English Legal System (Module 2): Sources of Law
This is an online self-study course where you follow podcast episodes about sources of law. You can follow these for free by listening to the podcast episodes in this course or sign up to become a Podcast PRO member to access more learning resources and gain a certificate on completion of this course.
Course information
| Course Aim | To teach non-native English speaking lawyers the English and skills necessary to understand the sources of law of the English legal system. | Approx. Time | Approximately 5 hours for non Podcast Pro Members and 11.5 hours for Podcast Pro Members to complete this course. |
| How To Pass | Listen to all course episodes. Podcast Pro Members complete all quizzes from course episodes and pass with 50%. Then they take the final exam and must pass with 50%. | Course Outcome | Podcast Pro Members will be graded and awarded a certificate if they pass which can be shared with others. |
This course is for non-native legal English lawyers, legal professionals (judges, translators, paralegals, legal English teachers) and law students. Do you get confused about the differences between common law and civil law? Are you interested in EU law such as regulations and directives, or do you use international law such as treaties in your work? This course will help you. It is ideal for people who would like to learn more about different sources of law, for example, statute, precedent/case law, civil codes, EU law, and international law. Through this online legal English course you will learn a range of legal English vocabulary to help you understand where law comes from. It is suitable for students preparing to study for an LLB Law degree or LLM Masters in law in England. It is also suitable for students preparing for the Test of Legal English Skills exam and can be a good supplement to Unit 3A, 3b (The Language of Contract Law) and 5A and 5B (The Language of the Law of Tort) in The Lawyer’s English Language Coursebook.
| Podcast Episode | Content | Episode Time (mins) | Podcast Pro Activities Time (mins) | Prerequisite |
| E24 – Sources of Law – Domestic Legislation (Monologue) | An overview of domestic legislation in the UK. | 16 | 15-30 | N/A |
| E25 – Sources of Law – Reading an Act of Parliament (Monologue) | How to read an Act of Parliament. | 16 | 15-30 | N/A |
| E28 – Statutory Interpretation part 1 (Monologue) | How courts interpret legislation, why they interpret legislation and the different rules they use. | 16 | 15-30 | N/A |
| E29 – Statutory Interpretation part 2 (Monologue) | How courts interpret legislation including the rules of language and presumptions. | 18 | 15-30 | N/A |
| E31 – Introduction to the Common Law (Monologue) | The origins of the common law, comparing the common law to civil law and learning about how case law is reported. | 18 | 15-30 | N/A |
| E32 – Doctrine of Judicial Precedent (Monologue) | What precedent is, the different types of precedent and how it is applied in the courts. | 22 | 15-30 | N/A |
| E33 – An Introduction to Equity (Monologue) | What equity is, how it developed and how it is used today. | 12 | 15-30 | N/A |
| E34 – History of the EU (Monologue) | The history of the EU, why it was set up and the treaties upon which it is founded. | 14 | 15-30 | N/A |
| E35 – Institutions of the EU (Monologue) | The seven institutions of the EU and what they do. | 15 | 15-30 | N/A |
| E36 – Law of the EU (Monologue) | The different sources of law in the EU and how it applies in Member States. | 21 | 15-30 | N/A |
| E37 – EU Supremacy and Brexit (Monologue) | Parliamentary supremacy, the supremacy of EU law and Brexit. | 22 | 15-30 | N/A |
| E38 – Introduction to Human Rights Law (Monologue) | The European Convention on Human Rights, the Human Rights Act 1998 and why human rights are important in the UK. | 21 | 15-30 | N/A |
| E40 – Introduction to International Law (Monologue) | What international law is, what are the sources of law, how does it work and who does it involve. | 28 | 15-30 | N/A |
| Final Exam (PODCAST PRO) | 50 questions based on the course. You are permitted to take this five times only. |
90 minute Time Limit | Listen to all course episodes & complete all quizzes gaining at least 50% in each quiz. |