Law - Postgraduate diploma in Law (PGDL) / LLM Law (conversion)

Semester 2

Compulsory modules

• Civil and Criminal Litigation

  This module moves from legal principles to legal practice. Building on your study of ‘Obligations: the law of Contract and Tort’, ‘Criminal Law and Evidence’ and ‘Legal foundations: system, method, practice’, you'll apply what you know to real client scenarios, analysing problems, weighing options and giving practical advice.

  You'll develop skills that are central to legal practice: case analysis, client interviewing, written communication and courtroom advocacy. Skills that are grounded in the kinds of civil and criminal matters practising lawyers handle every day.

  The module also looks at how legal technology, including artificial intelligence, is reshaping the law and the way lawyers work and deliver advice. Understanding these shifts is increasingly essential for anyone entering the profession.

• Criminal Law and Evidence

  This module covers both the substance of Criminal law and the way in which the law deals with evidential questions in a criminal context. You'll study the general principles of criminal liability, including actus reus and mens rea, alongside key offences such as homicide and offences against the person, and the defences available to those charged.

  You'll work through the rules that determine what evidence can be put before a court and how: relevance and admissibility, burden and standard of proof, hearsay, confession evidence, identification evidence, and the treatment of vulnerable witnesses, among others. The focus throughout is on what these rules mean in practice, and how they shape the outcome of criminal trials.

  The module also explores where Criminal law intersects with other areas of law and raises questions of social justice that run to the heart of the criminal justice system. Practical dimensions of criminal legal practice feature throughout.

• The Law of Property: Land and Equity and Trusts

  In Land Law, you'll work through the legal definition of land, the distinction between legal and equitable interests, land registration, adverse possession, co-ownership, leases, easements, mortgages and freehold covenants. 

  In Equity and Trusts, you'll trace the historical development of equitable principles and study the formation, operation and termination of trusts, equitable interests in property, and charitable trusts.

  The module draws out the connections between the two areas, including trust of land and proprietary estoppel, and explores where property law intersects with other branches of law. Questions of social justice run through the material, grounding the legal principles in their real-world consequences.

  You'll also engage with how Land Law and Equity and Trusts operate in practice, and the challenges facing lawyers working in this field.

• Dissertation for LLM Law (Conversion) Semester three

  This module is compulsory for students completing the LLM Law (Conversion). Students pursuing the PGDL only are not required to complete this module.

  The dissertation is the culmination of your studies and the opportunity to define your own research project. You'll choose your own topic, develop your research question in consultation with a supervisor, and produce an original piece of work up to 12,000 words in length.

  This is where your particular interests in law, legal theory or practice can be explored fully through engaging in an in-depth research project - with primary sources, situating your work within existing legal scholarship, and developing your own analysis and insight. 

Optional modules

• EU Law

  Building on your earlier study of the UK constitution and the EU's ongoing influence post-Brexit, this module takes you into the core areas of substantive EU law. After a brief recap of ‘Public Law and EU Law in the UK Constitution’, the focus shifts to the internal market and the framework that underpins economic integration across member states.

  You'll study the four freedoms in depth, including free movement of people and EU citizenship, and examine how these principles operate in practice. The module also makes connections with human rights law and other areas where EU law continues to have reach and relevance.

  For students on a law conversion course, this module offers a clear-eyed understanding of a legal order that remains consequential for UK law, legal practice and the clients lawyers advise.

Law Id

Optional modules

• Work Experience

  You’ll have the opportunity to participate in the CLOCK scheme (Community Legal Outreach Collaboration Keele). Taking part in the scheme, you'll gain firsthand experience of the legal world. You’ll be interviewing and advising clients, in legal cases and courtroom settings. You'll join a commitment to provide wider access to justice in the local area and gain useful legal expertise for your CV.

  You’ll also have the opportunity to build solid advocacy skills as part of our nationally renowned mooting team. And you’ll be able to showcase your client interviewing skills in competitions as well.