Module manager: Anna Tzanaki
Email: A.Tzanaki@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2026/27
LAW1030 Contract LAW1200 Foundations of Law
| LAW1035 | Contract Law |
| LAW1204 | Foundations of Law |
| LAW3041 | Company Law |
This module is not approved as a discovery module
The module explores the main features of company law in the United Kingdom. The study of company law provides a framework for understanding the internal dynamics of companies and the way they affect the external world. Company law governs the formation, management, and dissolution of companies, which are foundational to modern economic activity. By examining the legal responsibilities of companies, including directors’ duties, shareholder rights and remedies, and creditor protections, students can gain insight into how businesses balance profit motives with ethical and legal obligations. Moreover, company law addresses issues of accountability and corporate governance, which are increasingly important in today’s world where stakeholders expect companies to act responsibly in areas like sustainability and social impact. While the module focuses on UK company law, it equips students with key legal concepts, principles and rules that shape corporate behaviour in a globalised economy and introduces them to similar legal and policy debates in other jurisdictions.
This module will provide students with the opportunity to learn about key company law principles, case law and legislation, and practise how these may be applied to provide solutions to real-life or hypothetical problem scenarios. It aims to provide students with a good overview of central issues in UK company law such as the nature of the company as a business organisation, potential shareholder liability, the corporate constitution, the relations between the company and third parties, the law relating to corporate finance and key principles of corporate insolvency law, corporate governance and the distribution of power within a company, the duties of directors and available remedies to shareholders. The goal is to enable students to identify and discuss the main features of UK company law, explain the ways in which company law balances the interests of the different groups represented within the company, and evaluate the effectiveness of company law mechanisms, such as the limitation or potential extension of shareholder liability, the enforcement of the company’s constitution, directors’ duties, and shareholder remedies to solve corporate conflicts.
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
Explain and analyse legal concepts, values, principles, and rules of company law, showing how they are applied in different legal and factual contexts.
Apply legal reasoning to develop an explanation of a complex legal issue of company law.
Use theories and legal authorities such as case law and legislation to formulate responses to actual and hypothetical problems relating to company law.
Analyse legal and non-legal information to gain insights into how company law operates within broader societal contexts.
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
Apply critical thinking to analyse complex legal issues, demonstrating creativity in problem-solving.
Adapt communication styles to suit different audiences, including legal professionals and non-specialists.
The legal nature of companies in the law of the United Kingdom; limited liability and separate personality
The process of incorporation
The corporate constitution
Relations with outsiders
Corporate finance
Corporate governance; the general meeting, appointment, disqualification and duties of directors
Duties of Directors
Shareholder Rights and Remedies
Insolvency
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 11 | 1 | 11 |
| Seminar | 5 | 2 | 10 |
| Private study hours | 179 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 21 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
179
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 | Coursework | 100 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 14/05/2026
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team