LLB (Hons) Law (Criminal Law) 2022/23

The LLB (Hons) Law covers the core legal topics with a selection of options covering specialist areas of law, procedure and professional skills.

All modules carry 20 CAT credit.

Year 1

Semester One

• Legal Skills, Legal Study, Legal System
  An introduction to the English Legal System and the study of law, including a three week study skills Foundation at the start of the course (compulsory).
• Contract Law
  Students study the core principles of law governing the making and enforcement of contracts (compulsory).
• Public Law
  Students study the core principles of the Constitution and the regulation of central and local government and other public bodies (compulsory).

Semester Two

• Current Legal Issues
  Students explore current legal issues and take part in group work to present law reform proposals (compulsory).
• Law of Torts
  Students study the core principles of law governing our responsibilities not to cause harm to one another (compulsory).
• European Law
  Students study the core principles of law governing the European Union and the European Convention of Human Rights (compulsory).

Year 2

Semester One

• Working in the Law
  Students gain an insight into the law in practice, covering areas such as Civil Litigation, Criminal Litigation and Social Welfare Law. Students are encouraged and supported to undertake legal placements and volunteering opportunities, including in the LSBU Legal Advice Clinic and Family Law Hub.
• Criminal Law
  Students study the core principles of the criminal law (compulsory)
• Property, Equity & Trusts
  Students study the core principles Property Law, Equity and Trusts from a theoretical perspective (compulsory)

Semester Two

• Study Abroad Option
• Law in Action
  Students work in groups on simulated legal cases including a claim for compensation for a road traffic accident (compulsory).

Option Pool A (students take one or two)

• ADR Theory & Practice
  Students study the theory and practice of alternative dispute resolution (optional).
• Consumer Protection & the Law
  Students study the rights and protections governing consumer contracts (optional).
• Gender, Justice & the Law
  Students study and apply critical theories and perspectives on justice and gender to key debates within the English legal system (optional).
• Jurisprudence, Law & Politics
  Students study and apply legal theory to explore the relationship between law and politics (optional).
• Medical Law & Ethics
  Students study and apply law and ethical theory to key Medical law topics such as abortion and euthanasia (optional).
• Regulatory Principles of Entertainment & Media Law
  Students study the core principles of entertainment and media law such as privacy and intellectual property (optional).

Option Pool B (students take one or none)

• Comparative Law
  Students undertake a study visit to another country to study and compare UK Common Law with another major international legal system (optional)
• Legal Advice Clinic
  Further opportunities for students to give supervised legal advice to local people in the LSBU Legal Advice Clinic (optional)
• Professional Skills & Practice
  Students practise and develop key legal professional skills such as advocacy, interviewing and negotiation using exercises and simulations (optional)
• Public Legal Education
  Students practise and develop teamwork and presentation skills through the design and delivery of a public legal education (Street Law) project in the local community (optional).

Year 3

Semester One

• Land Law
  Students explore an extended case simulation to study the core principles of law relating to the ownership and sale of Land (compulsory).
• Criminal Litigation
  Students practise and develop advocacy skills and study the core principles of criminal procedure and sentencing (compulsory).
• Analysis of Evidence & Proof
  Students explore an extended case simulation to study the law of evidence and what is required to prove a case in court (optional).
  

Semester Two

• The Law Project
  Students undertake an extended piece of independent writing and research on a topic of their choosing (compulsory).

Option from (students take two):

• Civil Litigation
• Employment Law
• European Borders & Security Law
• European Human Rights  Law
• Immigration & Asylum Law
• International Protection of Human Rights
• Family Law 2 Relationships

Assessment

The assessment strategy of the LLB programme requires that assessment should:

• be based on criteria and practices known to students in advance,
• be marked according to published standards and practices formulated to ensure fairness and consistency, test the outcomes of the course and each module at the appropriate level,
• be sufficiently varied in the form to test all outcomes including both knowledge and skills,
• be searching and rigorous in standard,
• be robust in designing out plagiarism and personation,
• contribute to the development of student learning during the course, including through test enhanced learning,
• offer opportunities during the course to identify students’ strengths and weaknesses and provide feedback,
• comply with LSBU Regulations and the requirements of the Institute of Legal Executives.

The programme includes a variety of assessment methods consistent with this strategy to foster learning development and assess programme outcomes.  The aim is to provide a balanced range of assessments focused on the outcomes appropriate to the module and level. In addition to written examinations (which may be unseen or seen, in whole or part) individual and group coursework and oral presentations, the programme will employ in-class and online formative assessments to encourage preparation and participation and to facilitate timely formative feedback.  As part of this strategy, multiple-choice question assessments will be used to assess subject knowledge and offer prompt feedback and guidance. Where appropriate SQE style MCQ will be used as part of our test enhanced learning and SQE ‘Head Start’ strategies.

On successful completion of our courses you will be able to progress to qualify as a Barrister, a Chartered Legal Executive or a Solicitor. You will also be prepared for a wide range of professional careers in other sectors including Business, Central & Local Government, LawTech and Management.

