Master of Laws Professional Legal Practice LLM
1 Year Full Time | September Start

In this module you will develop a critical understanding of the laws relating to international dispute resolution. You will examine: cover a range of key theoretical and practical concepts in international dispute resolution. You will examine the Jurisdiction of European Courts (including English Courts). The module will also examine the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgements within the European Union, Arbitration and Arbitral Awards and the Law applicable to Obligations (Contractual Obligations and Non-Contractual Obligations). This module will combine a doctrinal focus with an examination of real-world problems that require the engagement of international dispute resolution mechanisms. The awareness of such significant systems for dispute resolution will be attractive to employers and businesses who trade on a global level.

This module is designed to provide you with an appreciation of the law which forms the foundation of commercial practice with particular reference to corporate finance. The specific topics that you will be taught include; (1) drafting issues in financial contracts, (2) the international dimension to commercial finance, (3) different forms of security required by lending institutions, (4) issues relating to commercial risk, conduct and regulation issues. By the end of the module you will be able to identify and critically evaluate the different types of structures companies use to raise capital and understand the rationale behind the differing financial structures open to companies when raising finance. You will gain an understanding of the rationale behind a floatation, either as an initial public offering (IPO) or as a secondary offer. The module will explore the legal and regulatory requirements of an IPO and the effect of this on the company and its directors, and to demonstrate and understand the continuing obligations of listed companies after an IPO. You will also be able to critically comment on different types of corporate borrowing and different forms of security.

This module covers the issues relevant to the successful sale and purchase of businesses in the modern world and will be of interest to any students entering commercial/corporate practice or involved in the financial services industry. The module will provide you with a sound overview of the practical, legal and taxation aspects of the sale and purchase of a business of company. At the end of the module you will be able to understand the structure of a sale and purchase and the implications for all parties on the choice of structure. You will also have developed skills of analysis and be able to apply the knowledge learned in a commercial context, skills which will be valued by employers.

This module has an overall aim to provide students with an understanding of how an international sale of goods contract works, i.e., which law will be the governing law of the contract; which trade term will be incorporated into the contract and why; and how the goods will be financed and which law will govern the financing of the goods; as well as the transport of those goods from the Seller to the Buyer by means of sea or inland waterway carriage. As 80% of all international sale of goods contacts may be negotiated by means of applying the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG), major emphasis is placed on when the CISG must apply automatically as the governing law of the contract and when the CISG may apply automatically as the governing law of the contract. Carriage of goods by sea by means of charter parties and under bills of lading are also studied including the Hague and the Hague Visby Rules. The topics covered will include: (1) Difficulties of Parties Entering into Cross-Border Agreements and Contract Clauses Generally Included in Written Agreements for the Sale of Goods, (2) Articles 1-29 and 95 of the CISG: When the CISG is the Governing Law of the Contract and Formation of a CISG Contract, (3) Articles 30-51 and 66-70 of the CISG: Obligations of the Seller and Passing of Risk, (4) Articles 53-68 and 71-88 of the CISG: Obligations for the Buyer and Obligations Common to the Seller and the Buyer Including Damages, (5) Trade Terms and INCOTERMS 2010, (6) Financing the Goods and Letters of Credit, (7) Carriage of Goods by Sea: Common Law Charter Party Contracts of Affreightment and Statutory Bill of Lading Contracts of Affreightment, (8) Carriage of Goods by Sea: Implied Obligations and Exceptions to Liability, (9) Carriage of Goods by Sea: Hague and Hague Visby Rules, (10) Summary of International Sale of Goods and Carriage of Goods.

In this module you will develop a critical understanding of the laws relating to the World Trade Organisation (WTO). You will examine: (1) History: General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). This historic international convention was the only multilateral instrument governing international trade from 1948 until the establishment of WTO in 1995. Principal Rounds, specifically Uruguay Round (1986-1994). During a series of multilateral negotiations, efforts were made to reduce tariffs. The last one, the Uruguay Round, was the most extensive of all. It led to the creation of the WTO. (2) Institutional WTO Law: Agreement establishing the WTO. Presentation of the ministerial conference, the general council, the dispute settlement body, the trade policy review body, the council for trade in goods, the council for trade in services, the council for trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights. Dispute settlement understanding. The WTO provides a unique and efficient disputes settlement system, where rulings are adopted by negative consensus. (3) Substantial WTO Law: General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1994. Study of the most-favoured-nation treatment, national treatment, rules for regional agreements, anti-dumping rules etc. General agreement on trade in services (GATS). Study of market access, national treatment, special treatment of least-developed countries. Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property.

