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Legal Method Consolidation Questions
Legal Method Consolidation Questions
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1. Learning Outcomes
2. Consolidation
3. Summary
4. Exit
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this consolidation session, you should feel confident that you are able to:
1. Demonstrate good knowledge and understanding of the foundation principles of the
English Legal System, for example, the court system, statutory interpretation, and
the doctrine of precedent.
2. Prepare for the Legal Method test, including top tips and guidance.
3. Prepare for the Legal Method test, work through two example scenarios; a Civil Law
and a Criminal Law scenario.
Guidance
Preparation
This consolidation session is intended to prepare you for your Legal Method exam.
The examples we will look at in this session are the usual format of the exam i.e. a fictitious
statute and judgments, and we shall be using it as a vehicle to revise some of the key topics.
Do be aware that the judgments tend to be longer in the test. Have a look at the Seals
(Conservation) Act in Unit 6 of the Manual for an idea of what to expect.
There are two sets of extracts - one criminal, the other civil. We don’t have to deal with all
the questions.
Above all don’t panic.
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Duration, 30 minutes - you should allow 5 minutes reading time, 1 minute per
question, 5 minutes for thinking time or if you struggle with a question.
20 questions, all MCQs.
Most questions based on imaginary case extract and legislation.
Other questions are self standing.
Open book exam - you can take in the Legal Method Manual and annotate it. You
can also take in a lever arch file of notes.
Duration, 30 minutes - you should allow 5 minutes reading time, 1 minute per
question, 5 minutes for thinking time or if you struggle with a question.
20 questions, all MCQs.
Most questions based on imaginary case extract and legislation.
Other questions are self standing.
The exam is an open book exam conducted online. We open the test module for a
week and you can tackle the test within 30 minutes at any point during that week.
Once you set the test running online after 30 minutes have elapsed any answers
submitted after that will not be recorded, so you do need to be ready to
Consolidation
Now, let’s look at the Legal Method Consolidation questions.
Select the RESOURCES button (above right) so you can opt to open, save or print the
following;
Legal Method Consolidation Questions
You will need to refer to the Study Manual to help you answer the questions.
Statutory Extract
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The Workplaces (Hard Labour) Act 1905 (1905 c.14)
An Act to regulate the treatment of employees in the workplace. [2nd February 1905]
1. Any employee who is treated to hard labour in a workplace shall be entitled to
claim compensation from his employer.
2. For the purposes of this Act a workplace shall include factories, workhouses,
workshops and other workplaces.
3. This Act may be cited as the Workplaces (Hard Labour) Act 1905.
Feedback
The County Court: Claims below £100,000 (or £50,000 in relation to personal injury)
are dealt with by the County Court.
Legal Method Study Manual, Unit 2, page 59 and page 66 ‘Overview of Civil
Procedure’
Feedback
This is the usual costs order which the court will make, as to do otherwise would
penalise the winning party.
Legal Method Study Manual, Unit 2, overview of civil procedure at page 66 and
Activity 4
Feedback
The usual route of appeal from the County Court is to the High Court, where the QBD
deals with contract and tort cases.
Legal Method Study Manual, Table 10: Civil Appeals System page 74
Feedback
The reason is that the court is not determining whether this particular site is a
dockyard, or whether it comes within the Act, but whether dockyards generally are
included. Basically the case is interpreting the law by clarifying the definition of
workplace as the statutory definition is ambiguous. This distinction is important for
procedure and also for the doctrine of precedent.
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The Manual states on page 69 that a judge can justifiably reach a number of
conclusions based on the factual evidence, depending on the credibility of witnesses
etc. An appeal on the facts will succeed if the decision is beyond this range of
reasonable conclusions. However, here in our imaginary case the court is not dealing
with the question of whether a particular site falls under the Act on the facts.
Instead, it just dealing with the point of law of whether ‘a dockyard’ is a place of
work within the Act.
Legal Method Study Manual, Unit 2 page 70, Activity 6 is on points of law & fact
Feedback 1 of 3
Feedback 2 of 3
Select each of the four stages below to find out more about how a proposition in one case is
binding in a later case.
