Dr Devika Hovell

This course is compulsory on the LLM (extended part-time) and LLM (full-time). This course is not available as an outside option.

This course on Legal Research and Writing has a taught component focusing on research and writing skills and a stand-alone dissertation (details about which may be found in the LLM Handbook), to be written in a substantive law area of the student’s choice.

The taught part of the course is designed to enable students to gain a better understanding of:

• the nature of research in general and of legal research in particular, and the range of questions and research methodologies to be found within legal scholarship;

• the processes involved in legal research, including research design, refining a research question, resource identification, and searching for relevant materials;

• legal writing skills, including issues of style, process, the use of sources and the presentation of findings and arguments.

This course is typically delivered through a combination of classes and lectures throughout Lent Term. Students will usually have additional hours in the Summer Term.  

Students will be invited to prepare short writing samples and dissertation plans.

Dissertation (100%, 10000 words) post-summer term.

See the LLM handbook for full details and regulations about the dissertation.