RATIONALE
This module introduces the essential characteristics of law and the foundational skills of lawyering. Students will first explore the theories and philosophies underpinning law and the English legal system, making comparisons historically and to other jurisdictions. Students will develop an appreciation for the actors and structures in the modern English legal system, learning both the practical working and the areas of debate and controversy. This module will give students the skills they need to find, read, and understand case law, statutory law, and legal academic commentary and research. Students will also develop written skills and will be introduced to other important academic skills which will underpin the rest of their law course.  

AIMS
This module aims to:
●    Introduce legal philosophy and reasoning and its role in the common law tradition
●    Examine the actors, structures, and sources of the English legal system 
●    Study the role of case law in the common law tradition
●    Interpret statutes and evaluate approaches to statutory interpretation
●    Develop foundational lawyering skills
●    Research and apply legal principles from statutes and decided cases to legal problems
●    Explore elements of advocacy in dispute resolution

LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of the module students will be able to:
1.    Examine and apply concepts, theories and principles of law and legal reasoning in the common law tradition
2.    Reflect on the role of case law in the common law tradition
3.    Find, read, and interpret case law, statutory law, and academic commentary/research 
4.    Understand how to apply appropriate advocacy techniques in the resolution of legal problems
5.    Demonstrate foundational lawyering skills