LLM — 2024 entry Professional Legal Practice (SQE Pathway)

This module provides a detailed understanding of the legal, ethical and conduct issues when preparing for and conducting a client interview in the context of Business Law and Practice and provide oral and written advice.   It begins by requiring students to complete the online learning Business Law and Practice, (Business Structures in the UK, Business Organisations, Rules and Procedures, Partnership and Insolvency). Students will be introduced to professional conduct and ethical issues when conducting an in-person client interview and the importance of consent, confidentiality and money laundering.  Using examples (captured content and online materials), students will assess examples of interviews to identify good and bad practice. Working in groups, students will undertake a formative assessment, providing constructive peer feedback which aims to enforce student understanding of the legal, professional and ethical issues which are pertinent to client interviewing practice. At the end of the module, students will be assessed on knowledge of Business Law and Practice by applying the law to real life cases and created scenarios in a professional practice environment. All modules in this programme link with preparation for the SQE and for future professional practice. The pedagogy of this module, including the assessment pattern, relates academic and vocational skills to professional practice in a legal environment.

This module will enable the student to develop practical legal drafting skills and is designed to complement directed learning from the Public Law and Legal Systems chapter of the embedded online SQE learning tool. The module will also build on the skills developed in the preceding modules (client interviewing and negotiation) to provide students with an understanding of the development of litigation cases within the framework of UK civil procedure rules. All modules in this programme link with preparation for the SQE and for future professional practice. The pedagogy of this module, including the assessment pattern, relates academic and vocational skills to professional practice in a legal environment.

This module will enable students to develop one of the key professional skills of the legal industry and refine their general transferable interpersonal communication skills. The practice of negotiation is key in ADR and crucial in managing the litigation process. This module will imbue students with the theoretical knowledge to understand the fundamental principles, ethics, and context of negotiation in the context of contract and tort dispute resolution and will also educate them (through interactive learning exercises) in the practical conduct of the negotiation process using classroom simulations and case studies. Successful completion of the module will enable students to identify when negotiation can be used appropriately to support parties in dispute resolution, to assist parties in identifying the key objectives and boundaries of the negotiation, to construct an advantageous negotiation strategy and to lead the negotiation in a structured, diplomatic, and flexible manner. This module will strongly underpin the pillar of employability as a firm grounding in the theory and practice of negotiation adds high employee value across a range of industries and career roles, most notably in legal practice where it is recognized as the “most important part of a lawyer’s job” (Herring, 2023). All modules in this programme link with preparation for the SQE and for future professional practice. The pedagogy of this module, including the assessment pattern, relates academic and vocational skills to professional practice in a legal environment. 

This module will allow students to refine and evidence two key professional legal skills. It will enable students to build on their undergraduate legal academic skills to develop the ability to research and write to the level expected of a newly qualified legal professional.  This module will link with student online directed learning from the embedded SQE preparation tool on Wills, Administrate and Estates.  Students will be required to demonstrate the ability to successfully design and execute a research plan (using both digital and analogue legal materials/databases) and the ability to identify and differentiate between research sources of varying values and relevance. Students will be required to engage with research sources to extract and analyse key content and to present their findings and conclusions in a logical, structured written communication piece. The module will provide opportunities for students to practice and reflect on their written linguistic style (recognizing the difference between academic and professional legal writing) and identify ways in which they can communicate key legal information in a professionally effective and concise manner. All modules in this programme link with preparation for the SQE and for future professional practice. The pedagogy of this module, including the assessment pattern, relates academic and vocational skills to professional practice in a legal environment.

The module links with directed SQE1 preparation from relevant sections of the embedded online learning tool. The module will introduce students to the essential skills of advocacy and to the requirements of professional ethics in advocacy.  The module will take a practical and theoretical approach.  Students will receive an insight into the characteristics of good advocacy including effective case-analysis, communication skills, rhetorical persuasion, analytical rigour, and effectively constructed oral argument. They will be required to practice their skills using advocacy exercises that are common in practice.  The module will also focus on the standards of professionalism that apply to conduct and behaviour in practice and comprise a framework for ethical and competent practice. Successful completion of the module will enable students to be effective advocates for the benefit of clients, and the efficient administration of justice. Students will know how to use advocacy skills that are compatible with sound ethics, be able to respond to ethical issues, and know where to find additional support for complex ethical problems.    This module fosters resourcefulness and resilience, advocacy being a skill that requires confidence, the ability to think on one’s feet, and to be resourceful in identifying effective responses to argument. The module is also important to global and cultural capabilities with legal ethical concerns often uniting various global jurisdictions.  Employers welcome the skill of advocacy in the wide range of contexts where being able to give effective oral explanations is important; the module thus enhances employability. All modules in this programme link with preparation for the SQE and for future professional practice. The pedagogy of this module, including the assessment pattern, relates academic and vocational skills to professional practice in a legal environment.

The module aims to provide students with the employability tools that will enable them to develop and demonstrate transferable academic and professional skills within the legal sector. Interactive workshops, guest speakers and a mock assessment centre offer an experiential learning model that will complement their SQE1 preparation. It will also incorporate directed SQE1 preparation from relevant sections of the embedded online learning tool through completion of the FLK2 mock assessment. All modules in this programme link with preparation for the SQE and for future professional practice. The pedagogy of this module, including the assessment pattern, relates academic and vocational skills to professional practice in a legal environment.

This cross-semester module will enable students to apply theoretical and academic knowledge in practical, professional environments. It links with directed SQE1 preparation from the embedded online learning tool (including completion of MCQs). It links specifically with issues relating to Property Law and Legal Systems through use of an online legal clinic and completion of court observations. Students will learn about the regulation of the legal profession. Students will complete physical and virtual court observations (from choices including Magistrates Court, Crown Court, County Court, Court of Protection). Students will participate in an online legal clinic (under the supervision of a qualified solicitor). Students will gain knowledge and experience of various practice areas, including online clinic queries relating to Property Law. Students will complete SQE1 self-evaluation MCQs for all sections of the embedded online learning tool. Students will complete a reflective portfolio which will be submitted at the end of the LLM. All modules in this programme link with preparation for the SQE and for future professional practice. The pedagogy of this module, including the assessment pattern, relates academic and vocational skills to professional practice in a legal environment.