Introduction
Combining business and law studies can give students the competitive edge in a wide range of legal and commercial careers. The LLB (Hons) Law and Business course at Lincoln has been designed to give students a good knowledge of substantive law and to develop them as a practical lawyer.
An important aim is to provide the opportunity for students to gain a range of skills and knowledge which can be employed in a variety of legal and business contexts. This produces employable law students whose wide-ranging skills and knowledge can be transferred successfully into the workplace.
The Law major constitutes two thirds of this joint degree, while the remaining third is made up of business modules.
Course Content
Level One
Contract Law
The aim of this module is to introduce students to general principles of contract law. The module will develop an understanding of enforceable civil law obligations based on agreements. A sound grounding in the general principles of contract law will equip students to deal with those legal subjects which are based on contract and which are subsequently encountered in their legal studies.
Constitutional Law
This module examines the principles and operation of the UK constitution and system of government. In particular, it is concerned with “the law about government", and the relationship between the institutions of government and between government and the citizen. The module is designed to introduce key legal and political concepts and to foster critical appraisal of legal rules and of the institutions and processes of government.
Legal Skills
The overall aim of this module is to introduce the student to basic legal skills and how to use those skills effectively. Specifically, the objectives of this module are to teach the sources of law - how to find the law, use legal materials to present reasoned arguments orally or in writing, and to instil an ability to communicate effectively in a variety of forms.
Citizen and the State
This module provides a critical understanding of the extent of judicial control on governmental bodies through an examination of the law of judicial review and the protection of human rights. The central themes of public law, including accountability, the rule of law and the separation of powers will be critically developed.
Contemporary Analysis of the Firm
This module aims to provide an analysis of business with an amalgam of microeconomic theory and current business examples. It is hoped that the course will provide a firm theoretical underpinning to pressing business issues in a way which both interesting and contemporary. This module introduces students to a range of microeconomic concepts and basic analytical techniques needed in the later years of their award course.
Financial Communications
This module provides students with an understanding of the relevance of finance and accounting and some of the current issues facing business people. It develops students' ability to understand and comment upon issues which will arise when persuing a business career. It examines the underlying reasons behind why organisations spend considerable time and money producing 'financial communications', and the extent to which these communications achieve their objectives.
Level Two
Criminal Law
This module will introduce students to the general principles of English Criminal Law, with particular emphasis on the essential elements of a crime, namely 'actus reus' and 'mens rea', strict, vicarious and corporate liability and the defences. The nature of liability in relation to offences against the person and offences in relation to property will be analysed. This module will enable understanding of the relationship between criminal and civil law and introduces the criminal justice system.
EU Law
The aim is to develop students’ understanding of the Constitution and Institutions of the European Union and, in particular, the constitutional principles, administrative and procedural law, and substantive policies of the European Union. Students will be expected to understand the relationship between European Union law and national law, and to appraise the principles of supremacy and direct effect, the principles of interpretation and Member State liability. The role and jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice will be examined, while students will also acquire an understanding of substantive European Union law.
Land Law
Students will develop an in-depth knowledge of the complex subject of land law. The module explores the property rights which can exist with respect to land law and the relationships that individuals and organisations have with each other and with the state. There will be consideration of freehold and leasehold estates, and registration of land. The nature of legal and equitable rights will be identified with the concept of a trust.
Operations Management
This module responds to the need for students to understand the issues surrounding the management of resources and operations. The module sets these issues in the context of:
- Understanding organisations as 'systems' seeking to remain viable within their environments
- The notion of 'operations management' as the act of aligning processes and systems to deliver an overall strategy and its marketing objectives, in both the service and the manufacturing environments.
Critical HRM: Managing Diversity
This single semester module engages critically with diversity and equality issues in contemporary organisations. Evaluation of current organisational strategies to promote and manage equality and diversity is a key element of this module. Critically examining the role of "social justice" and "competitive business" embedded in HRM discourses of managing diversity. Social, ethical and philosophical dimensions of diversity in terms of gender, age, race, sexuality & disability will be explored. Students are introduced to a range of professional bodies and charities that support and/or promote diversity. Historical and contemporary legislation will be explored, along with their practical implications. External speakers will be invited to illustrate different organisational responses to diversity issues.
