English Law

Welcome

A very warm welcome to the English Law Learning Project, which covers a subject more correctly known as English and Welsh law, and is one of the three legal systems in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.^[1] It has evolved over several hundred years and now forms the core of a wide range of common law legal systems used in most Commonwealth countries.

This Learning Project focusses on English Law and covers topics of law at an undergraduate level but it is not a formal qualification. If you wish to practise as a solicitor or a barrister in England Wales you will have to enrol on a formal LLB degree or GDL course. The Project is designed to provide an informal learning experience, which may provide knowledge and skills that can be used elsewhere.

The project comprises a number of units, each of which covers a separate area of English Law. As tempting as it might be to compare this with the structure of a formal law degree, we don't allocate "credits" or "points" to any of the units. Each unit contains a number of smaller subunits and is designed to be studied alongside a relevant textbook from Wikibooks, one of the partner websites of Wikiversity. The links for the textbooks can be found at the start of each unit. Each unit outline will also list additional recommended texts, articles and other materials, which are not compulsory but intended for deeper independent study. Throughout each unit there will be opportunities in the form of quizzes and short essays to enable you to reflect on the material and see how much you understand. There is a large quiz at the end of the unit, which you can repeat as any times as you wish until you are confident of your understanding of the material. Additionally, there are a number of case studies and suggested essays to complement your studies as well as recommendations for further reading.

Project summary

• Project code: English Law
• Prerequisites: None
• Time investment: 1 calendar year
• Assessment suggestions:
  • A series of quizzes in lieu of examinations on various aspects of English Law from the 12th century onwards including relevant case law: 40%
  • A series of detailed essays written as journal articles for peer-reviewing: 40%
  • A multi-part personal development portfolio: 20%
• Portal: Humanities
• School: Law
• Level: Introductory—Advanced

Content summary

• In this Learning Project, participants will learn about the history and development of English Law from the 12th century to the modern era, with a particular focus on areas that are usually part of undergraduate law degrees, especially the compulsory ones required before a person can commence practising as a solicitor or a barrister.^[2]

• One of the goals of this project is to utilise free materials, so the learner does not have to pay expensive subscriptions. This will be achieved by the use of a series of free textbooks (from Wikibooks), original source material for statutes and cases, a series of law reports at Wikiversity, the development of a WikiJournal of Law, quizzes and other freely available resources.

• It will be noted that purely academic study is insufficient in preparing for legal practice and thus there will be suggested tools to enable some of these aspects. The limitations of online courses like this inhibit more active participation such as the classical skill of moot court but there will be recommendations for overcoming these obstacles.

Goals

Subject classification: this is a law learning projects resource.

• Study and understand the origins of English Law;
• Examine the current state of English Law, particularly in light of the withdrawal from the European Union;
• Suggest tools and methods for participants to improve their practical skills.

Subjects

Learning materials

Active participants

• Green Giant
• Weeboybrice

Notes