Summary of content

• An Introduction to the Scottish Legal Environment –
o Legal Systems: UK Legal Institutions;
o EU Institutions; Council of Europe/European Convention of Human Rights
o Scottish Courts & Procedure; Legal Personnel.
o Tribunals;
o ADR including arbitration;
• Introduction to Legal Study and how to think about Law
• Sourcing Legal Materials:
• Statutes & Statutory Instruments,
• Precedent;
• Law Reports; Journals; Paper and Online databases;
• Legal Skills - identifying legal issues;
• Research skills - finding relevant law; legal reading; legal writing; citation and referencing
• Advocacy and speech literacy legal argument – mooting
• Ethics and Plagiarism

The role of lawyers in society is changing – lawyers and people who work in the broad legal environment are increasingly expected to be pro-active in the prediction and prevention of unethical as well as unlawful behaviour across all areas of society.

The delivery of the module will embed the SDG principles, including: developing graduates who care about social responsibility; developing learning and teaching which enables graduates to become responsible leaders and practitioners; and developing graduates who will advise businesses and other stakeholders to explore mutually beneficial responses to social and legal challenges.

Successfully completing this core module is a necessary part of the LLB foundation programme, accredited by the Law Society of Scotland.

Module structure

Assessment methods