Level Three
Equity and Trusts
The aim of this is, in part, to build on skills already acquired in the previous two levels through other subjects such as legal reasoning and problem solving. Students will be introduced to the doctrine, maxims and remedies of Equity but the main emphasis will be upon the nature of a trust which has always been the principal concern of Equity. The classification, nature and creation of various types of express and implied trusts will be considered together with the appointment, powers and duties of trustees.
Law of Tort
This introduces students to the general principles of civil liability for tortious wrongs and complements the Contract Law module. The module examines the different forms of liability attaching to the main torts and the principles upon which liability is based by adopting a contemporary approach to the study of this subject. The relationship between common law, legislation and judicial policy will be highlighted and the module will contribute to the development of skills in legal analysis, problem-solving, research and reasoning.
Strategic Management
Strategic management draws upon and integrates a range of business disciplines in examining both theory and practice. In so doing, it bridges the gap between discrete functionalist perspectives and the broader issues involved in general management activity. The module examines the overall challenges, issues and solutions, which are associated with the running of modern organisations.
Business Project Management (Elective, Choose One)
Business Project Management is considered an important management philosophy for the way in which organisations manage changing business environments. All projects have to be managed to a successful conclusion, which relies on complex and important decisions being made through phases of planning, monitoring and controlling. The module focuses on the issues of planning, organisational, procedural, systematic and financial management so as to create a project management structure for a modern business context.
Entrepreneurship (Elective, Choose One)
The entrepreneurship route has been so designed that participants in the course will be well prepared to pursue careers as owner/managers and Contemporary business managers understanding the issues of modern entrepreneurial activities in Contemporary environments. Students also examine the general principles of entrepreneur and entrepreneurial activity, within a variety of settings.
Human Resource Management (Elective, Choose One)
The major function of the module is to locate the Human Resource function in the organisational context. The module explores and examines strategic as well as operational aspects of the function in the light of the contemporary business environment and social context. The practices associated with the management of human resources e.g. recruitment and selection, appraisal, training, reward systems etc are examined within what constitutes ‘good practice’ and more significantly the issues of implementation are explored and addressed. The management of change and the development of organisational culture are assessed, and their impact on the process, practices and policies of HRM are analysed.
Internet and E-Commerce (Elective, Choose One)
This module explores the way in which organisations can take advantage of Internet technologies to develop new ways of doing business and add value to their commercial activities. The module develops students' understanding of electronic commerce (E-Commerce), enhances their competencies in business analysis and introduces them to the practical skills of website development. The module will equip students to make significant contributions to the exploitation of E-Commerce in organisations.
Personal Financial Planning (Elective, Choose One)
Personal financial planning is the process whereby individuals can determine whether or not they can meet their financial objectives through proper management of their financial resources. This module demonstrates and explores the application of a range of techniques used to help achieve this aim.
Venture Creation (Elective, Choose One)
The module enables the individual to develop their understanding of the business environment within both a rural and urban context. This will help the individual understand differences within the academic context of starting a new venture and the practicalities that have a bearing on the level of success.
Dissertation (Elective, Choose One)
The dissertation is a major independent piece of work intended to develop a student's ability to actively engage with core disciplinary issues. The dissertation focuses on analysis, synthesis and critique. In undertaking dissertation research, students are required to demonstrate the ability to identify, organise and select from a large body of material in order to produce a coherent, well-defined and internally consistent representation of their findings.
How You Study
Both the Law and Business Schools' primary mission for teaching and learning is for the teaching staff to support and facilitate independent learning by students.
This perhaps supports the view that law is learnt more than it is taught.
The Law School recognises that the most important part of the study of law is the effort and work the law student makes themselves and so a large part of the study of law is the student studying on their own. The role of the tutor is to assist students to be independent learners and the main way this role is fulfilled is by the delivery of the lecture/seminar course.