1. A proposition of law;
This means that there must be a statement for example about legal obligations -
what someone ought, or ought not to do. A statement of fact, provable using
evidence, is in a particular case the reason for the statements of law. But it
should not be confused with them and are not part of binding precedent.
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2. Part of the ratio decidendi of a case;
Generally in law these days we try to avoid use of Latin, but this is one of the
exceptions.
The ratio decidendi is literally the reason for the decision. A legal rule derived
from, and consistent with, those parts of legal reasoning within a judgment on
which the outcome of the case depends.
3. Decided in a court whose decisions are binding on the present court; and
We’ve seen that we need a statement of law which is part of the ratio. But this
statement must have been made in a court whose decisions are binding on the
court which is considering the precedent.
Remember, a superior court can reverse the decision of a lower court on appeal.
Also, some courts have only limited jurisdictions. So the European Court of
Justice is in theory the highest court and the Magistrates’ Courts are the lowest.
Of course there are overlaps in the various jurisdictions of the courts.
Feedback 3 of 3
Distinguishing it:
In an earlier case, the Supreme Court discussed rubber plantations and decided that
they were not a workplace, because they were outside and thus, part of the natural
environment.
However, in this case, dockyards are workplaces as they are man-made
, rather than being natural.
A proposition in law is only binding in a later case if there are no relevant distinctions
between the 2 cases.
To avoid being bound by the earlier principle and therefore having to conclude that a
dockyard is NOT a place of work within the Act, the judge highlights the difference
with the present case. This means he does not have to follow it as a precedent.
“Other workplaces” may not include rubber plantations but there is still argument to
say it may include a dockyard.
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Hence, he distinguishes it.
Reminder of Terms
Distinguishing = ratio is binding on lower courts, but if a court finds the case before it
to be different in some material way to the precedent cited (facts or law), the earlier
case need not be followed because the present case has been distinguished.
Reversing = where a higher court on appeal overturns the decision of a lower court
in the same case. (The higher court can affirm or reverse the decision of the lower
court).
Overruling = where the court overturns the decisions of a lower (or sometimes
equal) court in a different case. This is when a principle of a lower court is declared
incorrect and not followed in a higher court in a later different case. The higher court
will set a new ‘correct precedent. If agrees with the lower court, can approve the
decision.
As a consequence, the High Court cannot overrule the Supreme Court, (it can only
follow or distinguish).
Checkpoint
If you could now attempt the remaining questions on the civil law scenario.
Again working to the same timing as the Legal Method Test you have 9-10 minutes
to do questions 6-11.
Each question is a multiple choice question. Read through and select the appropriate
answer and submit to review your answer. You will have three attempts for each
question.
Feedback
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This question is about statutory interpretation, so you need to start with the statute.
Eiusdem generis: Section 2 of the Act states that: ‘For the purposes of this Act a
workplace shall include factories, workhouses, workshops and other workplaces’.
o Hence, there are general words which follow specific words.
o The types of words all relate to places of menial work.
o A dockyard is a place of menial work so is included in the Act.
When a general word is followed by two or more specific words, that general word
will only apply to items of the same type as the specific words.
Legal Method Study Manual - Eiusdem generis page 170, Unit 4, Activity 13
Feedback
Supreme Court: You are required to consider which is the next court before
answering this question. Here, it is the Court of Appeal. It usually binds itself but not
always (Young versus BA).
The next slide re-visits which courts bind, or you can go to the Legal Method Study
Manual - Unit 5, you can also revisit ‘Who binds whom’ flowchart in the Legal
Method Study Manual, page 210
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Activity available online
Feedback
Pepper versus Hart - Hansard can only be used if the statute is ambiguous and the
material consists of clear statements by a minister or promoter of the Bill.
This demonstrates the importance of reading the question. The crucial difference
between answers (A) and (D) is the word ‘and’ rather than ‘or’.
Legal Method Study Manual, page 173-174 on extrinsic aids
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A: Codification is where all the law on a topic, which may previously have been
covered by common law, custom and even statute(s), is brought together in one new
statute. The codifying statute may, if necessary, change the pre-existing law (for
example, the Theft Act 1968). This is the correct answer. Codifying can also include
case law.
