Law with Criminal Justice LLB (Hons)

Compulsory

• Public Law and Legal Skills

  In Public Law & Legal Skills, you will learn how to create your own country and how to make it work.

  What are the basic ideas needed to organise government? How do we choose the people that govern us and which powers they should have?

  You will also learn about basic legal skills and judicial review – how to ensure courts check on the administration of power.

• Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Systems

  This module provides students with a comprehensive understanding of key aspects of criminal law and the criminal justice system to equip them with the knowledge and skills necessary to critically evaluate the efficacy of the criminal justice system in England and Wales and engage with ongoing debates in criminal law reform.

  The module includes the study of specific offences such as murder, manslaughter, sexual offences and theft, as well as important legal concepts such as criminal liability and defence.

  Students will also explore police powers when investigating crime, the criminal trial process, and the role of other key actors in the criminal justice system in England and Wales. The module also delves into contemporary issues such as domestic violence and autonomy, encouraging critical thinking and debate, and setting the foundations to help them develop essential legal skills, including research and analysis which are crucial for future legal careers. 

• Contract Law and Civil Justice Systems

  This module introduces students to the Law of Contract and the civil justice system, providing a solid foundation in the theoretical underpinnings of these legal concepts. This module provides an in-depth exploration of the principles of contract in Common Law and Equity.

  It's been designed to offer a comprehensive understanding of how these principles are applied to agreements in legal contexts. The module also gives students an understanding of how civil disputes are resolved in England and Wales, covering both court processes, including adjudication by judges and the non-adjudicative approaches.

  Students will also have the opportunity to thoroughly examine and learn about various topics such as the formation of contracts, contractual terms, misrepresentation, vitiating factors, the courts and tribunal system structure, key procedural rules, and current issues on securing 'access to justice'.

  This comprehensive approach aims to provide students with a deep and nuanced understanding of the legal framework that governs contractual agreements and civil dispute resolution in the specific context of England and Wales.

• Academic and Professional Development

  This module enables students to develop their academic, employability, and personal skills whilst understanding how these skills are all transferable to working environments within and outside of legal practice.

Compulsory

• EU Law in its UK Context

  EU Law seeks to provide a solid working knowledge of the principles of European Union law, specifically in the current UK context as a third country maintaining close relationships with the EU.

  The module begins with the history of the European legal order, the treaties, the institutional framework, and the main constitutional principles regulating EU law. It then focuses on the EU internal market and economic trade integration as well as the protection of fundamental rights in EU law. In addition, aspects of Brexit, the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement, and the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement will be discussed throughout the module.

• Land Law

  Land Law enables students to learn and critically interrogate the key concepts and operations of modern Land Law within its historical and social context. It explores how, why and the ways in which Land Law has evolved to govern and protect both ‘estates in land’ and ‘rights in land’.

  The module interrogates the rights and interests of owners, occupiers, third parties and others concerned with land and how disputes between owners and between owners and third parties can be resolved. It also offers critical perspectives on contemporary land issues, especially when they relate to inequalities in society and amongst different groups.

• Tort Law

  Tort law is a body of rules that primarily govern how a community should allocate costs within society when some form of harmful event occurs. The module covers the general rules of negligence, alongside a range of specific individual torts, such as defamation, privacy, land related torts, and vicarious liability.

• Trusts

  The idea of a trust has been described as the greatest and most distinctive achievement of English law (Maitland). Even though it is difficult to give a single, overarching definition to a trust, this legal instrument is of great significance to many areas of law and modern life. 

  Students on this module will examine different types of trusts such as express private trusts, charitable and non-charitable purpose trusts, and understand the nature and scope of trustees' powers and duties. You will also analyse the available remedies for breach of trust and, importantly, the broader relevance of trusts and the importance of trusts law to other areas of law and society.

Compulsory

• Evidence

  Evidence is essential to students who desire to obtain a deeper understanding of the rules around advocacy and the trial process. Students taking evidence will study the rules pertaining to the admissibility of evidence in court (including witnesses, confessions, identification evidence and evidence of prior convictions).

  They will also examine the issue of how the jury evaluates the weight of evidence admitted in court and will study the fundamental rules relevant to who bears the burden of proof in criminal trials. Most importantly, students will seek to explore the theoretical principles underpinning the law of evidence. In that respect, the focus will be on the perennial criminal justice dilemma between convicting the guilty and protecting the individual rights of those involved in the criminal process.

• International Law and Human Rights

  This module will address the nature of international law, state responsibility and the right to self-determination. It will focus on theories of human rights, and look into the structures, strengths and weaknesses of the international human rights systems including the United Nations.

  It will focus on human rights including the right to life, prohibition of discrimination, women’s rights and minority rights. Focusing on the legal dimensions, but also drawing from international politics and using sociological concepts, the module will give you the tools to identify, understand and critically discuss human rights worldwide.

  You will be taught by someone working with the United Nations on these issues everyday as the UN Special Rapporteur in the field of Cultural Rights!

• Sentencing and Penology

  Sentencing and Penology explores how and why societies punish offenders, critically examining sentencing practices and the wider penal system. Students will delve into key theories and justifications for punishment from retribution to rehabilitation, and tackle controversial issues such as the use of the death penalty and the treatment of mentally disordered offenders.

