Law (Solicitors' Practice)

Wherever your career takes you after this course, almost all of you will either be working for a business or running one. As a newly qualified solicitor, you are expected to have a comprehensive understanding of what goes on behind the scenes in business life, from your local cafe to your favourite brands, to the strawberry farm down the road.

You may be involved with a business at any point from, its conception to its death. Clients may ask for your advice on which business form they should choose, how the business could or should be governed, who makes business decisions and whether they will be liable for the consequences, what records a business has to keep, how businesses are financed, what they have to disclose about their affairs, what happens when they run out of money and critically, how they are taxed. Understanding these components is so important for a newly qualified solicitor that one third of the SQE 2 is devoted to Business Law.

This module will equip you with the functioning legal knowledge needed for the Business Law elements of SQE1, as well as a provide you with a comprehensive introduction to Business Law for SQE 2.

One person wrongs another. They broke a promise or caused them harm. Perhaps they deny responsibility. A civil dispute arises. How do we resolve the dispute justly; and how much will it cost? How can you, as an ethically-minded, competent and newly-qualified Solicitor help your client whether they are the person wronged or the alleged wrongdoer?

From the start of a Solicitor's involvement in a dispute to its resolution, you will learn how to analyse and evaluate contractual and tortious disputes, and how to effectively apply relevant principles and rules of civil dispute resolution to bring it to an end. You will assess facts and law relating to realistic civil disputes. This will enable you to form legally sound judgements useful to your client who is caught in a complex web of legal procedures and processes. And you’ll be able to explain what, if anything, this will cost. Along the way, you will gain clarity and critical understanding about why 99% of legal disputes never go to trial despite - or perhaps because of - the Solicitor's role in solving them.

This module will equip you with the functioning legal knowledge you need for the dispute resolution component of Solictitors Qualifying Examinations 1.

‘I do solemnly, sincerely and truly declare and affirm that I will faithfully try the defendant and give a true verdict according to the evidence.’  These were the words that Benjamin heard as each jury member took their oath in the crowded court room.  But how did he get there?

From the start of the solicitor’s involvement in a criminal case to its conclusion you will learn how to analyse, evaluate, and advise on criminal liability, evidence and procedure.  You will learn how to effectively apply relevant principles and rules.  You will assess facts and law relating to realistic criminal scenarios.  This will enable you to form legally sound judgements.  You will gain clarity and critical understanding of how the criminal lawyer can make a difference (or not) to those in society, who are at their lowest ebb.

Armed with knowledge and skills obtained, you will be in a great position to undertake the first step towards qualifying as an ethically grounded solicitor in England and Wales.  That’s because this module provides the functioning legal knowledge you need to pass the criminal law and practice component of SQE1.

Your dissertation will provide you with opportunity to bring together the themes you have been discovering during the course and allow you to reflect on your future role as a solicitor whilst critically evaluating the role of a solicitor in society

A solicitor’s day in practice is never the same.  As a prospective solicitor you must have the skills to enable you to be prepared for the unexpected.  You will be under immense time pressure.  In a single day in practice, you will be expected to take instructions from clients. You will write letters to clients and others. You will draft documents.  You will go to court and present a case.  You will need to analyse case papers quickly and provide advice in person, over the phone or in writing.

Through scenario and roleplay-based training, this module will equip you with the skills necessary to deal with the day-to-day tasks of a practising solicitor.  You will have the opportunity to use the functioning legal knowledge already obtained and cemented in other modules.  You will do so by using and applying that knowledge through a variety of different skill sets.

The learning and the assessments you undertake on this module are closely aligned to the Solicitors’ Qualification Examinations (SQE) Part 2. On completion of this module, you will have the foundations required to tackle many of the SRA’s SQE2 assessments.

TBC

What should you do if: your client or boss asks you to do something you think is wrong? Your duty to your client conflicts with your duty to the court? You accidentally send an email intended for your client to the opposing side? Your answers to these questions, and more, will make the difference to your professionalism, adherence to Solicitors Regulatory Authority requirements, and how you feel about the distinction between personal and professional ethics.

You will explore the concept of professionalism in relation to legal and other professions. In this frame, you will be introduced to professional legal ethics and, through application to real-world scenarios, reflect regularly on professional and ethical issues. This will enable you to see the ways in which ethical and professional practice concerns cut across different areas of legal practice and will equip you to consider similar issues in wider course learning and on into your future career.

By the end of this module, you will have gained an in-depth understanding of solicitors’ practice and its regulation, covering all aspects of the ‘Principles of Professional Conduct’ section of the specification for Part 1 of the Solicitor's’ Qualifying Examinations (SQE), and you will be able to apply that knowledge to SQE assessments.

Home ownership is something many aspire to. Some people also desire to purchase property for commercial purposes. What is involved in conveying residential or commercial property? How can you, as an ethically minded, competent and newly qualified solicitor help your client to smoothly sell or purchase property? What forms must they complete? Which taxes are involved and how much must they pay? What are the differences between freehold and leasehold estates?

You will gain an in-depth understanding of the process of buying and selling property, including taxation requirements and the regulatory and ethical responsibilities placed on solicitors. You will engage in problem-solving skills and you will learn how to analyse and evaluate complex rules, principles and procedures in Property Law & Practice.

Armed with the knowledge and skills obtained in this module, you will be in a great position to undertake the first essential step towards qualifying as an ethically grounded Solicitor in England & Wales. That's because the module provides the functioning legal knowledge you need to pass the Property Law & Practice component of SQE1.

We all own an estate. Did you know that? Your pen, laptop, and bank savings all form a part of your estate which you can pass on in life or on death. How can you, as an ethically minded, competent and newly qualified solicitor help your client to make a will, set up a trust, invest their assets and save on taxes? What advice would you provide to administrators of estates about dealing with the estate of a deceased person while protecting themselves from liability?

From the start of a solicitor’s involvement in estate planning to administration you will learn how to analyse and evaluate complex rules, principles and procedures to help clients structure their estate efficiently, to protect their wealth for the future (including the use of trust instruments), to provide for those dearest to them and minimise tax liabilities.

Armed with the knowledge and skills obtained in this module, you will be in a great position to undertake the first essential step towards qualifying as an ethically grounded Solicitor in England & Wales. That's because the module provides the functioning legal knowledge you need to pass the wills, trusts and administration of estates component of Solicitor’s Qualifying Examinations 1 (SQE1).