B: A penal statute is a criminal statute.
C: Consolidation is where one statute re-enacts law which was previously contained
in several different statutes, but does not materially change it (for example, the
Insolvency Act 1986). Effectively, consolidating Acts ‘tidy up’ the law. This is a
narrower concept than codification.
D: Delegated or secondary legislation is law made by bodies other than the
government, such as Local Authorities / Ministers but with the authority of
Parliament for example, statutory instruments and bye-laws.
Legal Method Study Manual, page 33-34
Feedback
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England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland that is, The United Kingdom.
Legal Method Study Manual, Unit 1, page 30
Feedback 1 of 2
CJEU: Binding
ECHR: Persuasive
The CJEU replaced the ECJ. It sits in Luxembourg and has one judge from each
Member State.
o Their key task is to ensure that European law is applied uniformly in all
Member States and it is binding in this regard.
o The CJEU hears cases to see if the Member States have fulfilled their
obligations under the Treaties.
o It only has limited jurisdiction to deal with actions brought by individuals.
Remember the ECHR deals with breaches of human rights and section 2 HRA states.
Feedback 2 of 2
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Each question is a multiple choice question. Read through and select the appropriate
answer and submit to review your answer. You will have three attempts for each question.
Statutory Extract
The Antiquities Appropriation Act 1897
(1897 c. 52)
An Act to protect antiquities on public display and to punish those who appropriate such
items without the consent of the owner.
[5th June 1897]
1. Any person who intentionally removes an antiquity without permission from the
possession of its owner shall be punishable on indictment only by up to 10 years’
imprisonment.
2. For the purposes of this Act an antiquity shall include books, statues and
artefacts of more than 100 years’ age.
3. This Act may be cited as the Antiquities Appropriation Act 1897
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Feedback
On Royal Assent
Legal Method Study Manual, Quick Q – page 32
Feedback
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The citation is year, then volume number, then law report, then page number.
So C and D clearly don’t correspond to that format. B is correct as the year is
essential for locating the case and its therefore in square brackets.
If the year weren’t essential to locating the case it would be in round brackets i.e. if
the law report were organised other than by year for example, by volume number.
Legal Method Study Manual, Neutral citation- page 117
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Feedback 1 of 2
A: The legislation is a Public Act because it concerns matters which concern the
public as a whole, in particular, the creation of a criminal offence.
B: Delegated (or subordinate or secondary) legislation is law made by bodies other
than Parliament, but with the authority of Parliament. Such authority is usually
contained in a ‘parent’ Act, which creates the framework of the law, but delegates
its detailed provisions to others. Who enforces the Act is irrelevant.
Legal Method Study Manual, page 33
Legal Method Study Manual, page 35
Feedback 2 of 2
C: Government Ministers and local authorities can create criminal offences, for
example, to deal with local issues such as dog fouling and excess drinking in public.
These are criminal offences, but may be passed provided the power to do so is
delegated to the body concerned. Ministers and their departments are given
authority to make regulations for areas they are specifically responsible for for
example, Secretary of State for Work & Pensions. Local authorities may introduce
bye-laws for deal with local issues for example, drinking on the street.
D: Statutory instruments do not have to pass through the House of Commons to
become effective.
Legal Method Study Manual, also in page 35
no ref.
Feedback
Expressio unius: Note that the wording is very specific and thus mention of one or
more specific things may be taken to exclude others of the same type, (i.e. books,
statutes and artefacts).
Legal Method Study Manual, Unit 4, Activity 14 page 171
Expressio unius est exclusio alterius = to express one is to exclude other.
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Checkpoint
If you could now attempt the remaining questions on the criminal law scenario.
Again working to the same timing as the Legal Method Test you have 9-10 minutes
to do questions 17-25.
Each question is a multiple choice question. Read through and select the appropriate
answer and submit to review your answer. You will have three attempts for each
question.
Feedback 1 of 2
Mischief rule & noscitur: Often these rules are used together as noscitur requires
ambiguities to be read in context and this includes the Act as read in totality.
Noscitur means that a word is known by the company it keeps i.e. derives meaning
from surrounding words.