To become a Barrister you need to pass with 2(ii) Honours. You will then need to pass the Bar Professional Training Examination and obtain a Pupillage (work based learning).

To be eligible to become a Graduate Member of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives you need to pass Criminal Litigation and one of the following two option modules at a 2(i) Honours standard (50% +):

You can then go onto qualify as a Fellow of the Institute on the basis of three years qualifying work experience.

To be a Solicitor you need to pass the degree. You will then need to pass the Solicitors Qualifying Examination Parts 1 and 2 and to obtain two years of qualifying work experience.

Employability Service

At LSBU, we want to set you up for a successful career. During your studies – and for two years after you graduate – you’ll have access to our Employability Service, which includes:

• An online board where you can see a wide range of placements: part-time, full-time or voluntary. You can also drop in to see our Job Shop advisers, who are always available to help you take the next step in your search.
• Our Careers Gym offering group workshops on CVs, interview techniques and finding work experience, as well as regular presentations from employers across a range of sectors.

Our Student Enterprise team can also help you start your own business and develop valuable entrepreneurial skills.

DAC employability partnership

DAC Beachcroft partnered with LSBU to create an employability programme which aims to help increase diversity within the firm. This project came about due to Nick Young's (regional partner at DAC Beachcroft) strong affiliation to LSBU as an alumnus of the university.

Nick Young is an alumnus here at LSBU, and created this employability programme to help increase diversity within his firm, DAC Beachcroft, where he's a regional partner.

DAC Beachcroft are supporting the development of law students at LSBU with employability skills through training and preparation for a training contract, and the steps involved before securing a contract.

Working in the Law module

Working in the Law is a compulsory module for second year LLB students. The module delivers sessions on graduate employability, writing applications for law work, developing Curriculum Vitae and making presentations. You'll actively use online materials developed by the University Careers Service to encourage you to think about your knowledge, skills and attributes when considering career options. Personality and psychometric tests are carried out for you to further reflect upon and provide an opportunity to develop further as part of the Personal Development Plan (PDP). The module goes further to introduce you to the contentious and non contentious areas of practice, providing an opportunity to appreciate application of the law in practice.

We place a great emphasis on employability: you're supported in gaining work experience and additional evening sessions are organised for practitioners to deliver talks to you about life in practice. We regularly arrange Continuing Professional Development sessions, which are open to you to attend and network with practitioners.

Law student editorial magazine

In addition to these programmes, students will have the opportunity to be contributors and editors in the annual law students magazine, The Devil's Advocate.

Please click and zoom to read the articles in full detail.

We employ an experiential learning strategy which means that much of our teaching is rooted in professional practice, using placements (including in our Legal Advice Clinic), simulations and professional skills exercises to engage and develop our students. Many of our lecturers are also practitioners. As well as studying the Law and how it is used in practice, students analyse and evaluate whether the law is fair and effective and apply theoretical perspectives to criticval questions of law reform.

Core knowledge is imparted through large group lectures and explored in interactive workshops. Knowledge and understanding is developed and tested in interactive small group seminars. Smaller optional modules tend to use teaching time more flexibly to suit the subject.

We provide extensive online learning resources to support students’ self-study time and every student is given a personal online law library (OUP Law Trove) and a tablet computer to access their e-learning resources flexibly.

We use a broad range of assessment techniques, including examinations, multiple-choice tests, coursework, group work and oral presentations, to test the full range of knowledge and skills the course aims to teach and develop.

Each student has a personal tutor who is available at regular times every week for informal consultation and meetings. In addition, personal tuition support for learning and careers is embedded in formal meetings in a core module every year - Legal Study, Legal System, Legal Skills (L4), Working in the Law (L5) and The Law Project (L6).

• A Level ABB or:
• BTEC National Diploma DDM or:
• Access to HE Diploma with 33D 3M 9P or:
• Equivalent Level 3 qualifications worth 128 UCAS points
• Applicants must hold 5 GCSEs at grade 4 or above including English and Maths, or equivalent (old style GCSEs  A-C)
• We welcome qualifications from around the world. English language qualifications for international students: IELTS score of 6.0 or Cambridge Proficiency or Advanced Grade C.

Applicants without these qualifications will be considered on a case by case basis if they have relevant legal work experience.

Work experience in a Law firm prior to enrolment is not required in addition to the qualifications stated above. However, if any is secured, it will provide a good entry point and start the student’s self- development connected to Law.

Students who take the Comparative Law and European Security & Borders Law options have the opportunity to attend short intensive international study visits. Students can also elect to study abroad for the second semester of their second year at international Law Schools linked with LSBU

The individual fee for this course is shown above. For more information, including how and when to pay, see our fees and funding section for postgraduate students.

See our Tuition Fees Regulations (PDF File 201 KB) and Refund Policy (PDF File 775 KB).

We have a range of PhD Scholarships available in partnership with businesses and organisations; read notices of PhD studentships.