Reach Cambridge Ltd. Tel: 1-888-99-REACH (1-888-997-3224) E-mail: info@reachcambridge.

com

LAW
PROVISIONAL SCHEDULE FOR 2013
Please note this provisional schedule aims to give students and teachers an
outline of the course curriculum for 2013. However this schedule may be subject
to change due to teacher availability and access to facilities. A final course
outline will be provided prior to the groups arrival in Cambridge.

Introduction

The Reach Cambridge Law course provides a unique opportunity for A Level
students to experience University level teaching in the UK. The course will
introduce them to English Law and will focus on 5 key areas of Law: Public Law;
Human Rights; Criminal Law; Tort Law; and Environmental Law. The course will
enable the students to experience the legal process first hand, with visits to both
the Magistrates and Crown courts in Cambridge. The course also includes a visit
to the Supreme Court, thus enabling the students to see law-making at the very
highest level. Legal studies in the UK is mainly case based, and students will
have the opportunity to study and research cases, gaining experience on how to
identify key points of law. Toward the end of the course students will be given the
opportunity to take part in a mock trial they will be given roles and will compete
in two teams.

Week One Introduction into the English Legal System and Human Rights

Day 1 am
Introduction into the English Legal System what does it consist of?
The first session will be a short introduction to the English Legal system,
identifying the different actors (judges, defendants, claimants, prosecution,
barristers and solicitors); sources of law (statute and common law); areas of law
(civil, criminal and public) and the system of courts in the UK.
pm
Introduction of English Legal System Statutory Interpretation
The afternoon session will focus on the concept of statutory interpretation and
through different examples and will explain how the two sources of law interact in
practice.

Day 2 am
Introduction to Public Law
Students will be introduced Public Law and the way in which the courts and
individuals can check government action. This will form the basis of their
teaching more generally on human rights law and other aspects of the course.
pm
The Cambridge Law Faculty
Students will be taken on a tour around the Cambridge Law Faculty including a
visit to the library and the moot court room. The students will be given
prospectuses and receive a short presentation about studying law at Cambridge.



Reach Cambridge Ltd. Tel: 1-888-99-REACH (1-888-997-3224) E-mail: info@reachcambridge.com

LAW
PROVISIONAL SCHEDULE FOR 2013
Day 3 am
An Introduction into Human Rights Law
Theoretical introduction to human rights: why do we have human rights, what
kind of human rights there are, what are the advantages and disadvantages of
having human rights.
What is the law with regards to human rights? Brief discussion of the rights
included in the European Convention of Human Rights and the proportionality
test.
pm Human Rights Continued
The proportionality test in practice The class will be divided into smaller groups
and they will be given a number of problem questions with controversial facts and
asked whether the Courts should protect the applicants human rights or no.
Then, there will be a discussion about each groups findings.

Day 4 am
Human Rights Law Continued
This session will continue work from the previous days session, examining the
effect of human rights law in the anti-terrorism context in order to show the
delicate balance between human rights protection and national security. It will
focus on the right to be free from torture and on the control order cases affecting
the right to liberty and the right to a fair trial.
pm Visit to the Crown Court Cambridge: students will enjoy a visit to the
crown court to watch cases and to gain experience of the English legal system
first hand. This visit will give them valuable knowledge which will be used for the
Mock Trial.

Day 5 am
Introduction to Criminal Law
The morning class focuses on criminal law theory: it discusses what is mens rea
(guilty mind), actus reus and in what circumstances should the law criminalise
specific acts (we will focus on three criminal theory principles: the harm principle,
the offence principle and paternalism)
pm Criminal Law Continued
The afternoon class looks at the criminal law in practice, by looking at the law on
murder. The first part of the class will discuss the specific law on the mens rea,
actus reus and causation for murder, while the second part will consist of case
studies where the students will have to decide whether the defendants are guilty
or not.

Week Two
Day 6 am
Mock Trial Introduction
Students will be put into two groups the defence and the prosecution. The case
details will be handed out and roles will be allocated these roles vary in
workload Barristers, witnesses, court clerks and ushers all play a vital role in


Reach Cambridge Ltd. Tel: 1-888-99-REACH (1-888-997-3224) E-mail: info@reachcambridge.com

LAW
PROVISIONAL SCHEDULE FOR 2013
the running of the court. There will be a role to suit all abilities. All students will
watch a DVD on previous mock trials to give students an understanding of what
is to be expected.
pm Mock Trial Continued
The rest of the day will be spent on preparation for the mock trial. Students will
need to prepare a skeleton argument for their opponents and the judge.

Day 7 am
Finalising the mock trial
This session will ensure that all students are fully prepared for the trial.
pm THE MOCK TRIAL
This will be performed to other students and staff. A jury of 12 will be present to
give a verdict on the case. Students will perform to the best of their ability hoping
to sway the jury with their legal arguments.

Day 8 am
Introduction to Tort Law
This session will focus on a key aspect of Tort Law: Negligence. This will give
students a general introduction as to what tort law is as well as focussing on a
key element of tort law, the duty of care.
pm Tort Continued
The afternoon session will continue the exploration of tort, focusing on the other
key elements of tort breach and damages.

Day 9
Full day excursion to the Supreme Court where the students will receive a
tour to the Courts and the Justices library, which are closed to the general
public.

Day 10 am
Introduction to Environmental Law
Students will be given an introduction to environmental law combining elements
of criminal, public and tort law covered earlier in the course.
pm Environmental Law
The students will be given a selection of different environmental problems and in
groups will have to decide upon the best legal approach to dealing with them.
This will require them to combine all aspects of law that they have covered in the
course.


Reading List
Note: It is hoped that students will have read some of the following in
advance this reading will enhance discussion in the classroom.



Reach Cambridge Ltd. Tel: 1-888-99-REACH (1-888-997-3224) E-mail: info@reachcambridge.com

LAW
PROVISIONAL SCHEDULE FOR 2013
Alan Dershowitz, Should the Ticking Bomb Terrorist Be Tortured?,
Chapter 4 in Why Terrorism Works: Understanding the Threat,
Responding to The Challenge (New Haven, Conn.; London: Yale
University Press, 2002)
Heather Lardy, Prisoner disenfranchisement: constitutional rights and
wrongs, Public Law, pp.524-546, 2002.
Martin Kettle, Why deny prisoners the vote?, guardian.co.uk, 21 January
2011 (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jan/21/prisoners-
right-to-vote?INTCMP=SRCH)
Richard Alcock, Revising our rights, guardian.co.uk, Monday 26 October
2009
(http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/libertycentral/2009/oct/26/huma
n-rights-act-conservatives?INTCMP=SRCH)
AP Simester and GR Sullivan, Criminal Law: Theory and Doctrine (4th
ed.), Chapters 4, 5 and 10.
Introduction to Tort Law, Chapter 1.1 1.4 at
http://www.oup.com/uk/orc/bin/9780199292240/strong_ch01.pdf