Lawyers’ Skills & Personal Development

Course Code : LAW 130

Course Title : Lawyers’ Skills & Personal Development

Weekly Teaching Hour: 3-hr.Lecture per week, 1 (1Hr.) tutorial per week

Who may enrol : Optional for Year 1 (Freshman) LLB. Students

Prerequisites : N/A

Lecturer : To be announced on August 2020

Course Description: • Introduction to the course: explanation of course expectations and skills to be addressed • Law in the local context: exploration of examples of legal links with the locality • Finding the law: to include a library tour; information on a range of legal resources and databases; and search strategies • Understanding the law: to include consideration of a range of sources of law including statutes and case law; introduction to legal vocabulary; navigating sources of law; the doctrine of judicial precedent; and statutory interpretation • Writing about the law: to include approaches to problem solving and essay writing in the context of academic law; and the use of legal authority (avoiding plagiarism) • Speaking about the law: to include preparation for oral seminar skills; basic presentation skills; preparation of legal argument; and mooting

COURSE AIMS • To develop skills essential for the effective study of law. • To demonstrate how to locate relevant sources of law (using both library and online resources). • To interpret the meaning of legal sources and this meaning to a variety of scenarios and situations. • To develop appropriate oral and written skills to communicate legal points and arguments effectively. • To demonstrate critical reflection of skills and develop strategies to enhance them.

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES On successful completion of this course a student will be able to: 1. Effectively identify and find relevant sources of law using both traditional and online resources 2. Locate, retrieve and access sources of law from both library and on-line data-bases 3. Communicate ideas about the law effectively through written work 4. Communicate legal points and argument effectively using oral skills 5. Identify strategies and access support to develop his or her own skills

TEACHING METHODS The course is delivered by means of lectures and workshops. The primary object of the lectures is to provide an outline of the subject matter and a framework for its understanding which students can use as a base for their independent study directed to the requirements of the workshops. The students build upon their understanding gained in the lecture session by reading specified cases, articles and appropriate textbooks in preparation for the workshops. The aims and learning outcomes of each individual workshop are clearly set out and students are encouraged to consider the short, self-help questions before taking the activities set for the group discussion. The workshops will be interactive and will incorporate a range of teaching and learning strategies including quizzes, debates, presentations, mooting, individual work, team work and other learning activities as appropriate.

Recommended Textbook (s) and Supplementary Books :

  1. Reading lists and other materials will be provided for students registered on the course via online by lecturer.

 

Course Assessment: This course is assessed through a practice moot and a workbook.

  • Class Participation 10%,

  • Mid-term Examination 30%,

  • Assignments 10%,

  • Final Examination 50%,

Attendance 95 % compulsory.