Legal Skills

Description

The best-selling legal skills textbook in the market, Legal Skills is the essential guide for law students, encompassing all the academic and practical skills in one manageable volume.

• Equips students with all the skills they need from finding and using cases at the start of their degree through to final year exams and dissertations
• Self-test questions and practical activities throughout give students the opportunity to take a hands-on approach to tackling a wide range of legal skills
• Diagrams, screenshots and examples used throughout to illustrate key concepts
• Accompanied by comprehensive online resources which include an extensive range of videos, multiple choice questions and answers to the self-test questions and practical exercises from the book
• Also available as an e-book enhanced with self-assessment activities and multi-media content to offer a fully immersive experience and extra learning support

New to this edition

• Expanded explanation of neutral citations and case referencing conventions
• New table of commonly encountered Latin and 'Law French' terms
• Expanded coverage of creating a bibliography in OSCOLA together with some practical tips on compiling the bibliography entries from footnote references.
• Revised example moot problem, further guidance on courtroom etiquette, and forms of address
• Expanded coverage of reflective learning and self-evaluation together with more detail on understanding grade descriptors
• Completely rewritten chapter on revision and exams to reflect the increased use of takehome exams and multiple-choice tests
• Updated throughout to reflect the shift to hybrid and remote learning covering online and recorded lectures, online tutorials, study habits, group working
• Updated examples and screenshots incorporated throughout chapters on finding legislation, finding cases, and finding secondary sources
• Updated commentary on the progress of Brexit, the operation of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (as amended), and the impact of the UKs withdrawal from the EU on the operation of the doctrine of precedent

About the Author(s)

Emily Finch, author and lecturer, and Stefan Fafinski, author

Emily Finch is an experienced law lecturer and has taught criminal law, criminal evidence and cybercrime at a number of institutions. Her overarching research interest is in public perceptions of crime and criminality and the impact of technology on criminal activity, especially the criminogenic potential of the internet. She has a particular interest in jury decision-making and has conducted a number of empirical studies that explore factors that influence jury verdicts in rape, theft and fraud trials. Her current research focus is on dishonesty and the niche vulnerability of older internet users.

Stefan Fafinski has extensive experience in teaching intellectual property law, cyberlaw, and cybercrime. He has always been interested in the social and legal factors that influence the misuse of technology and the capacity to offend. He is currently a member of the Parole Board for England and Wales where he chairs hearings and determines applications for reconsideration. He also sits in the Family Court.

Table of Contents

Introduction
PART I: Getting Started: Sources of Law
1:Getting started
2:Legislation
3:Finding legislation
4:Using legislation
5:Case law
6:Finding cases
7:Using cases
8:Books, journals, and official publications
9:Finding books, journals, and official publications
PART II: Academic Legal Skills
10:Study
11:Writing
12:Legal reasoning and ethics
13:Referencing and avoiding plagiarism
14:Essay writing
15:Answering problem questions
16:Revision and examination skills
17: Dissertations
PART III: Practical Legal Skills
18:Presentation skills
19:Mooting skills
20:Negotiation skills

Additional Resources

Digital formats and resources:
The eighth edition is available for students and institutions to purchase in a variety of formats, and is supported by online resources.
- The e-book offers a mobile experience and convenient access along with embedded self-assessment activities, and multi-media content including a series of supportive videos and links that offer extra learning support: www.oxfordtextbooks.co.uk/ebooks
- The study tools that enhance the e-book are all also available as stand-alone online resources for use alongside the print book.
- These resources have been developed to enhance students' understanding of and engagement with the text, bring aspects of it to life, and help develop legal skills further.
- The online resources include answers to the self-test questions and practical exercises from the book, and a glossary of all the keywords and terms used within the text. There is also an extensive range of videos with guidance on topics from what to expect from lectures and tutorials, how to research for essays and structure problem questions, to examples of good and bad practice in mooting and negotiations.