LC4T105 - Legal Practice Research Project 01 Sep 2019 - 31 Aug 2027 | Version 2

Associated Module Information

Module Code: LC4T105
Module Title: Legal Practice Research Project
Faculty: Faculty of Business and Creative Industries
Faculty Group: Law
Faculty Sub Group: Law
Module Leader: Adam Collins
Module Team: Holly Evans, Hannah Menard, Rachel Lewis, Leane Barnes, Natalie Quartermaine, Hayley Brain, Lewis Bishop, Iain Hammett
First Intended Intake: SEP 2019 Final Year of Intake:
Date Closed:
Credit Value: 60 Credit Level: 7
Language: English
Percentage of Module Taught in Welsh: 0
Equivalent Module:
HECOS codes: 100485 - law
HECOS Code Weighting: 100

Document Version Information

Version 2
Valid From 01 Sep 2019
Valid To 31 Aug 2027

Module Aims

  • To develop students’ knowledge and understanding of, and ability to utilise, appropriate legal (and other) research methodologies.
  • To utilise and enhance the student’s independent research skills.
  • To enable the student to build upon and develop their research proposal as submitted for the research project.
  • To enable the student to produce a research project that contains a critical literature review, utilises appropriate research methodologies, generates a coherent thesis relating to an legal practice subject and demonstrates analysis, evaluation and cognitive skills through a body of knowledge or an original contribution to knowledge.

Content Summary

  • The module is designed to ensure the student is able carry out independent research by identifying a specific and appropriate area of legal practice or clinical legal education to be investigated.
  • This will be carried out by giving guidance to the student on the principles, aims, objectives of legal research, and how to devise their specific aims, objectives and methods of research in relation to their chosen topic.
  • Emphasis will be placed on the conventions of research, citation, methodologies specific to legal research, identifying and addressing ethical issues, evaluating sources (primary and secondary) and critical thinking through constructive argument.
  • The students will undertake a literature review and formulate a proposal for research forming the basis for their dissertation.
  • This will allow the student to develop the ability to engage in investigation and argument through a written piece of work, which will be the focus of this module, and also allow the student an opportunity to gain a depth of knowledge in a complex and specialised area of legal practice, clinical legal education or ethics.

Learning and Teaching Methods

Activity Type Hours
Seminar 40
Project supervision 15
Independent Study 531
Directed Study 14
Total Hours Selected 600

Learning Outcomes

# Learning Outcome
LO1 Demonstrate an ability to subject a complex area of legal or law-related knowledge in the field of legal practice or clinical legal education to detailed literature review, critical analysis and evaluation;
LO2 Construct and present a coherent thesis concerning law or law-related issues in the field of legal practice or clinical legal education, demonstrating knowledge, critical understanding, and utilisation, of appropriate research methodology(ies)

Module Requisites

N/A

Assessment Criteria

Assessment Category Assessment Type Description Duration Word Count Weight (%) Best of? Pass Mark
Asynchronous Assessment Portfolio 1 To include a research proposal outlining chosen topic including a background/overview of the subject area, a literature review, explanation of the research methodologies to be utilised, a chapter structure and a timeline for completion, and a piece of work that either critically analyses an area of legal practice, clinical legal education or ethics, or a reflective portfolio reflecting on the development of skills through legal practice 0 18000 100 No 40

Assessment Matrix

Assessment Type Learning Outcomes
LO1 LO2
Portfolio 1

Reading List

Research Methodologies

Legal research methods in a modern world: a coursebook by J Paul Lomio, H Stakemann Spang-Hanssen, George D Wilson

Legal Research and the Social Sciences by Christopher McCrudden

Methods of Research in Law by C Chatterjee

Research methodologies in EU and international law by Robert Cryer et al

Research Methods for Law, Mike McConville and Wing Hong Chui

Research Methods in Law, Dawn Watkins and Mandy Burton

Doctrinal legal research

Defining and describing what we do: doctrinal legal research, Terry Hutchinson and Nigel Duncan

Socio-legal research

Conducting law and society research, Simon Halliday and Patrick D Schmidt

Exploring the ‘legal’ in socio-legal studies, David Cowan, Daniel Wincott

Theory and values in socio-legal studies, Roger Cotterell

Empirical legal research

Empirical legal research: a guidance book for lawyers, legislators and regulators, Frans L Leeuw, JJG Schmeets

The Oxford Handbook of Empirical Legal Research, Peter Cane and Herbert M Kritzer