idealist.org

Course overview

Anglia Law School has been an authorised provider of the Legal Practice Course since 1994 and we have offered an LLM Legal Practice since 1998. This LLM provides a top-up masters for graduates of the Legal Practice Course, recent graduates of the Bar Vocational Course, and current practising solicitors who undertook the former Law Society Final Examinations.

The award of LLM is available to those students who attend research seminars (delivered over four days) and satisfactorily complete a dissertation of 22,000 words (maximum) on an approved legal practice topic. Anglia Law School currently employs a number of full-time academic staff with legal practice experience and accordingly is able to offer supervision in a variety of research fields for those wishing to undertake the LLM Legal Practice.

The taught element of the LLM course is delivered on our Chelmsford Central campus which is located on the Rivermead campus, a short walk from the bus and train stations, a 35-minute train journey from London Liverpool Street and with easy access from East Anglia and the Midlands. Supervision is available on the Rivermead campus and may also be available on the Cambridge campus.

Additional course information

This LLM enables students to demonstrate the following skills, each of which is associated with academic Mastery:

• The ability to raise significant and meaningful questions in relation to their area of specialism.
• A depth of knowledge that may involve working at the current limits of understanding.
• Critical understanding of method and its relationship to knowledge.
• Awareness of, and ability to develop solutions to, ethical issues and dilemmas likely to arise in their research and/or their professional practice.
• The ability to draw insightful and justifiable conclusions from information which may be complex or contradictory.
• The capacity to expand, refine or redefine existing knowledge; to develop new approaches and contribute to the development of best practice in their professional sphere.
• The ability to communicate in writing in a clear and cogent manner, consistent with the requirements of academic writing.
• The ability to undertake wide-ranging, independent research, using those methodologies appropriate to the chosen project.
• The capacity to evaluate their work from the perspective of an autonomous, reflective learner.

Students have the opportunity to explore in depth a particular aspect of legal professional practice. This may reflect their current professional practice context or relate to their career development plans and/or academic interest (subject to their dissertation topic being agreed by the Law School). Students will develop their research skills across a range of appropriate techniques (bibliographical and electronic legal research skills, empirical techniques including surveys and questionnaires, interviews) during on-campus research methods workshops (delivered over four days). These workshops also address referencing and ethics. An optional session is provided for specific research methodologies if the student requires this for their particular dissertation. In addition to these sessions, students may also seek guidance as part of the normal supervision process.

Students are allocated a supervisor to assist them in developing their research proposal/hypothesis, discuss their methodology (including the possible need for ethics clearance) and act as a mentor throughout. The student will be expected to make regular reports to their supervisor on the progress of their work. The supervisory process will take place through a combination of face-to-face, telephone and email discussion.

Students are provided with a detailed written guide, which explains the role of the supervisor, referencing and presentation requirements. Ethics clearance, which may be required for some projects, depending upon the nature of the research, is also explained within the guide.

The module contributes particularly to research, analytical and critical thinking skills, which are transferable skills highly valued by employers. The module content is highly relevant to related careers in the legal profession. The dissertation provides a medium for members of the legal profession to apply theory to practice and to contribute to best practice in their professional sphere.

Facilities

The research seminars for the LLM are delivered at our Rivermead campus in Chelmsford. Anglia Law School moved into a new Faculty building in September 2008, which includes modern teaching facilities and a mock courtroom.

The Faculty building is close to the library and other campus facilities. Students have access to our comprehensive online library, which can be accessed off-campus.