Students are provided with module documents (available on Blackboard) that give details of the lecture programme and seminar activities for the module along with information on required reading.
The Law School, as part of its learning and teaching strategy, aims to ensure that research within the programme team actively informs the teaching and curriculum development of the various modules.
Lectures
Lectures provide a guide to a topic, highlighting important areas and providing information on matters that may not be readily available from other sources. The lecturer will also point out areas of difficulty where the law may be in some way problematic, contentious, unsettled or unclear.
Seminars
Seminars are normally held once a week for each module. The seminars are an opportunity for students to consolidate their learning. Seminars are a forum for discussion and debate and are usually based on the preparation of an answer to a problem or a discussion topic. This approach encourages students not only to acquire legal knowledge but also to develop their understanding of problem solving, analysis and evaluation. The importance of careful preparation for seminars and, in particular, the reviewing and analysis of primary and secondary sources of information is stressed to students throughout. From the outset of the course, students start to develop their research skills, particularly in the Legal Skills module and through use of the Study Skills Handbook.
E-seminars
The course approach to teaching and learning will be enhanced through the use of E-seminars. E-seminars are currently used in the Contract Law level one module. The E-seminars take place in an IT lab. Students work in small groups and they are given the task to construct and present a legal argument based on the topic discussed the previous week in the lecture. The students must construct their arguments using a variety of materials, both primary and secondary sources, to be found electronically under a time constraint. One of the aims of E-seminars is to make the learning process more 'alive' and to allow group members to share thoughts and ideas through the process of researching and constructing a legal argument together. Because of the time constraint, students are encouraged to work efficiently, quickly and effectively and to become proficient researchers.
Workshops
The use of workshops as a teaching and learning strategy are used in all Level One modules. The workshops are scheduled into the student’s timetable and so they will know in advance when the various workshops will take place. There will be around three workshops per semester for each module, whereby students come together in groups of around 50 students to undertake a variety of activities with emphasis on the student developing their problem solving skills, their reasoning and research skills as well as detailed knowledge and understanding of the topic or area of law in question.
How You Are Assessed
A variety of assessment methods are used to test subject knowledge and understanding.
Overall, about 60% of the course is assessed by examination of one form or another and the rationale for the percentage of examinations is driven by the professional bodies' requirements. Examinations include traditional unseen papers, pre-released problem questions and examinations where lecture hand-outs may be used by students.
In addition to examinations, students are assessed by coursework which takes the form of assignments, mooting, individual and group presentations and workbooks. Written assignments may be in the form of an in-depth case study, an essay or writing a review. Coursework provides students with an important opportunity to gauge how they are coping with various subject areas and levels of study before having to sit an examination.
These methods of assessment allow students to show how they have acquired both legal knowledge and the ability to think critically about the subject. But also, they allow the student to reflect on the feedback given for an assessed piece of work and to think of ways to improve the quality of their work before they sit an examination at the end of the academic year or attempt another piece of coursework.
The assessment regime also allows students to demonstrate the acquisition of key skills. Written assignments allow students to demonstrate their ability to select, interpret and summarise legal sources. In addition, students' written assignments, as well as examinations, allow them to show that they have developed their literacy and proficiency in the use of technical legal language as well as having developed their ability to produce a sound argument based on coherence and logic. The development of oral skills and the ability to be persuasive are assessed through presentations and mooting.
The assessment regimes for business include both examinations and coursework. Examinations are included to test student’s ability to work under time constrained conditions and to test knowledge of basic principles. Students are familiarised with exam technique in seminars and learn through progression from the less complex answer format at Level One to the more complex format at final level.
Assignments are used to allow students to manage their own time, develop their research and analytical skills and explore subjects in greater depth. They take a range of forms including essays, reports and oral presentations prepared individually and in groups. All modules include the opportunity for formative feedback to aid learning and prepare students for submission of summative assessment. It can thus be seen that the assessment regimes for law and business have commonality.
