Information about Studying Law at Otago University
Thinking of Studying Law at Otago? Enrol in LAWS101 today
Why study Law?
The LLB degree provides an excellent grounding in such skills as analysing, decision making, negotiation, researching and forming legal and other arguments. Law graduates are skilled in the precise use of oral and written language and these skills are used in a variety of occupations. Among the students enrolling in the First Year Law paper are many who want to gain an understanding of how the law works in New Zealand as part of their degree course. These include students enrolled in Commerce, Science, Physical Education, Health Science, Arts, Consumer and Applied Science and other degrees.
Background required
There are no specific requirements regarding subjects taken at school, for entry into the Legal System paper. In general, we advise students to take those subjects at school which interest them and they do well in. The sorts of skills which are useful for law are good language skills (English is therefore very useful) and skills of analysis (maths is useful here). Another relevant subject, normally first encountered at University, is philosophy. You could develop your language and analysis skills by taking part in activities such as drama and debating at school and at University.
Law at Otago (Dunedin, New Zealand)
Law is an on campus Four Year Professional Degree. The Legal System Course LAWS101 is the foundation for the law degree but can be taken to count toward another degree. Admission to Second Year Law is restricted to 200 students. The second-year course consists of papers in four subjects which are fundamental to the understanding of law, and which provide a foundation for advanced papers in subsequent years. The second-year Law papers are: Criminal Law, Law of Contract, Property Law, and Public Law. In the third and fourth years, students have three compulsory papers: the Law of Torts, Jurisprudence, and Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility and a range of optional papers to choose, from a list of about 40 papers. You will also complete a programme of research and writing, undertaken in conjunction with your third and fourth-year papers, and a short programme to develop skills of oral advocacy. More able students studying for an LLB are given opportunities to enrol for the LLB (Hons) degree which involves supervised research work in addition to the work required for the ordinary LLB degree.
FIRST YEAR LAW / LAWS101 - COURSE STRUCTURE
LAWS101 The Legal System course consists of three parts:
LAWS101A
An Introduction to Legislation.
LEGAL HISTORY
Historical Introduction to the New Zealand legal systems and its antecedents
LAWS101B
Case analysis, legal reasoning and the judicial process.
At the end of Semester 2 you sit two Three-hour closed book exams, one consisting of LAWS101A and Legal History the other of LAWS101B each worth 50% and combined to give you a total mark out of 100. LAWS101 and the LLB degree will immerse you in the Otago University culture and are thus not offered as a distance course.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
The broad objectives of the Course are to provide you with the opportunity to:
1. Learn about the origins and development of our legal system.
2. Develop the skills of applying and interpreting statutes.
3. Develop the skills of analysing and applying case law.
4. Develop skills of problem solving.
5. Develop skills of clear, well-reasoned communication.
6. Critically assess how the law works, with its complex mixture of statutes, cases, judges, lawyers, social facts, people, values, aspirations and expectations.
CLASS PREPARATION & LECTURES
There are four formal class hours each week (3 lectures and 1 tutorial). You are expected to work for another six hours per week on the Legal System, although more time may be involved when written assignments are prepared. Preparing before the class/tutorial is essential.
The same lecturers teach Legal System in two streams. You must attend lectures at your assigned times.
Audio CD recordings of lectures are available at the Law Library reserve desk (8th floor, Richardson Building) from noon the following day. A limited number of CD players are available in the Law Library. Alternatively you may bring your own CD-player or laptop.
TUTORIALS AND WRITTEN WORK
Tutorials are the place to develop the basic skills of analysing a legal problem as well as your oral skills. You are expected to attend all tutorials. Problems will be handed out in advance and you should prepare a written outline of the issues for discussion.
There are four optional written assignments which you are strongly encouraged to complete. Note: Any assignment must be your own original work. Copying or paraphrasing all or part of another person's work without clear attribution is plagiarism — which in this context is a form of cheating. Any person who is a party to plagiarism may be subject to disciplinary proceedings by the University. Under no circumstances should you allow your written work to be read or copied by other students until it has been marked and returned.
INTERNAL ASSESSMENT
There is no internal assessment in LAWS 101.
Three optional tests, under exam conditions, will allow you to assess your progress. You are strongly advised to sit all of them. The test marks do not count towards your final grade, but may be relevant to the granting of aegrotat passes and may also be taken into account in assessing special consideration cases for admission to second year law.
COURSE MATERIALS AND REFERENCE BOOKS
Course Materials are provided at no cost. Legal History and Legislation materials are available during the Course Approval process. Case Analysis materials are handed out during a Lecture later in the year. The Law Library (8th floor, Richardson Building) contains reference books on Legal History and Method.
What’s in the Law Library for Legal System students?
When you’re doing Legal System, the most useful things are:
- Study space – we’ve got a room with a view on all three floors (7-9).
- Lecture CDs in case you miss a lecture. Ask for the CD by lecturer, and date or lecture number. We also have the lecture overheads and CD players, all on Close Reserve, issued for 2 hours.
- Books and photocopies on Close Reserve, issued for 2 hours. But the most important stuff is in your course materials, which we don’t keep on Close Reserve.
- Sample answers to previous Legal System exams, also on Close Reserve. Just ask.
- Legal dictionaries (opposite the Desk at K/120.5)
- The photocopiers - on the 8th floor behind the New Books Display opposite the Desk. We also have an Add Value machine so you can add money to your ID card.
- Computers (8th floor). Are located all throughout the Law Library.
WHAT YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO BY THE END OF THE COURSE
• Write a legal opinion, using a statute as the source of law, which identifies the legal issues (the links between the facts and the law), applies the statutory words to those issues, and comes to justified conclusions as to which interpretations are likely to succeed.
• Write a legal opinion using case law as the source of law, which identifies the legal issues (the links between the facts and the law), interprets and applies the case law to these issues, and comes to justified conclusions as to which view of the cases is likely to succeed.
• Orally argue a case by relating the facts to the primary legal materials and demonstrating reasons as to why the case should be decided in a particular way.
• Write an essay on an issue of legal history which interprets and applies the related facts and ideas, identifies the legal values behind the ideas, and comes to a justified conclusion as to which interpretation has the strongest basis for acceptance. You should also be able to identify, through documents and writers, the key events and ideas upon which our system is based.
• Write a critical essay on an area of law which identifies the basis for the criticism, evaluates arguments for and against change and demonstrates independent reading and a well justified conclusion.
For more information on Studying Law at Otago please contact the Law Faculty at
e-mail: law@otago.ac.nz
ph: 64 03 479 8857
