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LLM SQE module details

Block 1: Business Law & Financial Management in Practice

In this module, you will be required to apply relevant core legal principles and rules appropriately and effectively, at the level of a competent, newly qualified solicitor in practice, to a realistic client-based and ethical problems and situations in the following areas:

Starting a new business 

• Business and organisational characteristics (sole trader/partnership/LLP/private and unlisted public companies).
• Procedures and documentation required to incorporate a company/form a partnership/LLP and other steps needed under companies and partnerships legislation.  

Management of a business and decision making 

• Compliance with statutory and other legal requirements (corporate governance and compliance).
• Rights, duties and powers of directors and shareholders of companies.
• Company decision-making and meetings.
• Partnership decision-making and authority of partners. 

Financing and taxation of business

• Funding options, distribution of profits and gains and financial records.

Taxation of a business and its stakeholders

• Income Tax.
• Capital Gains Tax.
• Corporation Tax. 
• Value Added Tax. 
• Inheritance Tax (business property relief).

 Financial Services & Money laundering 

• The financial services regulatory framework, including authorisation and how it applies to solicitors' firms.
• The purpose and scope of anti-money laundering legislation, including the international context and circumstances encountered in practice.

The SRA Accounts Rules

• Client money, client account and the requirement to keep client money separate from money belonging to the authorised body.
• Breach of the SRA Accounts Rules. 
• The requirement to keep and maintain accurate records. 
• Third-party managed accounts.
• Obtain and deliver accountants' reports; storing and retaining accounting records.

 

Block 2: Property Law & Administration of Estates in Practice

 

In this module, you are required to apply relevant core legal principles and rules appropriately and effectively, at the level of a competent, newly qualified solicitor in practice, to a realistic client-based and ethical problems and situations in the following areas:

 

Freehold property transactions

• Pre-contract procedure including sources of finance, searches & enquiries and investigation of title.
• Standard Conditions of Sale. 
• Form of transfer deed and formalities for execution, pre-completion searches and pre-completion steps.
• Methods and effect of completion and post-completion steps.
• Remedies for delayed completion.

 

Leasehold property transactions

• Structure and content of a lease. 
• Procedural steps for the grant of a lease or underlease and the drafting of that lease.
• Procedural steps for the assignment of a lease title.

 

Planning

• Core principles of planning law. 

 

Taxation in property transactions

• Stamp Duty Land Tax and Land Transaction Tax. 
• Value Added Tax. 
• Capital Gains Tax. 

Wills

• Validity, alteration, revocation and the interpretation of wills and codicils. 

 

Personal Representatives and Grants of Representation

• Personal Representatives (appointing executors, renunciation and reservation of power).
• Grants of representation.
• Administration of estates, duties of personal representatives, liabilities of personal representatives and their protection, the sale of assets to raise funds to pay funeral expenses, tax, debts and legacies, and distribution of the estate).
• Claims against estates under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975, time limit, applicants, ground).

 

Intestacy

• The intestacy rules and property passing outside the estate. 

 

Taxation of Estates

• Inheritance Tax. 
• Income and Capital Gains Tax in respect of the period of the administration of an estate. 

 

Block 3: Dispute Resolution in Practice

In this module, you are required to apply relevant core legal principles and rules appropriately and effectively, at the level of a competent, newly qualified solicitor in practice, to a realistic client-based and ethical problems and situations in the following areas:

 

1. Different options for dispute resolution (the characteristics of arbitration, mediation and litigation which make them an appropriate mechanism to resolve a dispute).

2. Resolving a dispute through a civil claim (preliminary considerations: limitation, pre-action protocols, parties and causes of action, calculating limitation periods for claims in contract and tort, Practice Direction – pre-action conduct, principles and purpose of pre-action protocols governing particular claims and consequences for failure to follow their terms, applicable law: mechanisms to determine which country’s laws apply to a contractual or tortious claim issued in the courts of England and Wales, jurisdiction: mechanisms to determine jurisdiction over an international contractual or tortious claim).

3. Where to start proceedings? (allocation of business between the High Court and the county court, jurisdiction of the specialist courts).

