Courses and teaching support for students
UCL Laws offers Academic Legal Writing and Law Teachers’ Programme courses to help you excel in essays, exams, and legal teaching practice.
Academic Legal Writing
Academic Legal Writing courses are offered to provide support and guidance on legal writing and theory, reading and note-taking techniques, coursework assessment (formative and summative), research essays and examination preparation.
The courses are aimed at both undergraduate and postgraduate students who may have little or no experience of legal writing, as well as those who do and are aiming to enhance their grades.
One of the key aspects of the courses is the understanding of the assessment criteria and the requirements of exam questions. By analysing module coursework, research essays and examination scripts, as well as completing weekly timed essays, you will develop the skills required to write within the academic legal context.
Reference materials and reading lists are provided via Moodle once you are enrolled. One-to-one tutorial sessions are also available throughout the year upon request.
Undergraduate students
- First-year students have a number of sessions to introduce them to academic writing in Term 1
- Second and final year students can opt to attend weekly sessions to focus on specific techniques, such as Research Essay writing in Term 2
Postgraduate students
The Academic Legal Writing courses are delivered to LLM students over the first two terms of the programme.
- Term 1 takes a theoretical look at legal writing and focuses on improving accuracy, clarity and coherence of writing, as well as providing weekly practice for LLM students
- Term 2 prepares for exams with weekly essay writing assignments based on LLM students’ own modules, as well as support during the different stages of the drafting of the Research Essays.
Law Teachers’ Programme
The Law Teachers’ Programme is a non-accredited course comprising a series of informal, interactive seminars for present and intending law teachers registered as graduate students at UCL Laws. The programme aims to encourage reflection on legal pedagogy and develop stimulating, engaging and inclusive law teaching.
Subjects discussed during the Programme include EDI (equality, diversity, and inclusion), decolonisation, ecological sustainability, and mental health and wellbeing in legal education.
This optional module is free, and does not constitute any part of the curriculum for the LLM degree. The programme is subject to availability, and further information, including how to register, will be issued to graduate students during the LLM induction week.