Facilities
Lincoln Law School is based in the David Chiddick building alongside Lincoln Business School.
The building was completely refurbished in 2010 and provides students with teaching and learning space including lecture theatres, workshop rooms, an IT/language lab and a mooting chamber, along with places to meet and eat with friends and staff.
The building provides high quality spaces for teaching and group learning and is the perfect setting for successful Law School students to learn and develop.
Special Features
The aim of all courses in the Law School is produce independent, enquiring and knowledgeable graduates. They should enjoy learning, be enterprising, employable, self-aware, be able to take career and other opportunities in life and to make a positive contribution to society.
All students on the course will be given the opportunity to develop their legal skills through activities in seminars such as presentations and mooting (a mock appeal where points of law are argued in an appeal court).
There will be opportunities outside of seminars to participate in mooting and negotiation competitions either in the University or nationally through the student Law Society. There is also a Legal Clinic when students have the opportunity to give advice to fellow-students on legal problems under supervision.
Links With Industry
The LL.B (Hons) in Law and Business course is a three year qualifying degree accredited by the JASB (Joint Academic Standards Board) on behalf of the Solicitor’s Regulatory Authority and the Bar Standards Board.
A qualifying degree means that on successful completion of the programme students will have professional exemption from the Academic Stage of Legal Education and gain direct entry to the Vocational Stages.
The Law and Business degree forms part of the LL.B (Hons) joint degrees portfolio, the other joint programmes being; Law and Finance, Law and Criminology and Law and Politics.
Joint degrees, by their nature, offer a broad education. They enable students to combine the study of Law with the study of another chosen subject and, at the same time, acquiring a professionally accredited law degree.
Is This Course Right For Me?
This course is suitable for students of all ages provided that they have a definite interest in studying law and business and that they are fully committed towards devoting three years towards the attainment of this degree.
It may provide students with opportunities for further development of a legal career as a qualifying law degree or in other areas depending on their choice of career path. An important focus of the course is to enable the personal development of each individual student
What Will I Gain From The Course?
Students will gain a sound grasp of the principles of law through the study of core subjects such as Law of Contract, Law of Tort, Constitutional and Administrative Law, European Union Law, Criminal Law, Land Law and Equity and Trusts and Legal Skills.
Students will also be able to study a range of business modules such as Entrepreneurship, Human Resource Management and Internet and E-Commerce to give your study of Law a business setting.
Careers
This course is recognised as a qualifying law degree by the professional bodies. This means that graduates can proceed directly to the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) or the Legal Practice Course (LPC).
Graduates go into legal practice and legally related careers, such as trading standards and financial services. Others have used their degrees as the basis for starting business or management careers.
What We Look For In Your Application
Curiosity, energy, interest and enthusiasm for the subject of law and commitment to successful completion of the three year course. The study of law at A Level is useful but not essential.
What Skills Will I Need?
No specific skills are required but an interest and curiosity about the subject of law is important.
The course is contemporary and practical in the sense it does require a great deal of participation in seminars and workshops and problem-based learning. Excellent communication skills will be vital for the successful student.
Entry Requirements
Students need 300 UCAS points to gain entry onto this course (2012 entry). These should be from at least two full A-Levels, preferably three (or equivalent). They will also need at least five GCSE’s Grade A-C which must include English Language and Maths.
We encourage applications from mature students and we will give special individual consideration to those who are in this category and do not have the standard entry requirements.
Students whose first language is not English will also need British Council IELTS band 6.0 or above or equivalent.
Fees
| 2012 Entry | UK/EU | International |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time | £9000 | £10499 |
| Part-time | £75 per credit point | £88 per credit point |
| Placement (optional) | Exempt | Exempt |
| Assessment Only | £38 per credit point | £44 per credit point |
| 2013 Entry | UK/EU | International |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time | £9000 | £11130 |
| Part-time | £75 per credit point | £93 per credit point |
| Placement (optional) | Exempt | Exempt |
| Assessment Only | £38 per credit point | £47 per credit point |
For further information and funding your study please see our Fees & Funding pages.
