Details
- Covers both academic and practical skills in one manageable volume meaning students need only buy one text and are encouraged to develop an overarching and integrated understanding of academic and practical legal skills
- Self-test questions and practical activities can be integrated into lectures and seminars to encourage active engagement with the subject
- Written in an informal, lively and entertaining style with concepts illustrated using examples that speak to real life experience and diagrams to support the written text
- Each legal skill is set in its wider context with clear links to other legal skills and to academic and legal practice to instil the importance of developing legal skills in context
- Accompanied by an innovative online resource centre featuring videos of 'real life' mooting practice which immediately bring the subject to life. Videos featuring good and bad practice in negotiations and presentations are also available online so you can pick up the key skills whilst also finding out what not to do by learning from examples of common mistakes
New to this edition
- A brand new chapter on legal reasoning encourages a deeper level of critical engagement with the law by illustrating how judges decide cases
- The chapter on essay writing provides further guidance on areas that students have identified as being particularly problematic, including dissecting the question, selecting material, finding a structure and writing effective introductions and conclusions
- New material is included on EU law to reflect the implementation of the Lisbon Treaty and additional advice on Advocate General's opinions in the Court of Justice
- Additional information is provided on the operation of the doctrine of judicial precedent and the rules of statutory interpretation
- Extra commentary is provided on the operation of tribunals and the importance of negotiation as a form of alternative dispute resolution
Legal Skills encompasses all the academic and practical legal skills essential to the law student in one manageable volume. It is an ideal text for first year law students and is also a valuable resource for those studying law at any level.
Clearly structured in three parts, the book covers the full range of legal skills you will need to succeed from the beginning of your law degree, through your exams and assessments and into your future career.
The first part covers 'Sources of Law' and includes information on finding and using legislation, making sure you understand where the law comes from and how to use it.
The second part covers 'Academic Legal Skills' and provides advice on general study and writing skills. This part also includes a section on referencing and avoiding plagiarism amongst a number of other chapters designed to help you through the different stages of your law degree.
The third and final part is dedicated to 'Practical Legal Skills'; a section designed to help you to develop transferrable skills in areas such as presentations and negotiations that will be highly valued by future employers.
The book contains many useful features designed to support a truly practical approach to legal skills. Self-test questions and diagrams are set in a user-friendly colour design. More extensive activities give you the opportunity to take a 'hands on' approach to tackling a variety of legal skills from using cases to negotiation. Each skill is firmly set in its wider academic and professional context to encourage an integrated approach to the learning of legal skills.
Online Resource Centre
Legal Skills is accompanied by an innovative online resource centre offering a range of resources to support teaching and learning.
- Video clips of good and bad 'real life' moots in action bring the subject to life for students.
- Practical exercises appear throughout the book so you can test yourself on your essay writing, problem solving, revision and exam skills.
- Examples of good and bad answers to these exercises appear on the online resource centre providing insight into the varying approaches that can be taken to the same question with commentary on the strengths and weaknesses of each answer.
- Lecturers can track student progress using an online bank of 200 multiple choice questions offering immediate answers and feedback that can be customised and loaded on to the university's VLE.
Readership: LLB students studying a legal skills module in their first year of the course. The book would also be suitable for those studying law at any undergraduate level or at GDL level.
Introduction
PART I: Sources of law
Section A: Legislation
1: Legislation
2: Finding legislation
3: Using legislation
Section B: Cases
4: Case law
5: Finding cases
6: Using cases
Section C: Books, journals, and official publications
7: Books, journals and official publications
8: Finding books, journals and official publications
PART II: Academic legal skills
9: Study skills
10: Writing skills
11: Legal Reasoning
12: Referencing and avoiding plagiarism
13: Essay writing
14: Dissertations
15: Answering problem questions
16: Revision and examination skills
PART III: Practical legal skills
17: Presentation skills
18: Mooting skills
19: Negotiation skills
ONLINE RESOURCES
For lecturers
Test bank of 200 multiple choice questions
Diagrams available to download electronically
For students
Answers to self test questions
Glossary and web links
Video clips of good and bad practice for mooting, negotiations and presentations
Web links to allow you to easily research those topics th at are of a particular interest to you
Lecture notes to show different methods of recording information
Writing skills advice
Advice on referencing and avoiding plagiarism
Essay skills
Dissertation guidance
Sample answers to problem questions
Focus on different answer approaches to exam questions
A worked example of a presentation
Mooting skills, including preparation and a skeleton argument, includes answers to practical activities in the book
Guidance through a negotiation skills scenario
Emily Finch, University of Surrey, and Stefan Fafinski, University of Leeds
Dr Emily Finch is a Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Surrey
Dr Stefan Fafinski is a Research Fellow in Law at the University of Leeds and a Research Associate of the University of Oxford
"The foundational knowledge contained within this volume is vital for reference throughout the undergraduate law degree. This volume is one of the best skills books for law students on the market." - Tom Frost, Lecturer, Newcastle University
"Excellent resource on how students should engage with the subject...A book the students will keep with them and use throughout their degree." - Dr Kate Harrington, Lecturer in Law, Exeter University
"The best book in the area!" - Eugenia Caracciolo di Torella, Lecturer, School of Law, University of Leicester
