law

could someone please tell me what exactly the study of law involves,is it just learning or is it writing essays or what?
i want to study law but ive just realised i dont really know what it involves.

Reply 1

Baby_Angelz

roxy potter

could someone please tell me what exactly the study of law involves,is it just learning or is it writing essays or what?
i want to study law but ive just realised i dont really know what it involves.

My first year topics are English Legal System, Public Law, Law of Contract and Criminal Law.

Basically these are core subjects. You will need to satisfy several core subjects before you can branch out to other optional subjects (it does varies from Uni to Uni).

Exams wise, it's all about writing essays and essays and more essays...

The lecturer doesn't really say much besides the fundamental theories and important cases. Most of the information are done through individual research and discussed during tutorials.

Some of the texts are highly contradictory. Let's face it, there's 101 reasons why you are for retaining the jury system and there's also 101 reasons why you are against the retention of the jury system. So Different authors have pretty much different views... which sometimes can be quite confusing...

The first thing my lecturer told me when i entered for class was law is never about justice; law is never fair. If you are so interested to save people, go be a doctor instead....

P.S. I know my reply is kind of vague, but i am just writing what comes to my mind. Kind of tired after a long day. It's 3 am over here... I am going to bed...

Reply 2

Baby_Angelz

If you are really interested in law and not merely about the money spinning prospect..

You can probably check out the various universities' websites on their syllabus to give you a rough idea.

You can look up on the previous threads on law, they do give quite a comprehensive view...

Remember to check out Vitriol's thread, it's very enlightening.
http://www.uk-learning.net/t23832.html

Reply 3

alocin

That's all good info. In respect to the "is it all essays?" aspect, for Law you probably will be writing quite a few essays. However you are also likely to be answering problem questions - where you are given a senario with lots of different legal issues in it and then are asked to advise the parties. So not just dry essays, but still lots of writing.

Reply 4

house badger

I think it depends very much on where you go to study law. Law at Oxford, where I am studying it, is very theoretical and academic. We write essays, lots of them and although we do have problem questions, as the previous poster mentioned, they are not a practical exercise they still concern the theoretical aspects of that area of law.

Oxford type courses are probably in the minority though and many more have a more practical approach to law where you'll do such things as write responses in the context of advice to clients etc.

Law can be studied in many ways so bear this in mind when you read the prospectuses of the various universities.

Reply 5

roxy potter

thanks. im irish so i'll probably go to nui.
i cant seem to find any specific info but what you all described does interest me.
if anyone has anything else to add please do.

Reply 6

teamvillage

House badger, what college & year are you in at Oxford... and how are you finding the course?

Cheers

Reply 7

lilsunflower

Yeh.. I've been wondernig a lot about the differences between how Law in taught at diff unis.

Reply 8

house badger

I'm a first year at Christ Church. The course is very intensive and I think us lawyers work harder than the other subject at college. Lots of reading and essay writing. The course is excellent and if you get in its probably the best law teaching you will receive anywhere in the UK (including Cambridge). :wink:

My tutors include are among the best in the world in their areas.

As for the course. I've just finished my exams (moderations) at the end of my second term. So far I have studied, constitutional law, criminal law and introduction to law (you could study roman law instead of this). The teaching is done primarily in tutorials, 3 every 2 weeks, at your college. You have a reading list and an essay to read for each of these. There are also non-compulsory (but very handy) lectures at the law faculty. The work is quite independant but there is perhaps more guidance from tutors than at other Unis.

I've included as much as I can remember to in the one post but if there's anything else that I can tell you just PM me or reply to this msg and I'll answer!

Reply 9

roxy potter

thanks so much. thats all i really needed to know hopefully i'll make it to the uk for post grad study. i might take you up on the pm thing though, strange questions tend to hit me at strange times.

Reply 10

house badger

Like any subject if you're commited to doing it, it's not boring.

Why did I even waste my time replying to your post?!?

Reply 11

viviki

ReturnofGnostic

Only the mediocre can enjoy studying law.

In your opinion which doesnt make it an authority. I didnt enjoy studying English but I certainly wouldnt say only the mediocre can enjoy it because that simply isnt true. Get a life just because you dont enjoy law doesnt mean that everyone is like you.

Reply 12

roxy potter

so what exactly do super intelligent people like yourself study?

Reply 13

roxy potter

ReturnofGnostic

LLB 2.1, currently a trainee lawyer, but giving it up to start a career in philosophy from this summer.

what happened to let he who has not sinned cast the first stone.
maybe im just going to have to discover my mediocreness for my self,
im glad to see you've no prob admitting it about yourself though

Reply 14

house badger

ReturnofGnostic

One has to question the constitution of a person who can derive pleasure from reading ECJ judgements.

ECJ judgements aren't particuly interesting but the issues that arise from them can be. For example the Factortame case showed that English law is inferior to European Community law. This has implications for our entire system of government, which is built around the doctrine of Parliamentary sovereignty. This ECJ judgement signalled the end of Parliament's absolute authority and changes our entire constitution. I think that this is interesting, you may not but that is your choice.

Reply 15

roxy potter

ReturnofGnostic

I never enjoyed studying law, hence I can continue throwing about my stones (aims one at roxy).

my whole point being that you have in essence made the "mistake" of studying law so you cant criticise others for doing the same thing.
why precisely did you do law?

Reply 16

Rosy

I didn't appreciate your cheeky dig at Cambridge law, house badger! What intrigues me about law, is that my interest in different areas has fluctuated quite dramatically over the past four years of legal study. My interest in areas I hated at first (contract and constitutional law come to mind) seem much more interesting the more layers of learning you add to them. Just a word of advice if you're a first year - make the most of your chances to study the more eclectic areas. Do the career-law (procedure / company etc) later, if you have to!

Reply 17

house badger

Rosy

Oxford law really isn't that flexible in terms of options. The first year is pretty much set as Constitutional, Criminal, (Intro or Roman) first two terms and Contract, Tort summer term. The rest of the course is a bit more flexible but you still have to complete the core areas leaving only a few options. It's not like many other unis where you can pick and choose different modules or even take some from other subjects. Most the advice I've had on options seems to suggest that eclectic areas such as legal ethics etc is a waste of time and not a good move if you want good career prospects.

Secondly Cambridge is poo, dirty tabs.

Reply 18

Rosy

house badger

Most the advice I've had on options seems to suggest that eclectic areas such as legal ethics etc is a waste of time and not a good move if you want good career prospects.

Secondly Cambridge is poo, dirty tabs.

1. Subjects such as Jurisprudence, legal history, comparative law, and the like are precisely the ones which develop your legal mind and allow you to think creatively - which certainly less of a waste of time than learing the Companies Act three years before you'll need to use it! And firms / chambers rarely care about your modules, they focus on your grades.

2. I could slate Oxford, but I pity you enough already ;-)

Reply 19

alocin

We are going through a bit of extreme law in context at the moment - for tort about 50% of the module is all about the context of the tort system and insurance, how tort actually works in practice, etc. It is a change from "blackletter" traditional theoretical law but geez insurance is dull. How do people who work in insurance companies cope?