HA4001 - Approaches to Law and Lawyering Skills

You will study ‘Approaches to Law and Lawyering Skills’ in one 12-week semester. You will learn through large group sessions, via Panopto lectures (available in advance), workshops, seminars and tutor-guided independent learning.

The large group lectures available via Panotpto will introduce you to core skills and concepts and provide context for the tasks in your small group sessions. Through the small group sessions you will engage with a range of activities designed to develop your skills and understanding of core legal skills including; legal writing, practical legal research, critical thinking and presentation skills. The module handbook will contain instructions and tasks for the small group sessions. You will be expected to prepare in advance for small group sessions although some tasks may be completed during the sessions themselves (for example group work, presentations etc.).

You will be expected to engage in independent learning, some of which will be tutor guided. This will include developing your ability to recognise, locate and comprehend relevant legal source material, to work effectively as a member of a group and to develop the ability to present your findings. The module handbook will set out a learning and teaching schedule for the module including guidance on independent learning. Tutor guided independent learning will include timetabled group activity where you are supervised by a member of academic staff but where you and the rest of your group will be required to direct the learning activity (for example preparing a group presentation).

Elements of this module are designed to introduce you to the concept of Problem Based Learning (PBL), a type of experiential learning. In the context of a given problem you will carry out independent and collaborative research to identify and understand the relevant substantive law and, through a series of workshops in which you orally present your findings for tutor feedback, you will tease out potential solutions culminating in a written research report.

There will be online teaching delivery to support the development of skills relevant to the module such as the nature of problem based learning, practical legal research skills and presentation skills. An on-line reading list will be accessible on the eLP to assist you with independent learning and preparation for group sessions.

You will have the opportunity for formative oral feedback from tutors in workshops and on your group oral presentations. You will also receive formative feedback from your peers in relation to the group activities in which you participate.

Your summative assessment is based on the research that you carry out in relation to the relevant substantive law. It also includes an element of reflection on the process that you have engaged in.
Importantly, you will also learn at work, through reflecting on your experiences and applying your knowledge to your practice in the workplace. The seminars, workshops and lectures will introduce you to theories and concepts and allow you to discuss with the tutors and your peers how these relate to your own work based experiences and practice.

You will be building a portfolio of evidence that illustrates your development as a solicitor throughout the first year of the programme. This portfolio will enable you to demonstrate how you have applied your learning from across all first stage modules into your workplace practice.

The University supports you in learning and research with an excellent library, excellent teaching facilities, access to practitioner and academic on-line legal databases and resources and appropriate software.

This module will be managed by a designated Module Tutor who will be responsible for guiding you in your engagement and learning on the module. Material will be delivered to you by Panopto based lectures and through the eLP and you will access additional information via your directed and independent use of on-line legal data bases and print resources. Large group sessions will be recorded on Panopto, meaning that you will be able to refer back to them on-line in order to consolidate your learning.

The eLP site will contain: PowerPoint slides used in large group sessions; the module handbook (which will contain exercises to be used in the small group sessions); advice on assessment, supported by sample questions and answers; and Panopto recordings of large group sessions.

You will also be taught by a seminar tutor, who delivers the small group sessions. Should you have queries you may approach your seminar tutor either to have your query answered on-line or to make an appointment for a face to face meeting. Academic support is also available to you through feedback on assessment tasks.

As above, your module is also supported by an e-learning portal, which houses all the module learning materials, workshop resources, interactive activities, assessment details and various other support facilities which are provided by the University. In addition, in order to assist you in developing knowledge, you will have access to the University’s library facilities, including extensive electronic resources, eBooks and electronic academic journal articles.
Support will also include opportunities to gain feedback from your Guidance Tutor. The Programme Leader can be contacted in addition to your Guidance Tutor in respect of any problems.

The Programme Administration Team and Student Progress Team are responsible for the non-academic administration of the module, such as receiving your completed assignment, returning your marked assignment and recording your marks. They and the module tutor will contact you throughout the duration of your module with important dates and other issues.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:
By the end of the module you should be able to:

• Understand that successful undergraduate study requires the development of a range of academic and professional skills.
• Understand the importance of developing these skills in the context of your wider learning.

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
By the end of the module you should be able to:

• Be able to effectively identify the issues raised in the context of a problem and conduct relevant research into those issues.
• Communicate your knowledge and understanding of key principles both orally and in writing using accurate legal terminology and forming structured and coherent. arguments.

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
By the end of the module you should have developed the ability to:

• Reflect on your own learning, including how you learn most effectively.

• Understand how the law affects you in practice and apply your understanding to your professional role.

Formative assessment

On an on-going basis your tutors will give feedback on the exercises you complete and you will record and track your progress through a workbook that accompanies the module. Your workbook and associated exercises will contribute to the written work that you will submit upon completion of the module. You will be given the opportunity to receive guidance and formative feedback in preparation for the completion of your assessed work.

Summative assessment

You will be assessed by submission of a portfolio of written work. This will include providing evidence of group work and personal reflections. with Your personal reflections will have a maximum combined length of 2,000 words. The assessed work may will be completed and submitted in stages and you will receive guidance relating to the assessment at the beginning of the module and in your module handbook assessment briefs.

Your module handbook and assessment briefs will specify the exact content of the assessed work but it will include;

- evidence of practical legal research (group work);
- a piece of legal writing / presentation of ideas (group work); and
- a reflective commentaries (individual).

Assessment Criteria and Grade-Related Criteria will be made available to you to support you in completing assessments. Grade-Related Descriptors are descriptions of the level of skills, knowledge and/or attributes that you need to demonstrate in order achieve a certain grade or mark in an assessment, providing a mechanism by which the quality of an assessment can be measured and placed within the overall set of marks.

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‘Approaches to Law and Lawyering Skills’ is designed to help you make an effective transition to studying law at undergraduate level by introducing you to both the “how” and “why” of being a law undergraduate. The module has been designed to introduce you to the skills required to be both a successful law student but also a successful lawyer and to prepare you for the challenges and opportunities that studying on such a course will provide. The module encourages you to think about your skills in a way that is relevant to the other modules that you are studying but also to your future career aspirations. You will develop practical skills such a legal writing, practical legal research and critical thinking (the “how”) in the context of your own learning though consideration of core concepts such as reflection and assessment for learning (the “why”).