In this module you will develop a critical understanding of the law and governance issues relating to cyberspace. You will acquire the knowledge and understanding around key legal issues in cyberspace. This includes consideration of cybersecurity, cybercrime, and e-commerce, together with analysing concerns over privacy and the role of commercial and military actors on both a national and international level. You will critically evaluate the governance of cyberspace at the international, regional, and national levels where appropriate and will look at the security, safety, and sustainability concerns around the use of cyberspace. You will gain a critical awareness of how law and governance operate in the global cyber economy. You will also examine the role of national legislation in protecting children and dealing with online harms. There will be an examination of softer, non-binding agreements in respect of cyber governance.

In this module you will develop a critical understanding of the laws relating to data management. Whilst the focus will be on data protection in the UK and Europe, you will be encouraged to bring in examples from other jurisdictions providing an international perspective on data management. You will examine the development of data protection law in England and Europe, the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 (the Act), the EU Directive on Data Protection (the Directive), the Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. The module will take a critical look at the legal framework that governs data protection and privacy both regionally and internationally. This module covers the following topics: the history and development of data protection law; key definitions within the legislation and how they have been interpreted and applied; the data protection principles which govern legal regulation and practice; the rights which are created by the Act and Regulation, who they are granted to and how they might be enforced; the obligations which are imposed on organisations over how they process personal data; how the exemptions in the legislation apply to domestic law; how notification arrangements work and how the data protection regime is enforced, in particular looking at the powers of the Information Commissioner.

In this module you will develop a thorough understanding of the child protection and support systems in the United Kingdom. You will study the process of child protection from the point of initial referral, the requirements on local authorities to undertake assessments of children in need, to undertake child protection investigations and the child protection conference process. You will go on to consider the range of different types of public Children Act proceedings designed to protect children. You will look at emergency intervention by the police and local authorities as well care and supervision proceedings to secure medium and long term plans. You will address issues of human rights, the impact of Articles 2, 3, 6 and 8 as well as the nature, extent and impact of parental responsibility throughout the module.

Throughout the module you will engage in group work to produce a variety of different types of presentations. This will require you to develop communication, organisational, research and team working skills.

You will be provided with a detailed and in-depth understanding of counterterrorism law in the United Kingdom and the United States. You will consider how terrorism is understood, represented, and legally defined; the range of laws and measures adopted in order to combat terrorism; and the challenges of counterterrorism for the rule of law and democracy. In this manner, the module provides a deep and broad understanding of a key 21st century legal and political development, with major implications for law, politics, and everyday life. The issues explored include:
-the history and the logic of terrorism
-the relations between terrorism, politics and the state
-the legal definition of terrorism and its representations in the media
-the criminal law framework for combating terrorism
-administrative and extra-legal measures against terrorism
-Surveillance, the Intelligence agencies, and the legal framework guiding their operations
-the UK PREVENT strategy for combating extremism
-making sense of counterterrorism law and its implications for the rule of law
-the implications of counterterrorism for democracy.
You will be encouraged to contribute your own opinions and experiences on these issues, and use them as a springboard for a deeper, more systematic and critical engagement with counterterrorism. This will mainly occur through group discussion, debate, and presentations in the module’s workshops. No prior knowledge of counterterrorism law is required. This module complements and advances, but does not require, previous engagement with Criminal Law, Human Rights, Constitutional Law, and Jurisprudence.

You will learn about the law relating to residential tenancies in England and Wales. You will learn to identify the different types of tenancies and understand the rights attached to them. You will learn about the law and procedure for repossession of residential tenancies in the private and public sector and how to defend possession proceedings. You will become familiar with the normal terms in a residential tenancy agreement, their purpose and meaning and whether they can be enforced.

The module also covers the law relating to housing condition including the landlord’s obligations to repair and the powers of the local authority to ensure safe accommodation and the law in relation to illegal eviction and harassment by landlords.

Finally, the module considers the law relating to homelessness and the obligations on the local authority to rehouse the homeless.

