Another quick problem question to sharpen your skills!

Fancy a quick problem question to sharpen your skills? This is taken directly from a forum with a few details changed to protect their identity. Imagining the poster was your client, do they have a viable claim for damages under the Law in England and Wales? If so, on what grounds?

Hello,

I hope you can help me with this issue.

A while back a couple moved to the street where I live. The street is a residential street with only residential private houses, where mainly families with children live. It looks like the man is running a business out of his property, which I think is rented. This in itself is not a problem. However his business seems to be about delivering fresh produce. Since he started this, we have large vans parking outside our windows slamming doors, very loudly whilst they unpack the fruit/veg, after these vans leave you then have the guy loading these onto his vans, once again slamming doors, talking loudly, laughing etc. This would not be a problem if it was 6:30 - 7am. The problem is this takes place from 5 in the morning at times even earlier. Like I said, this is not a business street /high street, this is a quiet residential road and he wakes up everyone. We all work and have children that go to school and the noise is affecting our sleep. 

What I need to find out is does he need a permit from the council to be able to run this sort of business and is the council likely to give him a permit to work this way on a residential road?

Also how do I find out who the landlord is so I can write to them about it. I have tried talking to him but he just ignores me and walks away, it will reach a point where I will have to contact someone about it.

Thank you

Please post your answers or even a rough draft in the comments below. And yes, this does count as revision. 

Law and Criminology personal statment example

Are you thinking about studying Law and Criminology at degree level? Are you looking for a Law and Criminology personal statement? Well, here's mine to give you some ideas...

My extra-curricular activities have given me a lot of valuable skills to apply to other situations. Within school I regularly volunteer my time to help with clubs and organisations which benefit the younger students. I enjoy being a peer counsellor and am an active member within the club, helping to run events such as anti-bullying week while still maintaining the level of support and compassion the role requires. Last year I involved myself within the paired reading scheme, helping a younger student to develop their reading skills and this year I was selected to help children with Dyslexia to read once a week. Becoming a house prefect and later a school prefect has taught me how to adapt well to certain situations and relate to different people, the role requires responsibility and maturity as you are a role model to the younger students. As well as supervising certain areas of the school during break and dinner I have been given the responsibility of working closely with a year 7 form. In this position I work with not only the younger students to provide support and help, but also teachers to ensure that the students take as much from this experience as I have.

I also undertook a volunteer work placement at [a] Primary School where I built upon my organisation and leadership skills by assisting the teacher with a variety of age groups, and I continue to volunteer there at school events. Over the summer I volunteered at a Multi-Agency team who support children and families with additional needs, helping them to organise and supervise team building and awareness events. Outside of school I participate in many activities such as skiing, swimming and scuba diving, all of which I have achieved awards for. I particularly enjoy Oz-boxing which I was introduced to over the summer while volunteering at the Multi-Agency Team and attend regularly, so this would be something I would be interested in continuing at university.

I have taken English Language and I.C.T and continued them from AS to A2. Studying English Literature at AS level has encouraged independent research and wider reading which developed my skills in self-disciplined study. I.C.T has given me skills such as in-depth computer knowledge, an awareness of business and clerical skills. English language involves essay writing, analytical skills and working to deadlines which are all skills that will benefit me in further education.

I know that university students should be dedicated, hardworking and motivated I believe that I possess all of these skills. Through my extra-curricular activities and work experience I have developed many skills in a short period of time and I continue to build upon them in everyday life. I would relish the opportunity to study at your university and I will apply myself, not only to the course, but also to wider aspects of university life in order to gain the best possible experience.

This personal statement got me conditional offers from all 5 universities I applied for! So, even though its not directly solely at Law and Criminology (as I applied for a whole range of different courses) it is still a great example of a personal statement. 

Please don't just copy any personal statements you see on the internet and please don't copy this one. One you've written yourself will be much better for you in the long run- I used mine as the basis for my now rather impressive c.v. This is for educational purposes to give you some ideas only. 

So what is a MOOT?

