LLB Law with Finance

Program Overview

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Commercial lawyers are best equipped to advise their clients if they have a strong understanding of financial markets. The LLB Law with Finance provides you with thorough knowledge of how law works, both domestically and internationally, as well as how finance shapes leadership, strategy and planning within organisations. You will cover all of the essential foundations of legal knowledge, and will be able to further specialise your curriculum in subjects including international trade law, banking law, company law and commercial contract law. The course provides access to Bloomberg and you will use real-time financial data to apply theory to practice and develop your capacity to analyse financial information. You will have the opportunity to forecast share prices, build portfolios of assets and explore the reasons behind market booms and crashes. In Essex Law School, we specialise in commercial law, public law, and human rights law. We are 3rd in the UK for research power in law (THE research power measure, REF2021) and we are ranked 47th for Law in THE World University Rankings by Subject 2023. Essex Business School is an international, ambitious and entrepreneurial community of more than 2,000 students, academics and practitioners championing responsible management and sustainable business. Why we're great.

• Our lecturers work with the UN, the UK government, and with EU and foreign governments.
• You gain work experience advising real clients through opportunities such as the Essex Law Clinic.
• Legal graduates with a combination of expertise in financial and commercial law are increasingly attractive to employers.

Study abroad

Your education extends beyond our University campus. We support you extending your education by offering you an additional year abroad. The four-year version of our degree allows you to spend your third year studying abroad, while otherwise remaining identical to the three-year course. Studying abroad allows you to experience other cultures and languages, to broaden your degree socially and academically, and to demonstrate to employers that you are mature, adaptable, and organised. We have exchange partners across Europe, in the United States, Canada and Australia.

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Placement year

When you arrive at Essex, you can decide whether you would like to combine your course with a placement year. You will be responsible for finding your placement, but with support and guidance provided by both your department and our Employability and Careers Centre. If you complete a placement year you'll only pay 20% of your usual tuition fee to Essex for that year.

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Our expert staff

Essex Law School and Essex Business School have internationally diverse communities of staff and students, which gives us a breadth of cross-cultural perspectives and insights into law, justice and business practises around the world. This community, combined with opportunities to study abroad during your time with us, ensures you graduate with a genuine worldview and a network of international contacts.

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Specialist facilities

• Volunteer at the Essex Law Clinic where you can work alongside practicing solicitors to offer legal advice to clients
• Gain commercial awareness at our Business and Legal Advice Clinic
• Work on key human rights projects at our Human Rights Clinic
• Participate in mooting competitions to develop your skills
• Test your mediation and negotiation skills in our Client Interviewing Competition
• Join our Model United Nations society, which can improve your skills of argumentation, oral presentation and research
• Network at our student-run Law Society , Human Rights Society , and Bar Society , which provides legal advice to the Commonwealth Students’ Association (CSA)
• Peer mentors guide you through your first year
• Take advantage of networking opportunities throughout the year with visiting law firms

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Your future

At Essex we don’t just prepare you to become an outstanding legal or business professional. We stimulate your desire to pursue justice and equip you with the skills and knowledge to become an agent for change, whatever career path you choose. From the start of your course, we challenge you to think deeply, broadly and strategically about career paths. Over the first two years, alongside law subjects, you will take a career management module designed to help you identify personal strengths and goals, understand what employers are looking for and enhance your employability profile. We also hold an annual law fair, attended by law firms and vocational qualification providers. Our graduates pursue careers in the law and in a wide range of other sectors including business and commerce, accountancy, insurance, banking, central and local government, academia, teaching, social work and the police force.

Program Outline

Course structure

We offer a flexible course structure with a mixture of core/compulsory modules, and optional modules chosen from lists. Our research-led teaching is continually evolving to address the latest challenges and breakthroughs in the field. The course content is therefore reviewed on an annual basis to ensure our courses remain up-to-date so modules listed are subject to change. We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision for you. We’ll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities as described on our website. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to significant disruption, or in response to COVID-19, we’ll let our applicants and students know as soon as possible.

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Components

Components are the blocks of study that make up your course. A component may have a set module which you must study, or a number of modules from which you can choose. Each component has a status and carries a certain number of credits towards your qualification.

Status	What this means
Core	You must take the set module for this component and you must pass. No failure can be permitted.
Core with Options	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component but you must pass. No failure can be permitted.
Compulsory	You must take the set module for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.
Compulsory with Options	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.
Optional	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.

The modules that are available for you to choose for each component will depend on several factors, including which modules you have chosen for other components, which modules you have completed in previous years of your course, and which term the module is taught in.

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Modules

Modules are the individual units of study for your course. Each module has its own set of learning outcomes and assessment criteria and also carries a certain number of credits. In most cases you will study one module per component, but in some cases you may need to study more than one module. For example, a 30-credit component may comprise of either one 30-credit module, or two 15-credit modules, depending on the options available. Modules may be taught at different times of the year and by a different department or school to the one your course is primarily based in. You can find this information from the module code . For example, the module code HR100-4-FY means:

HR	100	4	FY
The department or school the module will be taught by. In this example, the module would be taught by the Department of History.	The module number.	The UK academic level of the module. A standard undergraduate course will comprise of level 4, 5 and 6 modules - increasing as you progress through the course. A standard postgraduate taught course will comprise of level 7 modules. A postgraduate research degree is a level 8 qualification.	The term the module will be taught in. AU : Autumn term SP : Spring term SU : Summer term FY : Full year AP : Autumn and Spring terms PS: Spring and Summer terms AS: Autumn and Summer terms

