Family Law - LAW00101M
- Department: The York Law School
- Credit value: 20 credits
- Credit level: M
- Academic year of delivery: 2025-26
Module summary
This module will develop students' functioning legal knowledge, and professional skills in the field of providing legal advice to clients on family law issues.
Students will develop knowledge and skills in the context of client-focused scenarios, using practitioner know-how - including legal documentation - to advise on specific issues, and progress matters for their clients.
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Semester 2 2025-26 |
Module aims
The aim of this module is to enable students to develop functioning legal knowledge, and professional skills in the field of providing legal advice to individuals on family law matters. Students will develop knowledge and skills in the context of client-focused scenarios, using practitioner know-how - including legal documentation - to advise on legal issues, and progress matters for their clients. The knowledge, skills and professionalism gained from the module align with competencies required in professional legal practice at this level.
Module learning outcomes
By the end of this module, students should be able to, in the context of specific family law matters:
- demonstrate a systematic functioning knowledge of relevant law and procedure
- analyse client instructions and supporting legal and factual documentation, to identify legal, financial and personal issues
- research, using practitioner know-how sources, to identify relevant law and procedure
- analyse and interpret legal documentation, to advise on their potential impact on clients
- critically apply relevant legal principles, rules and procedures to solve client problems and develop solutions aligned with client interests
- advise on the processes and procedural steps required to progress and settle family law matters
- demonstrate the application of a range of written and oral professional legal skills, in advising clients, and communicating with other professionals
- work independently and collaboratively on a range of specified tasks
Module content
The module will focus on a range of family law scenarios, including the dissolution of marriages and civil partnerships; property rights during marriages and civil partnerships, and entitlements following breakdown; children; protection of persons within families. In addition to practising core oral and professional communication and legal skills required of lawyers, students will consider alternatives to court as a means of resolving matrimonial and civil partnership disputes.
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Special assessment rules
None
Additional assessment information
The Client Advice to be submitted for assessment may include one or more legal documents or extracts thereof, which the student will be required to prepare or amend as part of the assessment.
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Module feedback
Students will receive regular feedback from their tutor in workshops, including on any outputs created in the context of the simulated matters on which they will work during the module. Individual feedback on the assessed client advice submitted for the final assessment will be provided in the summer semester period, within the University turnaround period.
Indicative reading
Students will have access to Westlaw's Practical Law, a source of practitioner know-how, including precedent documentation.
Due to the professional nature of the module, there will be no set reading: students will be expected to use research skills to identify relevant primary and secondary sources, including practitioner know-how and precedents.