Module manager: Nick Cartwright
Email: lawnc@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2025/26
This module is not approved as a discovery module
The Legal Skills module is designed to equip you, as first-year law students, with the essential practical tools required for academic and professional success in the field of law. This module focuses on developing core skills such as reflexivity, legal research, critical thinking, academic writing, and oral advocacy. Through a combination of lectures and workshops you will learn how to locate and interpret legal texts, develop structured legal arguments, and enhance your communication skills, both written and oral. The module provides hands-on experience with legal databases, citation techniques (e.g., OSCOLA), and methods for evaluating case law and statutes.
1- To identify, locate, and evaluate legal sources using online databases and traditional library resources.
2- To produce clear and concise legal writing, utilising appropriate citation methods (e.g., OSCOLA), while constructing well-structured arguments.
3- To critically assess primary and secondary sources, developing analytical skills that enable you to interpret legal issues and suggest reasoned solutions.
4- Gain confidence in oral communication, delivering well-reasoned legal arguments.
5- Enhance teamwork and communication skills through group work, developing the ability to present ideas and arguments collectively.
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
1- Identify appropriate sources of law, using them to conduct legal research
2- Describe the application of sources of law to legal problems and directed legal research tasks
3- Use appropriate legal terminology and basic legal reasoning to produce reasoned conclusions
Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
1- Participate in group work, demonstrating collaborative skills and respect for diverse viewpoint
2- Identify and use time management strategies to balance academic and personal responsibilities effectively
Details of the syllabus will be provided on the Minerva organisation (or equivalent) for the module.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 11 | 1 | 11 |
| Seminar | 7 | 2 | 14 |
| Private study hours | 175 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 25 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
A formal formative assessment opportunity will be provided for each summative assessment task, which is specifically pedagogically aligned to that task. As part of this, each student will receive feedback designed to support the development of knowledge and skills that will be later assessed in the summative task.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Pass/Fail | 50 |
| Coursework | Pass/Fail | 50 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
The reading list is available from the Library website
Last updated: 17/01/2025
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team