Get ready for Law

About the subject

A Level Law is great not only for those who may want a career in law, but also because it is relevant to every area of our lives, whether that is buying something in a shop, going to a cinema, festival, college or work. You will need to be prepared to read legal cases and extract the important facts. We will look at how cases have helped to develop the English legal system. We will consider concepts such as the rule of law, and why it is part of our fundamental British values.

You will learn problem-solving skills; analysing a situation to work out which area of law is involved and then applying the correct legal rules and cases to reach a logical conclusion. We will explore human rights and when you start the course we will look at why, in the current crisis, it has been necessary for us to accept restrictions to, for example, our right to liberty.

The course consists of four parts;
1 The English Legal System (including how the law is made, the different areas of law, the court system and those who work in the legal system)
2 Criminal Law (including murder, manslaughter, non-fatal offences, theft, robbery and defences)
3 Tort Law (including negligence, occupiers’ liability, vicarious liability and nuisance)
4 Human Rights Law (we explore 5 Articles from the European Convention on Human Rights)

Your tasks to complete

1 Use an online dictionary/Google to find the meanings of the following legal words/phrases:
Actus reus
Mens rea
Appeal
Civil law
Criminal law
Common law
Judicial precedent
Doctrine
Sentence
Damages
Acquittal
Statute

2 Complete the attached worksheet on Parliamentary law making using the following websites;
www.parliament.uk
www.e-lawresources.co.uk

Pre-course reading

www.e-lawresources.co.uk (huge resource of cases, notes, quizzes)
www.parliament.uk (all about the UK Parliament)
www.aqa.org.uk (A Level Law course details)