Module Code :- LAW403
Title :- Legal Methods
Assessment Type :- Assignment
Level :- Level 4 Extended Diploma in Law
Credits :- 30
Word Count :- 3000 words
Task 1 – 1,000 words
LAW403 Legal Methods Assignment – UK

Law lecture notes
You are employed in a law firm and have been asked to prepare notes on the law and legal system in the UK for a talk that one of the partner’s has been asked to give to prospective law students. You should include relevant legislation and cases to illustrate your points where appropriate.

ou need to produce a file of notes for the lecture. In the file you must:

• Distinguish between primary, secondary and delegated legislations.
• Explain the hierarchy within statutory sources and the case law.
• Explain the impact of the Human Rights Act.
• Illustrate the operation of literal, golden and purposive rules of statutory interpretation. Analyse the structure of the criminal and civil courts
• Analyse the role of the judiciary and the judicial appointment process.
• Analyse the function of the jury in criminal trials.
• Assess the duty and powers of the police.
• Assess the role of the Crown Prosecution Service.
• Examine the latest reforms to the civil justice process.

For a Merit grade you must:

1.Analyse parliamentary and governmental efforts to widen access to the legal profession.

2.Compare and contrast the benefits and draw backs of the different types of alternative dispute resolution.

For a Distinction grade you must:

• Analyse the tension between secondary legislations and the principle of separation of power.
• Analyse social, political and economic causes of miscarriages of justice.

Task 2
Case analysis
You are asked to prepare an analysis of a case and explain how judicial precedent works in the English courts. The case you need to analyse and refer to in this exercise is Alcock v Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police (1992) which is a case related to the Hillsborough Stadium disaster in 1989.

In your case analysis you must:

• Explain the doctrine of judicial precedent.
• Distinguish between binding, non-binding and persuasive decisions.

For Merit grade you need to:
Determine the ratio decidendi and obiter dictum from Alcock v Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police (1992)