  The module also considers how sentencing decisions are made, the legal rules shaping them, and how different penalties—both custodial and non-custodial—are applied in practice.

  Beyond understanding how the system works, this module encourages students to challenge and critique existing approaches to sentencing and punishment. Students will engage with real-world issues, questioning whether current methods are effective, fair, and just.

  By the end of the module, students will have a deeper insight into how legal, social, and ethical factors shape penal policies and their impact on individuals and communities.

Optional

• Banking Law

  The module intends to help students understand the legal issues associated with banking and credit markets. The laws and regulations of banking include the laws setting the conditions  for  establishing banks, the legal framework for the transactions between banks and their customers and the rationale, structure and operations of the authorities supervising the financial services industry.

• Company Law

  Company Law offers an in-depth analysis of the legal framework governing companies with a focus on core principles of corporate governance, directors’ duties, shareholders’ rights, and corporate liability. Students will critically examine the structure and regulation of companies, engaging with key legislation (such as the Companies Act 2006) alongside relevant case law.

  The module also explores contemporary issues including corporate finance, minority shareholder protection, and the evolving role of corporate governance in global markets.

  The teaching structure consists of a combination of lectures and seminars aimed at enabling students to develop a rigorous analytical understanding of how legal principles apply to real-world corporate scenarios. 

  By the end of the module, students will be equipped to critically assess corporate structures and regulatory frameworks while engaging with both theoretical and practical aspects of company law. The module will prepare students for careers in corporate law, compliance, and financial regulation.

• Dissertation

  The primary aim of the dissertation is to assess a student’s ability to undertake independent research under the supervision of an academic member of staff. Students will have the opportunity to explore a chosen topic in depth and to write an original piece of critical analysis on the issues arising from the topic.

• Competition Law

  Competition law is an exciting subject which regulates how businesses behave in relation to their competitors and consumers. It protects competition in the market by prohibiting (a) abuses of dominance, (b) anti-competitive agreements between businesses (e.g., cartels), and (c) mergers that may lead to higher prices and less variety for consumers.

  It is a fascinating field of study which has recently been at the forefront of initiatives to regulate big technology companies and address climate change and sustainability issues. The module focuses on EU and UK competition law. However, the EU and UK rules are the ‘model law’ for many other jurisdictions. As a result, students following this module will acquire a solid background to competition rules that are applicable in most jurisdictions around the world.

  You'll go beyond the study of legal rules, exploring the economics of supply and demand (no prior knowledge of economics is required), the influence of politics over the application of competition law, and how societal and technological changes affect the enforcement priorities that competition authorities set.

  Students choosing a career path in the field of competition law will realise that ‘the sky is the limit’. An expert in competition law is sought after by law firms; companies looking for in-house counsel to work on competition compliance; regulators (e.g., the UK Competition and Markets Authority); and public affairs agencies.

• Families, Children and the Law

  This module examines the law relating to the different forms of families and family relationships, the rights of children and responsibilities of parents, arrangements for children after family breakdowns, and protection from domestic abuse.

  The module will also focus on state responses to children and young people including the role of the state and the law in protecting children at risk of harm. Students will examine some of the assumptions on which the law is based, and how changing perceptions of the family and of roles within it are reflected in the law and in continuing pressure for legal change.

• Jurisprudence

  The aim of this course is to introduce students to the philosophy of law: to understand what is distinctive about law relative to other social practices such as customs and conventions, and to understand why law is necessary.

  It addresses a range of questions about the nature of law including the relationship between law and morality; social and political functions of law; and the nature of legal reasoning. One of the main themes of the module is the classical distinction in the history of legal philosophy between positivism which supposes law can be understood independently from morality, and natural law, which supposes there is some necessary link between law and morality. This issue is also important to the theme or question of legal reasoning - an often under-studied topic that is addressed in the second half of the module.

• AI, Data and the Law

  In this module, you will study the legal framework governing the development and deployment of AI and data protection laws of the EU and the UK, enabling students to develop an in-depth understanding of regulatory frameworks which are crucial for compliance across the private, public, and third sectors.

  The module will introduce students to key topics, concepts, theories, methodologies, and tools relevant to regulatory compliance, oversight, accountability, and legal liability for harm caused by the misuse of data and AI. Through various lectures, seminars, and engagement with relevant materials, students will develop critical thinking, legal argumentation, and analytical skills in relation to data and AI-driven decision-making.

• Intellectual Property Law

  The Intellectual Property module aims to provide students with knowledge about the theoretical rationales and policy arguments for the recognition and protection of intellectual property rights such as copyright, trademarks, designs, patents and trade secrets.

  The module seeks to explain the nature and scope of these rights, the procedures for the granting or recognition of the rights, and mechanisms for enforcement as well as defences against enforcement.

  Additionally, the module aims to explore intellectual property law within a wider social, economic, cultural and political context. This includes consideration of the impact of technological changes in the protection of intellectual property. The principal aim is to provide students with a working knowledge of the major areas of intellectual property law.