights and European Union Law. The module is designed to deliver two of the seven foundations of legal knowledge required by the Bar Standards Board (Constitutional, Administrative and Human Rights Law; and EU law in context). The module will build on the knowledge of the UK legal system and relevant political institutions gained in Legal Systems in Semester 1.  

We will begin by identifying the key principles of the UK constitution and will explore the relationship between the UK constitution and relevant international legal frameworks (namely the European Union and the Council of Europe), focusing in particular on human rights law. Finally, the module will further develop your understanding of judicial review from Legal Systems in Semester 1. You will study the procedure and grounds of judicial review and will learn how to apply these legal principles to a problem-based scenario.  

The dissertation module allows you to carry out a substantive piece of independent research into a legal topic or issue relevant to your course of study. You will be expected to draw upon the knowledge and analytical skills developed throughout your course in order to create an output. In doing so, the module allows you to conduct a research project that integrates the principles, tools, and methods learned throughout your program of study.  

You will engage in the rigorous study of a clearly defined legal issue of your choice, subject to the parameters of your course. Self-directed learning and autonomous enquiry will enable you to gain an enhanced level of knowledge and critical awareness of your chosen topic. You will be expected to present your research in an academic and authoritative manner in the form of a dissertation that is worth 100% of your grade.  

The aim of this module is to provide a framework for you to undertake a 10 week placement to develop your employability skills, commercial awareness and prepare you for the world of work. This module allows you to develop practical skills by undertaking a placement or internship and to begin your journey towards becoming a reflective practitioner in a relevant field. You will have the opportunity to apply skills developed throughout your academic study, such as research, project planning and demonstration of professionalism and you will be able to resolve practical problems and where possible, to devise remedial strategies. You will also develop confidence through direct contact with professionals in your field of study. You will be required to reflect on your experience and write appropriately about your placement and development.   

This module is underpinned by the university employability framework. This module aims to promote the pillars of the framework. By following the framework, we aim to support you in becoming experienced, informed, globally and culturally aware, aspiring, clear on your professional identity, and self-aware.