Tips for Beginners of Undergraduate Law Degree

Some of you might have already decided to pursue a law degree this year and you are geared up to take that incredible challenge. I admire you, because it is not an easy thing to do to be honest, law requires an open minded person, eagerness and resourceful at times. You will be busy but you will never be disappointed, most of our universities in the United Kingdom work extranuously to support students throughout their course and most libraries open 24 hours so that you get everything you need anytime. Besides, every Faculty of Law has a Law Library easily accessed as well as online blackboards that help students view their modules, learning materials, updates and any relevant anouncements whereever they are.

In your first year of law degree, you will be studying modules such as The English Legal system, you are going to look at things like sources of law, the courts and other principles involving the interpretation of the law. You will also study Constitutional and Administrative law where you are going to look at things like the rule of law, separation of power, supremacy of Parliament and the judicial review including the effects of the European Union membership regarding our domestic laws enacted by the House of Commons. In addition to that you will also study Criminal law, where you are going to explore the elements of crime, (mens rea and actus reas) intention and motive, negligence and recklessness as well as crimes of murder, homicide and theft. You will be required to master statutes in this area of law as most of these crimes are hugely statutory and considerable part of case law. First year students also study Contract law, you will learn a point where a contract becomes binding, offer and acceptance, consideration as well as invitation to treats in a case of Fisher and Bell, wrapping up with frustration of contracts. This is where the contract becomes impossible to shoot off for something that has occured before the contract takes effect without the fault of any other party to the obligation.
You should not worry too much on these modules, you will find them very interesting as they tackle and dwell mostly on things that we witness with our naked eyes, hear or see on television. Some of the crimes may have occured in our neighbourhood and you will be given an opportunity to understand how the courts reached a verdict on them.
Remember that not every module you take to study in your degree counts towards your final grades, some of these modules will just help you to excel and understand those modules that count towards your final degree. For example criminal law will help you to understand Law of Evidence and Criminology in second and third year.

In your second year, you should expect to study most of the modules that will put weight on your final degree such as Land, Tort and EU law. Land Law is part of Property law and Equity & Trust law, modules you might study in your final year. Here you may choose to study other optional modules such as Law of Evidence and Immigration law depending on what you may want to become upon completing your course. To me, Law of Evidence was the most important module and interesting module out of all the modules I did for my degree. The lecturer was Proffessor Michael Hirst, has written so many books in the field and is a qualified barrister whose influence in the country is immerse through some of his articles and contributions to the field and its just an honour to be one of his students. Certainly if you want to become a good lawyer in either criminal or civil law, evidence materials play a big role in solving so many complicated issues alleged in any case. I can therefore recommend that its not a bad idea to have it in your degree course.

Third year is final, most of the modules here including Law of Equity and Trusts are of level 3 and count towards you final degree. You should therefore aim to score above average in order to get good grades and a good 2:1. You may need good prep on this and work extra hard in your final year to get good marks in any assignments before final exams in those subjects that you will be required to take exams. Other modules such as criminology do not require exams but three good assignments and one presentation is a requirement.