Year 1 Year 2 Final Year Quantitative Methods and Finance is an introduction to the subject of quantitative methods and their applications in finance, accounting and management. The module is designed to provide a sound foundation for your future studies in finance, accounting or management. The topics covered include maths revision, the time value of money, rates of change (calculus), statistics, probability distributions and simple regression. View Quantitative Methods and Finance on our Module Directory Introduction to Finance is designed to give you an introduction to the wider finance subject area ass well as firm foundation for further studies in finance. You’ll gain a overview of the financial system, instruments and markets, and ideas about finance concepts and problems. The topics covered include investment companies, return and risk, and behavioural finance. You’ll develop and be able to transmit knowledge about the financial system, instruments and markets and ideas about finance concepts and problems at an introductory level; be aware of, at an introductory level, different ways of thinking about and analysing financial phenomena; and, reflecting the principles of how we approach Finance at Essex Business School, you’ll gain an appreciation of the role that finance plays in society as whole. View Introduction to Finance on our Module Directory What are the legal consequences of contract failure? How do you calculate damages? Examine key aspects of contract law. Identify legal issues in simulated case studies and learn to construct legal arguments. Apply legal principles and precedent cases to resolve simulated legal problems. Build the numerical skills to calculate damages. View Contract Law on our Module Directory This module introduces the fundamentals of the UK constitution and the foundations of judicial review. The module explores: the nature of the constitution; the structure of governmental power; the sources of constitutional rules; and the fundamental principles underpinning the UK constitution. The module considers the functions of the three branches of government (executive, legislative and judicial) and how they are accountable. The module examines the framework for protection of human rights in the UK and introduces the grounds of judicial review. View Foundations of Public Law on our Module Directory How effective is criminal law? How do you break down a criminal law statute to its component parts? And how do you then interpret it? Understand criminal law in England and Wales. Read and critically analyse judicial decisions. Assess and answer factual problems, raising issues of criminal liability. View Criminal Law on our Module Directory What are the main skills expected of a law graduate? And what key personal factors will inform your career choice? Get ready for the opportunities and challenges of the graduate labour market. Undertake activities, workshops and session that help you develop, building your key skills and competencies. View Career Development Learning Part 1 on our Module Directory Who is liable for causing psychiatric harm? Or for causing economic loss? Study the foundations of negligence liability, examining further aspects of tort law. Gain experience of applying the principles of negligence liability to duty-based scenarios. Read and critically analyse judicial decisions. View Tort Law on our Module Directory Land law is a topic that affects all of us, playing a fundamental role in regulating people's rights over one of the most valuable and useful legal assets. This module is designed to provide you with a sound understanding of the key features of land law, including its underlying principles and its importance in regulating property relations in response to social policy needs. Students will learn about the distinction between personal property and land, the framework for establishing and enforcing various different interests in land. View Land Law on our Module Directory This compulsory second year module, taught in the Spring term, aims to build upon the legal skills which students encounter in the first year module LW105 Legal Skills. Students will develop a range of skills relating to legal research and project planning, which will both support their learning in the final year of their degree, and constitute valuable transferable skills in their own right. In particular, LW254 Legal Research Skills will act as a foundation for LW304 Final Year Research Project and students will develop a research proposal for LW304 as part of their assessment for LW254. View Legal Research Skills on our Module Directory View Justice on our Module Directory Explore how financial theory can aid financial decision-making in corporations. You discover how to apply the value maximization principle to corporate decisions, such as investment decision, borrowing decisions, and dividend decisions. View Corporate Finance on our Module Directory What is the appropriate measure of risk for a particular security? How might an investor decide on the weightings of different assets in his/her portfolio? How can we identify mispriced stocks? Should you invest your savings in an actively managed fund or in a passive fund? You consider the main theories of risk and return and explore the implications of these theories for investors' decisions. View Portfolio Analysis on our Module Directory This module incorporates a range of teaching activities, workshops and panel sessions that encourage you to take ownership of your personal and professional development in order to compete in the graduate labour market. You will be able to identify, articulate and evidence your employability skills, and will develop a critical understanding of your place in the world of work. View Career Development Skills Part II on our Module Directory How effective is criminal law? How do you break down a criminal law statute to its component parts? And how do you then interpret it? Understand criminal law in England and Wales. Read and critically analyse judicial decisions. Assess and answer factual problems, raising issues of criminal liability. View Criminal Law on our Module Directory What are the constitutional issues around the institutional structure of the EU? How has this changed with enlargement? Understand EU law to obtain a qualifying law degree. Examine the concepts of EU law and how different areas are connected. Analyse EU law within its political and socio-economic context. View Law of the European Union on our Module Directory This module provides you with an opportunity to undertake a substantial piece of legal research on a topic of your choice. You can work alone or with others in groups, under the supervision of a member of staff. Your project may take the form of a written report, but may equally be a blog, website, film or other outcome. View Final Year Research Project on our Module Directory COMPONENT 04: OPTIOL Law option(s) from list (30 CREDITS) COMPONENT 05: OPTIOL Business option(s) from list (30 CREDITS)

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Placement

On a placement year you gain relevant work experience within an external business or organisation, giving you a competitive edge in the graduate job market and providing you with key contacts within the industry. The rest of your course remains identical to the three-year degree.

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Year abroad

On your year abroad, you have the opportunity to experience other cultures and languages, to broaden your degree socially and academically, and to demonstrate to employers that you are mature, adaptable, and organised. The rest of your course remains identical to the three-year degree.

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Teaching

• For most modules, you attend two lectures a week and one fortnightly tutorial
• Tutorials provide the opportunity to discuss the law, apply the law to factual problems, and develop legal arguments
• Basic IT skills training is available and training in the use of LEXIS and WESTLAW (legal research tools) is also given
• You are encouraged to take part in moots (mock trials), negotiation competitions and other practical exercises

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Assessment

• Virtually all modules are assessed by a combination of written examination and coursework
• Examinations are held at the end of each academic year
• Your first year marks do not count towards your final degree classification