Unit information: Company Law in 2017/18

Unit name	Company Law
Unit code	LAWDM0008
Credit points	30
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24)
Unit director	Dr. Georgina Tsagas
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	University of Bristol Law School
Faculty	Faculty of Social Sciences and Law

Description including Unit Aims

This unit provides a grounding in the principles of English company law, studying those principles in a practical and theoretical context. Seminar topics include: function of companies and company law; the company in legal and economic theory; legal personality and limited liability; lifting the corporate veil; articles of association and shareholders’ rights; directors' duties; transactions involving directors; derivative claims; just and equitable winding up and unfair prejudice orders; problems in public and private companies; the market for corporate control.

Intended Learning Outcomes

By the end of this unit a successful student will be able to:

• Demonstrate a grounding in the substantive rules of UK Company law
• Identify the key aspects of the legal relationships between companies and shareholders, between directors and shareholders and between companies and stakeholders
• Report on the case law and statutes accurately and apply legal principles to problem case scenarios
• Challenge the prevailing orthodoxy in relation to the substantive rules of UK Company and the assumptions which underpin them
• Assess options for Company law reform and demonstrate independent critical skills

Teaching Information

This unit is taught by way of 20 lectures (approx.), 10 two-hour seminars and 2 assessment preparation and feedback sessions. Lectures are delivered jointly to students on the related undergraduate unit.

Assessment Information

Summative: a 2000 word essay (33%) and a 3 hour written examination (67%). Both assessments will assess all of the Intended Learning Outcomes for this unit in the context of topics selected by the examiners.

Formative: students should do one formative assessment (this will usually be 1 x 1500 word essay).

Reading and References

Textbooks:

• B Hannigan, Company Law (4th edn., OUP, 2015)
• P L Davies, Gower and Davies’ Principles of Modern Company Law (10th edn., Sweet and Maxwell, London, 2016)
• Dignam and Lowry, Company Law (9th edn., OUP 2016)

Casebooks and Text and Materials Books:

• Sealy and Worthington, Cases and Materials in Company Law (11th edn., OUP 2016)