Course Co-ordinator: Mr David Lessels

Pre-requisite(s): None

Co-requisite(s): None

Note(s): Available only to candidates for the degree of LLB and MA Legal Studies students.

The course will contain a coverage of: the characteristics of civil and criminal procedure; key events in the historical development of the Scottish legal system eg. the Treaty and Act of Union 1706-7, the Scotland Act 1998, the Human Rights Act 1998; the hierarchy and organisation of the Scottish civil court and tribunals system and (in outline) the main English courts; the formal sources of Scots law and their relative authority inter se; the rules and approaches to statutory interpretation; the operation of the system of binding precedent; European law making institutions and the European sources of law; the procedural stages through which a civil action moves from initiation to final resolution; nature, roles, structure, standards and regulation of the legal profession in Scotland; alternative methods of resolving disputes eg. mediation, arbitration.

36 one-hour lectures and 4 one-hour tutorials.

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination (100%).

Resit: 1 two-hour examination (100%).