In the Advanced Commercial Litigation elective, students consider some more advanced areas of commercial litigation, building upon the compulsory Civil Litigation module. Students will look at choice of law and consider the circumstances in which this is an issue and how to advise clients in relation to the law that would apply to a contractual or tortuous dispute. Students will learn how to draft statements of case in a complex Commercial Court claim and in Arbitration. Students will look at disclosure in more detail (in particular, issues relating to privilege and seeking non-standard disclosure). You will also look at experts in more detail (in particular, the tactics involved in dealing with expert witnesses in complex commercial claims). Students will consider the principles and procedures involved in obtaining a mandatory injunction and a search order. Students will understand how to advise clients on, and prepare the documentation necessary for, taking a case to the Court of Appeal. Finally, you will be able to advise a client on the practical issues to be considered by a firm when dealing with a regulatory problem (in particular, the steps firms and their employees need to take when dealing with a regulatory issue and their obligations to report such matters to the FSA).

Advanced Commercial Property is a useful elective for many students as this type of work is carried out by firms of all sizes. The elective commences with a case study where students advise a property developer client on planning, environmental, funding, tax and property issues in connection with a proposed out-of-town retail development. The second case study enhances students' commercial landlord and tenant knowledge with opportunities to advise the landlord and various tenants within a mixed-use development. You will draft key documents and negotiate and advise on key issues in a commercial lease. The elective finishes with a consideration of the role of a property solicitor in a business sale transaction.

This elective builds upon the foundations of criminal litigation covered in the compulsory stage of the programme. Students begin by looking at advanced techniques adopted when representing clients at the police station. As well as equipping them to go in to a police station with confidence, it also helps to prepare them for the Critical Incidents Test they will be expected to pass during their training contracts.

A large proportion of the elective is dedicated to juveniles. This is a specialised area which requires additional knowledge and skills. Students will appreciate how to represent a juvenile client from the investigative stage through to the sentencing hearing in the juvenile court.

The increased use of technology has unfortunately brought about an increase in and a creation of certain sexual offences. The new Sexual Offences Act 2003 and the prevalence of these offences make this area a necessary inclusion on the elective.

All practitioners will agree that there is no avoiding motoring matters so the intricacies of endorsement, disqualification and totting provisions are looked at in detail.

Throughout the elective, all matters are looked at from the perspective of both the prosecution and defence. This gives students a rounded understanding and equips them to apply to the CPS or defence firms alike.

The Debt Finance elective deals with the means by which companies raise large sums of money by borrowing on the domestic and international debt markets, and how such transactions are documented. The elective deals with the two main forms of borrowing; loans and bonds. In relation to loans, students will undertake a detailed analysis of the main provisions of bilateral and syndicated loans from both lender and borrower perspectives and the legal methods by which lenders can transfer loan participations. You will also learn about the nature of derivatives and their use in relation to financing transactions. In relation to bonds, students will learn about the nature of eurobonds and what documentation is required to issue them, including a detailed consideration of listing requirements. Students will also consider security and guarantees, including the types of security interest available, perfection requirements, priority and the documentation of security and guarantees. The elective concludes by applying the understanding of basic loan and bond provisions acquired throughout the course to more complex structured financings.

The Employment Law elective is a varied, fascinating and popular module covering key areas of employment law which are most likely to crop up in practice. The programme is very up-to-date and students will be encouraged to take an interest in current employment law issues, reported in both the legal press and newspapers.

The course is interesting from both a professional and personal perspective (even for students who do not intend to practise employment law). Most people will enter into an employment contract at some stage, and the elective covers issues such as negotiation of employment contracts and their variation, holidays and working time, all of which will be relevant from a personal standpoint.

The elective covers the practical application of both contractual and statutory employment law concepts from the perspective of both employers and employees from the beginning of the employment relationship to its end. The areas covered include self-employed and employee status, preparation of employment contracts and policies, wrongful and unfair dismissal claims, redundancy, family friendly provisions, transfers of undertakings, race, sex, sexual orientation, religious and age discrimination. Activities include visiting a real employment tribunal, negotiation and drafting tribunal claim forms with an emphasis on commercial awareness and the practical economical resolution of disputes.

The Equity Finance elective introduces the methods by which public companies raise equity finance and the law and regulations that apply to transactions involving public companies. The course looks at real life case studies of Listings on the London Stock Exchange; Takeovers: both recommended and hostile; Market Abuse; Insider Dealing and Corporate Governance. In addition to learning about the role of solicitors and the required documentation for equity finance transactions, students will also learn about the role of the company/companies, directors, underwriters, sub-underwriters and other advisers (including the sponsor, brokers and accountants) and look at the functions of the Financial Services Authority, the Stock Exchange and the Takeover Panel.

