Law

What is Law?

Law is a subject which impacts on us all. Laws are rules made by the state (Parliament, government and the judiciary) to regulate all areas of life from crime, contract, property and wills to family, personal injury, sport and media. For law to be enforced successfully there also need to be systems through which it is delivered such as courts, the legal profession, other forms of dispute resolution but also systems for changing the law and keeping it relevant and up to date.

What will I study?

You will study the English legal system, law making and three areas of both private and public law in England and Wales. Through the study of criminal law, the law of tort and contract law, you will learn, develop and apply the techniques of legal method and reasoning to analyse and offer answers to legal problems, and construct and communicate legal arguments. The following topics will be covered:

Paper 1

• Civil courts, tribunals, ADR and civil appeals
• The Criminal courts and processes
• The judiciary and the legal profession
• Access to justice and funding
• General principles of criminal law
• Non fatal offences – assault and battery, ABH, GBH
• Fatal offences – murder and manslaughter
• Property offences – theft, robbery, burglary
• Criminal attempts
• Defences – intoxication, insanity, automatism, duress, self defence, consent

Paper 2

• Parliamentary law making
• Delegated legislation
• Law Reform
• Statutory Interpretation
• Judicial Precedent
• EU Law
• Negligence
• Occupiers’ Liability
• Vicarious Liability
• Nuisance
• Rylands v Fletcher

Paper 3

• The Nature of Law
• Law and Justice
• Law and Morality
• Law and Society
• Contract formation – Intention, agreement, consideration, privity
• Contract terms – express, implied and controls over exclusion clauses/unfair terms
• Vitiating factors – misrepresentation and economic duress
• Discharge of contract – by performance, frustration and breach
• Remedies – common law damages and equitable court orders

Assessments

Law A level is entirely assessed by exam. There are 3 exams at the end of your 2 years of study (as outlined above). To help prepare you for these we hold regular end of topic assessments in timed conditions as well as mock exams so you will need to revise for these as you progress through the course.

Trips, visits and enrichments:

• We visit courts in Birmingham to watch legal cases in action
• Speakers from the legal system deliver information sessions for law students
• We run workshops in year 13 for students preparing for the Law National Admissions Test.

What can it lead to?

Our students go on to study a wide variety of degrees including the LLB and other law-related degrees. Some choose alternative pathways by becoming paralegals, legal apprentices, training to become legal executives or working for the police or government (Department of Justice). Law is also useful for students who are aiming towards careers in journalism, real estate, accountancy, business and the civil service.