Law student - what to prepare and bring to Lancaster uni?

Any advice for a law student studying at Lancaster this Autumn?

Any books you’d recommend, what I should brush up on, stationery essentials, revision tips, what to do during my breaks, etc 💞

Hi! I'm going into my second year now.

If you've done law before, I definitely recommend brushing up on your Criminal Law, focusing on causation in particular. This is a big part of most of the offences you'll cover but isn't given much time in lectures.

As for revision tips, actually do some. You might have the mentality that 'it's only first year, it doesn't count for anything' but it DOES. Some law firms take your first year grades into account when it comes to offering you a training contract or a vacation scheme. So definitely don't just leave it all until three weeks before the exam.

I recommend bringing a level arch file for each module you do and type up the notes you make in lectures into a neater format so you can print them off and put them into the folder.

Hope this helps!
If you need any more advice then feel free to message me!

I made a massive post on this on the university law forum a few weeks back - i'm also going into my second year now
https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5493798

And if your wanting a short read and a head up on contract law which will be explained in your first lecture of contract (THIS BOOK IS EXAMINED AND WORTH 25% OF YOUR CONTRACT GRADE) - Contract in Context by Richard Austin Baker

Thank you so much, will read the thread now! There's not many law students on here tbh I think it's a dying art/degree! Good that means more opportunities for me to do well and succeed haha!
The book is £56 on Amazon, are there any cheaper alternatives that are just as good?

I'll pop mine on ebay for £10 if you want. It's £35 blackwells book shop at university. Sadly that's the one book that has to be right. When i mean its examinable content, the exam question was the chapter title for one of the questions . I also have the other 4 books you need but some of these will be 1 year out of date (but not much of the law has changed so it wouldn't be much of an issue)

It's still a popular degree think we had 240 students in my year, just not many people use TSR up north

Thank you! Is yours in good/near perfect condition with no writing or notes or highlighting scribbled in? I never write in my books for the purpose of selling/loaning it to someone.
Sounds like the perfect guide for Contract law, we only learnt Criminal and Tort law in A level so I need to do a lot of reading up on it!
What's your advice for my first semester, week of Law?
What should I expect?
I'm going to start my pre-reading/revision now of my 4 modules for this year - 2/4 I already know (Criminal Law & English Legal System) and the other 2 I don't (Contract and Public Law)
What to ask on first day? What to do when spare time/not revising?
Where to get books, revision resources etc
How often to study, read, how I should revise effectively in little time etc
How to get a First? I really want a First, a 2:1 is Ok for me but I want a First! I got AAB at A level and I wanted A*A*A-A*A*B so was quite disappointed but nonetheless very happy with my results as it got me into my firm uni!

I've highlighted 4 pages in it, i think i gave up after that I also have a proper contract law textbook with nothing in it (i haven't even read the book because it's 1400 pages).

Modules

ELS: ELS is 40% exam, 40% coursework and 20% attendence. The exam is very easy 100 MCQ questions in an hour. The questions are common sense. If you do well in your coursework there is no reason you will not get a first class. I got a 3rd in my coursework and still came out with 64% in the module, as I got 91% in my exam.

Criminal: You'll be told A Level law wasn't taught to a good standard. This is absolute rubbish. Obviously there are a few more details you need to learn but this claim is unfounded. I got a 1st in this module by relying on my A Level notes - keep all your essay plans from AQA law and keep on top of scenario questions. The exam is very similar to A Level.

Contract: Difficult at first but you get used to it. Don't isolate the topics, instead treat them as a whole, try and get a basic understanding of each topic before you start, it'll make your life easier. Pleased read contract in context in advance, I only started reading it 2 weeks before my exam and ended up getting 65% for contract law because of this.

Public: This subject is a ****ing nightmare. Lots of content, lots of theory, lots of cases. Try and understand what a constitution is, and look at the separation of powers, sovereignty of parliament and the rule of law. My key tip for this is only focus on your seminars. You'll get way too much information in lectures. We got 100 slide powerpoints for a 2 hour lecture, per week!!!! And it's 2 lectures per topic. Only the seminars have examinable content.

Tips on how to get a 1st - get a schedule and stick to it. Isolate the modules you are good at and ace them - in first year definetely criminal and ELS. This gives you some leeway for contract and public for a standard 2:1. Do all the readings you a given on Moodle (it's our place where the reading gets set). As more often than not these readings will be referenced in exams. Don't focus too much on the textbook. People are trying to read everything and it can't be done. I didn't read any of my textbooks and still came out with a high 2:1 - readings, journals and cases are more important than a standardised book.

I recommend reading the most important cases in full. When a lecturer stresses a particular case pay attention and read it in full - for other cases the summaries will suffice. Pay more time to understanding the content then just trying to read everything.

Hey thank you - wow this is so detailed I love it! I really appreciate your advice, best of luck for the future! Are you hoping to have a career in the legal sector? x