In this module you will develop a critical understanding of the law relating to clinical negligence in England and Wales. The module will examine some of the fundamental legal principles needed to establish a clinical negligence claim, such as liability , causation, and limitation, as well as considering the practical aspects of running a clinical negligence in a practice. At the end of the module you will have developed an awareness of how to run a clinical negligence case.

This module takes a cross-jurisdictional look at evidence in legal settings. It articulates the decision-making process in various criminal justice systems by exploring the respective normative framework for information management. Different models of proof in domestic (England and Wales) and international criminal justice systems (common law) will be reduced to their central tenets and principles of evidence and proof. Particular emphasis will be laid on the area of law at the intersection of evidence and proof. We will investigate the way in which the criminal process employs expert witnesses and critically analyse the various issues arising from the way legal officials, factfinders and scientists/forensic practitioners communicate with each other. On completion of this module, students should be able to:
• analyse and critically discuss principles of evidence law
• demonstrate knowledge and understanding of contemporary debates in theoretical and empirical literature about the law of evidence
• have an independent ability to further their knowledge about, and research into, the issues arising from the topics and themes and to write about these issues in a structured and academic way.

Module topics outline

1. Introduction. What is structural analysis?
2. Criminal Trial as a decision-making process
• Principles of evidence
• Truth
• Justice
3. Features of Evidence
• Relevance
• Credibility
• Probative force
4. Standard of Proof
• Defining ‘reasonable’
• The algorithm or the story?
5. Generating and presenting evidence
• Information management
• Illegally obtained evidence
6. Expert witness testimony
• The realm of law
• The realm of science
7. The problem of validity
• Opinion Rule
• What is “helpful”?
• Deference and epistemic dependence
8. Unchallenged evidence.
• Accepting expert evidence
• Departing from expert evidence
• Unchallenged expert evidence
9. DNA
• Intelligence Databases
• Population Databases
• Logical fallacies
10. Fingerprints and Identification
11. Law & Science
• Scientific findings
• Legal decisions
12. The future of Evidence and Proof
• AI & Deep learning
• AI as source of evidence

Sentencing is a routine part of the criminal process when a defendant is convicted, yet how and why we should punish offenders remain deeply contested questions. This module introduces you to the main theories of punishment, exploring retributive and consequentialist justifications for punishment, as well as theories which combine elements of both. You will consider moral responsibility and explore how debates about free will and determinism, along with recent developments in neuroscience, impact on theorising about punishment. You will also learn about the impact of technology on punishment, such as the use of algorithms in calculating risk of reoffending at the sentencing stage. You will then explore ethical issues relating to two widely used, yet controversial, forms of punishment: imprisonment and capital punishment. The latter part of the module will explore alternative approaches to punishment, such as restorative justice and welfare-based interventions. Arguments for the abolition of punishment will also be considered.

Outline of seminar topics:
1. Retributive punishment
2. Consequentialist punishment
3. Mixed theories of punishment
4. Moral responsibility and punishment: the free will debate
5. Technology and punishment
6. The ethics of imprisonment
7. The ethics of capital punishment
8. Alternative approaches (1): restorative justice
9. Alternative approaches (2): child welfare; mental health treatment.
10. Arguments for abolition

The content of the module will be in line with the SRA Assessment Specification for SQE1. You will learn about and apply relevant core legal principles and rules, at the level of a competent newly qualified solicitor in practice, to realistic client-based and ethical problems and situations in the following areas:

The key elements of a freehold and/or leasehold residential or commercial property transaction.

Investigation of a registered or an unregistered freehold and/or leasehold title.

Pre-contract searches and enquiries undertaken when acquiring a freehold and/or leasehold property.

Steps in progressing a freehold and/or leasehold property transaction to exchange of contracts.

Pre-completion steps relevant to a freehold and/or leasehold property transaction.

Completion and post-completion steps relevant to a freehold and/or leasehold property transaction including remedies for delayed completion.

The grant and the assignment of a commercial lease and/or underlease.

The key lease covenants in a commercial lease and the law relating to their breach.

Security of tenure under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 Part II.

Taxation of property transactions through Stamp Duty Land Tax, Land Transaction Tax, Value Added Tax and Capital Gains Tax.

This module will therefore support you in preparing for the SQE1 assessment in property law and practice.