The Family Law elective covers the areas of practice that a trainee will come across in their family law seat in a firm. The elective is wide-ranging and so will be relevant for those in general practice, in a more commercial practice or working for a ‘niche’ firm.

The elective covers divorce and relationship breakdown, the formation and dissolution of civil partnerships, the division of family property and finances following divorce, including looking at ‘high net worth’ individuals. Aspects of public and private children law are looked at in detail and also the issue of domestic abuse.

We will consider the position of cohabitees in relation to money, property, children and domestic abuse. Case studies are used throughout and the students will gain valuable experience in advocacy, drafting and negotiation.

The Immigration Law elective introduces the framework of UK immigration law and how it operates both inside and outside the UK. Students will consider who is subject to immigration control, how, when and where it is enforced. Whether the client is an asylum seeker, a student, an EEA national or a worker, they will be seeking advice on entering or remaining in the UK.  The elective will examine options available, the procedures involved, evidence required and the advantages and disadvantages of each option. The elective is designed to look at developments across immigration, asylum and human rights law.

This elective covers two broad topic areas, namely the subsistence and infringement of Intellectual Property Rights (“IPRs”) and more general commercial issues such as Sale of Goods, Competition Law and Distribution/Commercial Agency.

More specifically, we consider the main areas of intellectual property in a practical context: trade marks and passing off, copyright, designs (registered and unregistered), confidentiality, patents, exploitation of IPRs.  We also consider commercial topic areas such as sale of goods (and UCTA), law and jurisdiction in commercial contracts, e-commerce, international sales, competition law, distribution and agency agreements.

Alongside these core areas, you will develop your negotiation and analytical skills and the ability to critique numerous contractual clauses from a legal and commercial perspective.

Through the elective, you will develop knowledge and skills which will be invaluable to you as a lawyer in many of the key areas of practice.

The Media & Entertainment Law elective is a diverse course that covers the key rights and common agreements that a solicitor would expect to come across in a number of media and entertainment industries including music, film, television, advertising and sport. Although students need to be familiar with the substantive law in these areas, the emphasis of the course is on the practical application of these rights within the media industries.  With regard to the publishing and broadcasting sectors, students study privacy, defamation, contempt of court and reporting restrictions in order to appreciate the limitations these areas can impose on journalistic freedom. A range of skills are developed on the elective including drafting, negotiation and contractual analysis, but crucially commercial awareness.

The Personal Injury & Clinical Negligence ("PI&CN")  elective aims to prepare students for work in a personal injury or clinical negligence department during their training contract. During the elective, students will study a broad range of areas of practice including road traffic accidents, public liability, employers' liability, clinical negligence and fatal accident claims. 

Students will develop their skills of conducting complex case analyses and drafting proceedings in these specialist areas. They will also learn how to analyse medical evidence with a view to carrying out detailed quantum research. The elective also covers a study of the workings of the Coroner's Court and compensation awards under the Criminal Injury Compensation Scheme.

The elective is balanced in so far as students will study many aspects from the perspective of both the claimant and defendant.

The Private Acquisitions elective is designed to give students a good introduction to the buying and selling of private companies and their businesses. In addition to learning about the basic legal and structural differences between a share sale and a business sale, students will also learn about the corporate auction process.  All the stages of a corporate transaction are covered including preliminary documentation, due diligence, contractual protections for buyer and seller, claims of misrepresentation and entire agreement clauses and completion arrangements. The elective also focuses on the tax considerations for both buyer and seller including tax considerations arising within a corporate group. In addition, students learn about the role private equity funds are currently playing in the acquisitions market, the way in which a private equity backed management buyout is likely to be structured and the special considerations arising for the buyer, the seller, the management and the private equity fund when the documentation is being negotiated.

The PC (WPEP) elective aims to prepare students for practice as a trainee solicitor in a private client department and to provide a general foundation for subsequent practice. This is achieved by building on the Probate and Administration of Estates module where we look at areas such as intestacy, inheritance tax, administration of estates and trusts and the taxation of trusts. PC (WPEP) also introduces students to new areas, for example, Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 applications, estate planning, wills, post-death arrangements, two-year discretionary trusts and precatory trusts and powers of attorney and advance decisions (living wills).

The elective also aims to develop the skills of problem solving, legal writing and drafting and interviewing. Additionally it aims to promote recognition of professional conduct, client care and financial services implications of private client work.