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What the heck do you learn about in Law (degree)

I know you need to write lots of essays, read a lot, learn about the law and memorise cases...

But do you challenge the law?
For example, euthanasia is illegal in the UK. Would you have to support/argue against the law making euthanasia illegal, in your essays/exams

Do you see how law has changed over time? Like, X was illegal until case R. After this case X is now no longer illegal. Then you support/argue this decision?

Do you learn the reasoning behind certain laws?

Reply 1

Maura Kat

Original post by Da Di Doo

(1) I know you need to write lots of essays, read a lot, learn about the law and memorise cases...

(2) But do you challenge the law?
(3) For example, euthanasia is illegal in the UK. Would you have to support/argue against the law making euthanasia illegal, in your essays/exams

(4) Do you see how law has changed over time? Like, X was illegal until case R. After this case X is now no longer illegal. Then you support/argue this decision?

(5) Do you learn the reasoning behind certain laws?

hi. the only reason I replied was cos I din see anyone reply to you in the 7 hours that you posted this. and believe me, I understand the reasons perfectly behind there being no replies to your post. Law is a highly competitive course so competition is strong. You won't find many individuals coming forward to either share their knowledge or offer assistance. that is the way it is and that's the way too in the top top UK unis.

i've numbered portions of your questions and answered them accordingly below.

(1) Administrative and English Legal System (which are 2 diff subjects) requires a lot of reading, research, analysis, awareness of up-to-date cases and ongoings in America and Australia since comparisons are often made between UK and these two countries. it is the only 2 subjects offered in first year at most unis which allow you to write creatively and challenge. you don't challenge the law here at all.

(2) you can challenge policies but almost never the law. (happy for year 3 law students to tell me otherwise)
examples of challenges/challenging the Statutes or policies are:
(a) most current serious harm offences are found in the Offences Against Persons Act of 1861. so here you can challenge the Statute in that its about time the UK Parliament debate and then introduce a new, updated Statute since the old one is 300 years old :eek:

(b) The post of the Lord Chancellor does not require the office holder to be a lawyer or someone who has a law degree. you only have to see the mess that Chris Grayling has created as a result of the requirements of the incumbent of such a prestigious legal position. textbook writers won't write on this fact for obvious reasons.
http://www.theguardian.com/law/2012/sep/04/chris-grayling-justice-secretary-non-lawyer

however, the failure rates for both these subjects tells you a lot about how dry these 2 subjects can be. you really need to have an interest in the operations of the UK government, the limits to their power, the people that make up the various organs of state, how judges and juries are appointed, legal philosophies and philosophers, the importance of social contract theory, why rule of law is often gleaned over, the different types of criminal justice system for example restorative/retributive/due process model and so on.

just word of caution. every chapter in Administrative and ELS has a talking point which could quite possibly be highly examinable. so as long as you're aware of these talking points, the pros and cons and so on, then you're safe in terms of picking up marks in the exams.

(3) good universities will never give you an exam question on say euthanisia or prisoner voting by itself. if you know the arguments for & against a set of issues like euthanasia, prisoner voting, reinstating the death penalty and so on, then you can weave in those arguments in your exam questions.

to give you an idea, take the following as an example of an exam essay question.
Is the law governing the conduct of secondary offenders during an act of drug taking, sufficient and adequate?
you see, say you're a drug taker and during one such activity of yours, i was with you. and you tied the tourniquet around your arm and asked me to inject the heroin into you via the syringe. you then pass out and then later expire in hospital. what then happens to me?
so every student will regurgitate the law on this area and leave it at that. but perhaps you and I will try to weave in the issue of euthanasia into the exam answer. think about it. in both the scenarios, another person will assist the main person in the activity and both dies. but the drug-taking example is illegal and perhaps the euthanasia example is legal. i think at the end of the day, if you're confident of your accurate material then by all mean go for it and weave in these issues into the exam question.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xnu340_terry-pratchett-choosing-to-die_shortfilms

(4) yes, the law has changed tremendously from the time of King John during the signing of Magna Carta till now. for example for centuries, a husband could forcefully have sex with his unwilling wife and still go unpunished. but ever since the landmark ruling of R v R (1991), the husband can be charged for rape which is defined as the penile penetration of the anus, mouth and vagina of the woman.
http://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKHL/1991/12.html

(5) good lecturers and textbook authors will never tell you outright the reasoning behind the laws. they want you to think and think and think. but for those who can't think, we will find those answers in court judgments and casebooks. for every subject, you will have to read the recommended text book as stipulated by the uni (which is usually a lousier one), 2 or 3 other textbooks (our own choice and definitely better than the recommended one) by other prominent authors and casebooks. Casebooks are important cos they give you the breakdown of the facts, legal principles and reasoning behind the judgment.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Casebook-Contract-Law-Jill-Poole/dp/0199687234/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414174322&sr=8-1&keywords=contract+casebook

What have you done at A levels and with which boards?
Which unis have you applied to?

Reply 2

TurboCretin

Original post by Da Di Doo

You might talk about the development of an area of law in an essay question either in coursework or an exam.

You do also get questions sometimes asking you to evaluate the law and suggest reforms.

These are not so much things we spent time discussing in seminars, though. You were more or less expected to form opinions on your own and argue them in assessments where applicable. The core aim of teaching on a law degree (regrettably, in my opinion) seemed to be to teach you to tackle problem questions, rather than essay questions.

Of course, others' experiences might differ.

Reply 3

Lord Jon

More how to analyse the law than actual law!

You learn concepts and fundamentals of it. You won't learn a million statutes and what crime gives you what sentence. That's fairy tale nonsense.

Its a lot more deep