You will learn about the whole lifecycle of a business from start-up to dissolution/insolvency. You will learn about the main types of business media - sole traders, Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs), partnerships and companies – as well as their advantages and disadvantages and key considerations relevant for choice of legal structure. You will understand the procedures for setting up each type of business media, and you will be able to demonstrate an awareness of the ongoing interests, rights, obligations and powers of the various stakeholders within each business structure. You will be able to advise on the legal aspects of common business transactions, entering into contracts and the basics of finance and lending. In relation to companies, you will learn to appreciate the importance of a company’s constitution and the Companies Act 2006 in relation to: the ongoing operations of the company; the appointment and removal of officers; alterations to the constitution; transactions with directors; and the allotment, issue and transfer of shares. You will be able to draft routine documentation required to effect common transactions and advise on the taxation of business profits. You will understand the implications of insolvency for a business and individuals and be able to advise on any claims arising and potential liabilities. You will cover the basic principles of business accounting and you will learn how to interpret business accounts to ensure clients are appropriately advised. Finally, professional conduct scenarios will be employed so that you learn the importance of complying with the Code of Conduct and other professional obligations, including in relation to anti-money laundering and financial services regulation.

The content of this module will be in line with the SRA Assessment Specification for SQE 1:

Analysis of merits of claim or defence.

Arbitration, mediation and litigation as an appropriate mechanism to resolve a dispute.

Pre-action considerations and steps.

Commencing, responding to or progressing a claim.

Case management and any interim applications relevant to a claim.

The evidence needed and disclosure steps required in commencing, responding to, progressing or defending a claim.

Preparation of a case for a trial, the trial and any post trial steps.

Procedures and processes relevant to costs involved in dispute resolution.

On completion of this module you will apply relevant core legal principles and rules to realistic client based and ethical problems and situations in the area of civil dispute resolution. These areas will be considered using contract and tort legal knowledge and principles, you will be expected to understand the basics of both of these legal areas and apply them to realistic scenarios in order to advise a client, either bringing a claim or defending an action.

The module will take you through a claim from initially seeing a client including initial considerations around parties, funding a claim, limitation, causes of action, jurisdiction, through where and how to start proceedings, responding to proceedings and how to terminate proceedings at an early stage. It will also then cover how cases are managed by the court and what evidential issues you may encounter during the process of a claim. Finally it will deal with considerations for trial, including costs issues that may arise at the end of or during the dispute resolution process.

This module will therefore support you in preparing for the SQE 1 assessment in dispute resolution.

The content of this module will be in line with the SRA Assessment Specification for SQE 1.

The core principles of criminal liability including actus reus and mens rea, specific and general defences, and participation.

The law, procedure and processes involved in advising a client at the police station.

The law, procedure and processes involved in pre-trial considerations.

The law, procedure and processes involved to meet the client’s objectives.

The law, procedure and processes involved in magistrates’ court and Crown Court trials, including sentencing and appeals.

On completion of this module you will understand and be able to apply the core legal principles and rules to realistic client based and ethical problems and situations in the area of criminal law and practice. The module will include advising clients about the procedures and processes at the police station including the applicable rules of criminal evidence. You will to apply the core principles to realistic scenarios in order to advise relevant parties to criminal proceedings.

The module will take you through the key stages of the criminal litigation process including arrest, detention, interview , procedures in the police station, bail, the first hearing in the magistrates’ court, case management and pre-trial hearings (including disclosure of evidence), evidential principles and procedures, trial procedure in the magistrates’ court and Crown Court, youth court procedure, sentencing and appeals.

This module will therefore support you in preparing for the SQE1 assessment in criminal law and practice.

The content of this module will be in line with the SRA Assessment Specification for SQE1:

1. The validity of a will and interpretation of the contents of a will. The distribution of testate, intestate and partially intestate estates.

2. The law and practice in connection with an application for a grant of representation.

3. The law and practice of Inheritance Tax in the context of lifetime gifts and transfers on death.

4. The planning, management and progression of the administration of an estate including claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975.

5. The law and practice relating to personal representatives and trustees in the administration of estates and consequent trusts.

The rights, powers and remedies of beneficiaries of wills and consequent trusts.

On completion of this module you will be able to apply relevant core legal principles and rules appropriately and effectively to realistic client-based and ethical problems and situations in the area of wills and the administration of estates. The module takes you through how wills are created, executed and revoked. You will learn the rules of intestacy and how to distribute and administer an estate. You will learn about Inheritance Tax and the impact on lifetime gifts and on an estate on death. You will learn about valuing an estate for inheritance tax purposes, how to prepare estate accounts and about claims against the estate.