4. Issuing and serving proceedings (issuing a claim form, adding, removing or substituting parties, service of a claim form within the jurisdiction, the procedure for service of a claim form outside the jurisdiction (with or without the court’s permission) and mechanisms for effecting valid service in another jurisdiction, deemed dates of service and time limits for serving proceedings, service by an alternative method). 

5. Responding to a claim (admitting the claim, acknowledging service and filing a defence and/or counterclaim, disputing the court’s jurisdiction, entering and setting aside judgment in default, discontinuance and settlement, time limits for responding to a claim).

6. Statements of the case (purpose, structure and content of a claim form, particulars of claim, or defence relating to a claim in contract or tort, purpose, structure and content of a reply, Part 20 claim, or defence to Part 20 claim, requests for further information about statements of case, amendments).

7. Interim applications (procedure for making an application, purpose, procedure and evidence required for particular applications: summary judgment, interim payments, interim injunctions).

8. Case management (the overriding objective, track allocation, case management directions for cases proceeding on the fast or multi-tracks, non-compliance with orders, sanctions and relief, costs and case management conferences).

9. Evidence (relevance, hearsay and admissibility, the burden and standard of proof, expert evidence (opinion evidence, duties of experts, single joint experts, discussion between experts), witness evidence (witness statements, affidavits).

10. Disclosure and inspection (standard disclosure, orders for disclosure, specific disclosure, pre-action and non-party disclosure, electronic disclosure, privilege and without prejudice communications, waiver of privilege).

11. Trial (summoning witnesses, preparations for trial (purpose of pre-trial checklists and hearings, purpose of trial bundles), trial procedure, the nature and effect of judgment).

12. Costs (costs management and budgeting, inter-partes costs orders (interim and final), non-party costs, qualified one-way costs shifting, Part 36 and other offers, security for costs, fixed and assessed costs).

13. Appeals (permission, destination of appeals, grounds for appeals).

14. Enforcement of money judgments (oral examination, methods of enforcement procedure and mechanisms for effecting valid enforcement in another jurisdiction).

 

Block 4: Criminal Litigation in Practice

 

In this module, you are required to apply relevant core legal principles and rules appropriately and effectively, at the level of a competent, newly qualified solicitor in practice, to a realistic client-based and ethical problems and situations in the following areas:

 

Advising clients, including vulnerable clients, about the procedure and processes at the police station

• Rights of a suspect being detained by the police for questioning.
• Identification procedures.
• Advising a client, including vulnerable clients, whether to answer police questions.
• Procedure for interviewing a suspect under PACE 1984.

 

The procedures and processes involved in criminal litigation

• Bail applications.
• First hearings before the magistrates' court.
• Plea before Venue.
• Allocation of business between the magistrates' court and Crown Court.
• Case management and pre-trial hearings.
• Principles and procedures to admit and exclude evidence.
• Trial procedure in magistrates' court and Crown Court.
• Sentencing.
• Appeals procedure.
• Youth court procedure.
• Sentencing.

 

Block 5: Dissertation in Legal Practice

This final 60-credit module bridges a Postgraduate Diploma and an LLM. It has two parts: researching a topic and producing work that draws on the research to represent an advanced account of a particular area of law associated with the programme title. 

The dissertation is studied independently with the assistance of a supervisor and is a chance for the student to pursue a relevant area of law of particular interest academically. The dissertation requires you to practice a range of skills developed over the course of the programme: researching and critically reviewing national and international literature, applying theoretical frameworks, research design and ethics, data collection and analysis, research writing and dissemination. 

You will be orientated towards high-level independent study based on the preparatory work conducted in research methods workshops. These workshops emphasise developing research skills that will equip the student with the expertise to undertake relevant and topical research allied to the dissertation. The core material covers:

• Critiquing academic and practitioner research from a range of published sources.
• Developing tools and techniques for writing a critical literature review.
• Methodological considerations.
• Research design.
• Research ethics.
• Evaluating and communicating research. 

 

You will be allocated a dissertation supervisor. Individual supervisors will work closely with you on a one-to-one basis to set goals, monitor progress and provide general and specific advice on research strategy, framing questions and scholarly writing.  

You will be able to develop the theoretical and practical understanding learned throughout the programme as well as independent study and research skills, critical analysis and the ability to evaluate. The nature of a sustained and in-depth study can prove a valuable resource for future employment or further study.