Mischief rule: Requires the interpreter of the statute to ascertain the legislator’s
intention [note if a distinction had to be made between mischief and purposive rule,
mischief rule is looking back trying to solve the problem, while purposive rule is
about looking forward at the aims of the legislators - ambiguous.
Legal Method Study Manual page 164, Unit 4, Activity 8
Feedback 2 of 2
Noscitur a sociis = known by the company it keeps - a word derives meaning from its
surrounding words. This is when there is a list of specific words and one is
ambiguous for example, cat, dog and rodent - does this include a mouse?
Legal Method Study Manual, page 169 Unit 4, Activity 12
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Activity available online
Feedback
Indictable: This is clear from section 1 of the Act. Either way means that the offence
can be dealt with in either the magistrates or the Crown Court, whilst summary only
offences may only be dealt with in the lower court. Remember to examine any
statutory extract carefully:
Any person who intentionally removes an antiquity without permission from the
possession of its owner shall be punishable on indictment only by up to 10 years’
imprisonment.
Feedback
(This was a slight trick question). A magistrates’ court: All criminal prosecutions
commence in the magistrates’ court, even if they are immediately transferred to the
Crown Court as would occur for indictable only offences.
Legal Method Study Manual, page 78 - Table 13 overview of criminal proceedings
Feedback
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Q21 Multiple Choice Question
If Scamp’s appeal in the Court of Appeal is refused, Ageold LJ is:
Activity available online
Feedback
Ageold LJ is arguing that Scamp is not caught by the legislation, so that he is not
guilty. If the CA refused Scamp’s appeal this means that the other 2 Lords Justices
effectively found Scamp guilty. Ageold is therefore in dissent.
Per incuriam i.e. through carelessness. This means that the court must have reached
a different conclusion not might have. p.213 Decisions given in ignorance or
forgetfulness of some inconsistent statutory provision or of some authority binding
on the court concerned.
Legal Method Study Manual, page 213
Feedback
If Scamp’s appeal is refused it means maps have been found to be covered by the
Act = Guilty
A: ratio is the statement of law as applied to the material facts. As Ageold LJ is the
dissenting judge (he finds that if the Act was intended to have covered maps, they
would have been included in the wording of the Act, so therefore do not fall under
the Act), his judgment is obiter so:
B: is not correct.
C: is not a statement of law.
D: is merely the decision.
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Feedback
Appeal courts are at least notionally courts of law not fact. SC appeals always require
leave (and this is usually granted by the SC itself).
Legal Method Study Manual, page 84 table on Trial on Indictments - Appeals
Feedback
Appeal courts are at least notionally courts of law not fact. SC appeals always require
leave (and this is usually granted by the SC itself).
Overruling: is where the court overturns a decision in a different case of a court of
lower, or sometimes equal, status.
Reversing: is where a higher court on appeal overturns the decision of a lower court
in the same case and this applies here.
Distinguishing: is relevant to the doctrine of precedent.
Feedback
Section 3 of the HRA provides that ‘so far as it is possible to do so, primary and
subordinate legislation must be read and given effect in a way which is compatible
with the Convention rights’.
If the court cannot achieve this, judges at the level of the High Court or above, may
make a declaration of incompatibility in respect of the relevant piece of legislation.
However, prior to doing this, judges will attempt to read the relevant Act in a
manner which is compatible with the protection of the Convention rights.
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However, Ministers are not required to comply with the Act but they must certify
whether the new legislation is compliant or not. Therefore D is the one wrong
statement.
Legal Method Study Manual, page 210, who binds whom
Summary
Now you have completed this consolidation session, you should be content that you are
able to:
1. Demonstrate good knowledge and understanding of the foundation principles of the
English Legal System, for example, the court system, statutory interpretation, and
the doctrine of precedent.
2. Prepare for the Legal Method test, including top tips and guidance.
3. Prepare for the Legal Method test, work through two example scenarios; a Civil Law
and a Criminal Law scenario.
Exit
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select the COMPLETED button below and then select the EXIT button. Please note: In the
event your ‘My Grades’ menu does not show a green tick, you will need to open this media
again, navigate to this EXIT page and select the COMPLETED button again.
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