This module will support you in preparing for the SQE1 assessment in wills and the administration of estates.

This module is an opportunity for you to devise, develop and complete a substantial piece of independent research at Master’s level, in dissertation form, in an area of your choice linked to your study.

You will work under the guidance of a project supervisor, utilising the knowledge and understanding you have gained on the LLM in Professional Legal Practice and the legal knowledge that you have.

The LLM Project module focuses on the development of skills in three key areas: problem identification and analysis, research and information gathering and the written presentation of results. You will develop your ability to undertake legal research, addressing complex and current issues in your subject area. You will also engage critically with research material and analyse your current skills and practice. The LLM Project module will also develop your skill in effectively formulating, communicating and presenting a sustained argument in writing to both a specialist and non-specialist audience.

This module will provide you with an understanding of the various concepts and themes that permeate contemporary space governance. You will critically examine the way in which space exploration is governed on a national and international level. The module will examine the governance of traditional space activity: the development of satellite communications, military activity in space, the use of interplanetary probes to gain scientific data and also human spaceflight. The module will introduce ideas of space law, alongside astropolitics, international relations and broader policy considerations in the governance of space. Study on this module will consider the commercial, academic and security issues in respect of the governance of human activity in outer space. There will be consideration of the environmental impact of space activity and related attempts to incorporate notions of sustainability in space governance. The role of national space legislation and softer, non-binding agreements will also be critically evaluated. You will immerse yourself in the space environment and formative assessment will be by means of peer discussion in workshops. Participation and engagement with the wider space industry, such as external space-related blogs, will be facilitated. The module will also feature input from experts in the field of space exploration and will provide an exciting and contemporary critique of contemporary space governance.

In this module you will learn to critically assess the development of the law relating to the operation of algorithmic systems. As these systems become more ubiquitous and affordable, legal frameworks which are used to dealing with decision-making, will come under increasing scrutiny as centralised and automated decision-making will keep making inroads into individualised decisions from factfinders on the ground. You will study e.g. the way in which technology is challenging traditional concepts and principles in law. The legal dimensions of algorithms within everyday life will be assessed alongside the broader ethical and legal dimensions of the rise in use of Artificial Intelligence. The module will also examine the rise of algorithmic systems in policing, e.g. automated facial recognition. The module builds on the research interests of the tutors involved in this module and will provide a unique insight into an emerging and evolving area of legal inquiry:

• Conceptualising algorithmic systems and machine learning aka Artificial Intelligence.
• Algorithms, Machine Learning and a new technological paradigm.
• The Ethical Challenges posed by Artificial Intelligence.
• The Legal Challenges posed by Artificial Intelligence.
• Legal infomatics and the implications for the legal and judicial profession.
• The Internet Economy and AI.
• Regulating Autonomous systems in transport (i) Self Driving Vehicles
• Regulating Autonomous systems in policing (ii) Automated Facial Recognition.

You will also be expected to acquire and exercise the following skills during the course of this module:

• The ability to identify and analyse relevant legal issues in practical case-scenarios.
• The ability to undertake in-depth research.
• The ability to undertake detailed study of relevant sources of information, including journal articles, cases and other research materials.

In this module you will explore the development of the police function, organisation and practice in modern society. You will interrogate key concepts, theories and debates in the sociolegal study of the police, including the relation of the police with the legal system and criminal justice. The module situates policing within the wider institutional configuration of security and social control and facilitates an understanding of how economic, political and ideological factors shape these institutions. A range of historical and comparative issues in police organisation, deployment and practice are approached from a British and comparative perspective, offering you ample opportunity to reflect on their implications for democratic government, civil liberties and human security.



You will explore a series of topics ranging from the interrogation of the historical emergence of modern police in a European, English and North American context to the growth of private policing and the significant transformation of law enforcement it entails. En route, there will be an interrogation of the contemporary professional policing model, a consideration of police behaviour (and use of discretion) in the context of both the legal system and the environment of modern police organisations, as well as an examination of systems of police governance and accountability in the context of the UK and other advanced liberal democracies. The module will also address a range of current topics such as intelligence-led policing, paramilitarisation, transnational policing, the pluralisation of policing and police abolition.