Level 3 Diploma in Law

Level 3 Diploma in Law

Course Synopsis
This Quality Assured Level 3 Diploma course is designed to give a "taster" to the subject and is suitable for both the adult learner returning to studying, or to the younger learner preparing for further academic study. This course provides a complete foundation in the subject area for those wishing to pursue a career in Law or for those wishing to undertake graduate studies in the field of Law. It is hoped that the course might inspire learners to proceed further in their study of law and embark on a degree course or equivalent professional course. Some of the degree "core subjects" are included in this course.

Law is a fascinating subject and covers every aspect of our daily lives. It is an ideal subject for someone with a logical mind, who likes research and attention to detail.

The course consists of ten modules. There are some graded and challenging tasks set throughout the course, which are designed to enhance understanding of the subject.

Course Contents

Module One - What is Law - Where does it come from?
The first module is the foundation to the diploma course. It poses the question as to what is law and where it comes from. In answer, it traces today's legal concepts from the Norman conquest, and gives an in depth look at some sources of law, particularly Judge made law - which has developed from that time, and how legislation is passed by Parliament.

Module Two - Who enforces the law - the Court structure
Having looked at where the law comes from in module one, this module examines who enforces the law. The module looks at the hierarchy of the Court structure in England in Wales and the European Courts. It looks at the function and jurisdiction of both Civil and Criminal Courts, and Tribunals

The module examines the lay person's role in law, namely the Magistrate and Juror. It module looks at how magistrates are appointed, and the work which is carried out by them in the Magistrates Court. The role of the Jury in the Crown Court is then examined, including who is eligible for Jury service and what decisions Jurors have to make. The module discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the lay person's role and encourages the learner to form his or her own views in this area.

Moving on to paid professional legal personnel, the module looks at the role and qualifications of solicitors and their staff, barristers and judges.

Module Three - Introduction to Law of contract and obligations (1)
Agreements are made every day. Friends might make arrangements to meet for lunch or dinner and although one person might not turn up, the other person may be annoyed but won't intend to sue the other for their non appearance! They will not intend to create legal relations.

A contract is an obligation, or an agreement made between two or more persons, who do intend to be legally bound and have some remedy in the civil courts if one party does not fulfil his or her obligations. To enable the parties to do this, the contract must be enforceable in the Courts, so various criteria must be met to ensure that the contract is valid. This module looks some of this criteria namely:

• Offer and Acceptance
• Intention to create legal relations
• Consideration
• Terms of the contract

Module Four - Law of Contract and obligations (2)
This module further explores the Law of Contract. Whilst module three, looks at how a valid contract enforceable is made, this module looks at matters which might negate this intention such as - mistake and misrepresentation. It goes on to examine when exclusion clauses are valid and the three tests that are applicable. Finally, the module looks at how a contract can be terminated, and the remedies available to an aggrieved party for breach of contract. Law of Contract is one of the "core subjects" studied in a Law degree course.

Module Five - Introduction to Property Law: (1)
This module looks at some Land law principles which have evolved and relate to land ownership. It studies the difference between real and personal property, which is essential not only so far as property law is concerned, but also in Will making and law of succession. The module then considers what chattels are as opposed to fixtures. This concept is important as anything which is attached to the land and is a fixture becomes part of the land. Ownership of the fixtures will pass to the new owner when the property is sold. However, a chattel such as a picture, will remain in the ownership of the seller.

It is interesting to study what a person actually owns where land is concerned. The legal title to the property comes from the land itself, and any house built on the land becomes attached to it. There are three different legal estates which can be held in land namely; freehold, leasehold and commonhold.

Most land in England and Wales has now been registered at Land Registry, and Land Registration System will be examined in detail

Module Six - Property law (2) - The Conveyancing Process
This module continues to look at Property law and some further land law principles, such as co-ownership of land; legal rights over land and covenants. The main part of the module examines the current the Conveyancing system in England and Wales and the procedure involved in the sometimes stressful act of buying and selling a house. Conveyancing is presently undergoing a revolution - the Land Registration Act 2002 is changing the concept of Conveyancing by dematerialising title deeds, and going forward to e-Conveyancing. Home Information Packs is due to be piloted in 2007.

Module Seven - Wills, Intestacy and Law of Succession
This module looks at the law of succession. It examines why make a person should make a Will and looks at the legal requirements of a valid will and how this should be signed and witnessed. It goes on to look at the types of legacies a person can leave in a Will.

The module then examines what happens if someone dies intestate - without making a Will, and looks at the Intestacy rules.

Module Eight - Law of Torts
This module looks at a civil wrong - a wrong which is committed by one individual against another to which redress can be sought in the civil Courts. In the module, the tort of negligence, which is topical is examined in detail. The concept of duty of care is crucial to a claim for negligence and emerged from "the snail in the bottle" case of DONAGUE v STEVENSON 1932 wherein Mrs Donoghue drank a bottle of ginger beer and then realised that there was a decomposing snail and she became ill. In order for her to be able to sue the manufacturer of the bottle of ginger beer she had to establish:

• That there was a duty of care owed her
• That the duty of care was broken
• That there was loss, injury or damage caused

It was out of this case that Lord Atkins' "neighbour" principle upon which all negligence claims are based was established.

The module will look also look at omissions as a form of negligence. Finally the module will examine the defences which can be put forward by a defendant which may defeat of substantially diminish any claim, such as contributory negligence.

Module Nine - What are my rights? - Consumer Issues
This module firstly looks at another topical issue -consumer law. It examines in some detail the rights of a consumer contained in legislations, to expect that goods bought are of satisfactory quality and last for a reasonable period of time.

There are similar provisions in force with regard to the supplying of services which will be considered. The module then moves on to consider rights of property owners concerning boundaries and how the Land Registry may help to determine the correct boundaries of a property.

Finally the impact of recent legislation, the High Hedges Act will be considered which may help a home owner when faced with a dispute with a neighbour.

Module Ten - Introduction to Criminal Law
The final module gives an overview of criminal law. It looks at the following areas:

• What is a crime?
• How crime is investigated and the accused's rights at the Police Station
• The mental element to a crime
• The offences of Homicide - Murder and Manslaughter Some specific defences, such as diminished responsibility in murder, provocation and mental incapacity