A moot is basically a mock court room trial. Here's a definition from Wikipedia...

"A moot  court is an extracurricular activity at many law schools in which participants take part in simulated court proceedings, which usually involves drafting briefs and participating in oral argument."

You will more than likely do a moot in your first semester. But, don't worry, you should be given all the information you need when the time arrives. Most universities also have moot societies that allow you to practice and its a valuable asset for your c.v. 

Why do we have moots? As court proceedings are very rarely televised, a moot is good practice for forming your argument and presenting the case. You could go through university without participating in a moot until you're in the court room for real! 

In the mean time, why not watch a couple of mock moot trials on YouTube? 

University of Wolverhampton have a good introductory video.

Here you can see some finalists mooting in a European Human Rights Moot court competition

And here the University of Oxford gives a mooting master class.

How to tackle a law essay/ problem question

In just a few short weeks many of us will be handing in our well-written superbly referenced essays, and for some it will be the last set of essays before it counts towards your final degree classification. Now that is a scary thought. 

But what if you still haven't got the hang of referencing or using Westlaw or just don't know where to start? Then follow this guide to help you tackle that tricky law essay question from beginning to end.

1. Read the question carefully. It is important you understand which areas of Law it is asking you about. 
2. Separate the different aspects of the question into manageable chunks, then write down some basic ideas of which areas of law may be used in each section. Make sure you understand every part of the question before moving on.
3. Make a plan. You may want to do a little bit of research in some of the areas you have written down first. A plan helps you to structure your argument and helps to focus your wider reading, don't forget you can always add to your plan later if you come across something in your research that you think will be relevant.
4. Research! Research the main points in your plan, remove anything you no longer think is relevant and add things you think are. You can search keywords on Westlaw to find relevant cases and journal articles or use the recommended textbooks for the readings (which often include references for further research).

Here are some things to consider while writing your essay:

• Write a first draft and then re-write a few days later. This gives you a fresh perspective on your essay and can help to highlight areas that may need some work. You may end up writing several drafts and this is fine.
• Remember the audience you are writing for- quite often you have to take the reader by the hand and guide them through the essay. This means explaining everything. However make sure you do not use abbreviations such as isn't, it should be is not. Use an impersonal style, like "This indicates that..." not "I think that...". 
• Acknowledge your sources with footnotes and a bibliography- you can miss some easy marks by not doing this. 
• Do not make assertions, you must always be able to justify and back up what you say. To do this you should provide a footnote with the reference to where you got this information from. Case law or statute are the most valued and preferred.
• Do not fall into the trap of just describing the points. The aim of the essay is to engage in a discussion with the reader and analyse the strengths and weaknesses of that area of the law. You are mainly interpreting for the reader the significance of what you have described.

Remember these points and you'll have your essay technique mastered in no time.

Is a law degree really worth it?

Simply put yes it is. Even now with the financial crisis in full swing and looking to continue into the near distant future. 

The cost of a degree from 2012 rose from £3000 per year to £9000 per year, making some students think twice about going to law school. This means the total cost of a law degree (if started in 2013) would be 3 times £9000 equating to £27,000. If you receive a government loan, this bring the total to around £39,000 (£4000 per year). If you are then planning to take the LPC course to become a solicitor, which ranges from £7000 to £14,000, this could bring the total to a staggering £53,000.

But would you be better off financially without undertaking a law degree? In the short term, possibly. But while you are earning under £25,000 you don't pay a penny of your loan back. The average starting salary for a trainee solicitor is around £40,000 (even outside of London) and so the earning potential you could now achieve compared to without a law degree is drastically increased. 

Although, don't worry about the financial side of things too much, there are grants and loans available to help support you through your study. If you can obtain a training contract the firm usually will cover the cost of your LPC course fees and provide a grant to live off, combine this with the prospect of a job at that firm after you qualify and it definitely makes sense to work hard and gain a training contract with a firm you like the look of. 

These three years pave the way for your future career, working hard now makes it so much easier to get to where you want to be.