Lecture notes
week 4
- Module
- Criminal Law
- Institution
- University Of Winchester (UoW)
Lecture notes of 2 pages for the course Criminal Law at UoW (criminal law skills)
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
Content preview
Module SkillsReading cases;
- Most weeks you will be asked to read a couple of core cases relating to the topic
- You will be required to read the actual judgement, which can be found on Westlaw UK or LExislaw
- Avoid only reading summaries of cases, because they largely focus on the facts
- - textbooks
- - headnotes
- - online resources
- Do not rely on these ^
Approaching a case
- You can start reading from the first paragraph of the leading opinion - you do not need to know
information about lawyers etc
- The lead opinion is where you will find the facts, as well as the ratio decidendi
- Identify the material facts and reasons for the decision from this
- Do not forget about concurring and dissenting opinions - they can provide us with valuable insights into
the law, and can be really important in our analytical discussions
Making use of journal articles
- These are a great way to better understand how the law works and provide a critical insight into the law
- Peer reviews articles can be very helpful, particularly when analysing the law in essay questions
- However they do not always help with the application of the law
Approaching an article
- Read the abstract first - manage expectations and guide you through the main points
- Make use of the heading to help focus attention
- Read through slowly
- Make key notes and quotes
Answer essay questions
A good answer
- Focus on answering the question
- Shows a detailed knowledge of the topic and the wider context
- Is well structured and written in good english
- Presents a clear argument
- Is critical in its analysis
- Is accurate and contains no/ very few legal or factual errors
- Addresses issues that may not be immediately obvious
- Supports any claims with reference to legal authority
How to do this
- Have good knowledge of the law - flexible
- Read question carefully
- Plan answer
- Not each of your arguments/ points
- Identify authoritative sources
- Write essaye piece by piece
Answering problem questions
A good answer -
- Focuses on applying the current law to the scenario given
- Identifies all of the issues presented in the scenario
- Provides a breakdown of each of the relevant offences, defences and further issues
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller vickyhoney. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £10.49. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
67232 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy revision notes and other study material for 14 years now