| Unit name | Corporate Law Simulation |
|---|---|
| Unit code | LAWD30112 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24) |
| Unit director | Mrs. Campbell |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
LAWD20037 Company Law |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | University of Bristol Law School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is this unit important?
In an increasingly competitive global commercial environment, students are encouraged to be 'commercially focused' and 'practice ready', with the ability to apply law to current international legal, business and economic issues. This unit aims to bridge the gap between academic theory and the realities of practising law, by providing you with the unique opportunity to apply commercial legal knowledge to a hypothetical deal. The course will explore the role of the commercial lawyer in structuring and implementing deals, creating value, managing risks and delivering solutions in this complex legal and regulatory environment. You will also have the opportunity to learn from experienced lawyers and Alumni guest lecturers, who will play an active role in the unit. By drawing on the wealth of experience of our Alumni and local legal practitioners, you are offered an exciting perspective to your education in addition to invaluable networking opportunities.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This unit is a natural follow on from Company Law and complements a range of commercial modules, for instance Employment Law, Corporate Governance and Commercial Law. As a final year optional unit, you will be looking ahead to the practice of law and develop useful, transferable skills. Studying this unit across the academic year gives you the time and space to refine and hone your skills.
An overview of content
The unit will explore the role of the commercial lawyer in structuring and implementing deals, creating value, managing risks and delivering solutions in this complex legal and regulatory environment. Via a combination of lectures and seminars/workshops you will navigate various stages of a corporation transaction; from receiving client instructions, to drafting and negotiating contracts, assessing risks, advising clients and guiding the transaction through to completion. Your academic knowledge, theory and critical analysis will therefore be applied in a practical setting.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
You will develop commercial legal knowledge that will assist you in the practice of law. You will have hands-on experience of a corporate law simulation, including drafting contracts to reflect client instructions, negotiating and reviewing key commercial issues and guiding the deal through to completion. You will develop soft lawyering skills, including communication, teamwork, adaptability, time management and persuasion. You will also understand the differences between the academic theory of law and the realities of commercial legal practice.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
The unit will be taught across the academic year, and you can expect to have learning activities scheduled or planned for a minimum of 20 weeks. Teaching will include learning activities including lectures, group work, discussions, individual tasks, and in-seminar presentations. These learning sessions can be on campus or online, synchronous and asynchronous.
The unit will also require directed and self-directed learning, which will include activities such as reading materials included in the unit’s reading list, accessing web-based supplementary materials, critical analysis, completion of tasks for in-seminar presentation, and completion of assessments.
In this unit your learning is focussed around ’authentic’ exercises, to simulate legal problems and engage and develop key skills such as issue-identification and problem solving. You will prepare for seminars with the required reading and list of questions and exercises. However, the intention is not to spend the seminar discussing the answers to these questions, but instead to use this information to facilitate the simulation exercises. You will receive your instructions in relation to the simulation exercise within your buyer/seller groups at the start of each seminar. You will then spend the remainder of the seminar preparing the simulation exercise within your respective teams before presenting this back to the whole group.
You will also be required to reflect on the development of your role of as a reflective practitioner at various points throughout the unit.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Formative assessments will come in many forms such as informal questioning, quizzes and group exercises in lectures, seminars, and asynchronous activities in the virtual learning platform. These opportunities allow you to reflect on your learning and skills development, but do not contribute to the final unit mark.
There will also be a single piece of formative coursework (max 1,500 words) that will not contribute to the final unit mark. The coursework question will require you to produce either a legal memo, or a reflective essay on a particular theme or issue affecting corporate legal practice. In preparation for the coursework, you will be expected to carry out research beyond the unit reading list. This coursework will be similar in structure to the summative assessment (below). In addition to individual feedback, general feedback will also be provided in a lecture, allowing you to gain additional understanding prior to the final assessment.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
The unit will be assessed through two pieces of coursework (1,500 words each), carrying equal weight towards the final mark (50% each) and submitted together at the end of TB2. The first coursework question will require you to prepare a legal memo in response to a particular issue in the transaction (ILOs 1-3). The second coursework question will require you to produce a reflective essay on a particular theme or issue affecting corporate legal practice (ILOs 4 and 5).
When assessment does not go to plan:
If you fail the unit and are eligible to resubmit, failed component/s will be reassessed on a like-for-like basis. The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit in the usual way.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. LAWD30112).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
