2024/25 Taught Postgraduate Module Catalogue

LAW5550M Corporate Law

15 creditsClass Size: 250

Module manager: Dr Colin Mackie
Email: C.Mackie@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable

Year running 2024/25

This module is not approved as an Elective

Module summary

This module provides students with an introduction to the law governing the creation, operation and management of limited companies in the United Kingdom and their relationships with other legal persons. It covers topics including the legal nature of the company, shareholder liability, the corporate constitution, debt and equity finance, directors’ duties, shareholder remedies and takeovers and mergers. Students examine central issues in UK corporate law from both a theoretical and practical perspective.

Objectives

The objectives of the module are to:-
- develop an understanding of the legal nature of a company, including the concepts of separate legal personality and limited liability;
- develop an understanding of the main principles of corporate governance, including the role of directors and the duties that they owe to the company;
- consider the problems that may confront shareholders and what remedies might be available to them;
- understand the similarities and differences between the UK and other jurisdictions where relevant;
- develop an ability to apply principles and rules of corporate law so as to be able to solve problems;
- improve the ability to deploy techniques of research characteristic of a post-graduate course in law;
- improve skills in verbal and written communication.

Corporate Law is a ‘flagship’ module, meaning that the teaching team benefited from the assistance of learning technologists to build a truly ‘hybrid’ learning journey, combining online materials with face-to-face teaching. For each topic, a series of ‘steps’ are carefully set out to best equip students to both enjoy the classroom experience and obtain the greatest benefit from it in terms of their capacity to achieve the module’s learning outcomes. These steps include videos, guided reading, multiple choice questions and online collaborative exercises where students are asked to reflect on some of the most pressing issues facing practitioners and legal academics.

In seminars, students examine central issues in UK corporate law from both a theoretical and practical perspective. Indeed, the practical application of the law to complex legal scenarios is a key focus in the module, with students provided with the opportunity in each seminar to provide legal advice to clients on hypothetical factual scenarios containing important questions of corporate law. This is a skill that is fostered throughout the course of the module, culminating in the submission of a briefing document for a partner in a hypothetical law firm. The goal is to equip our students with the skills and confidence to articulate legal advice accurately and concisely, with an awareness of the commercial issues facing their clients. Working within groups also fosters team-working skills and inter-cultural awareness amongst a highly international cohort of students.

Learning outcomes
On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:

1. Describe the main features of the limited company in the United Kingdom.
2. Recognise how corporate law and governance mechanisms facilitate economic activity.
3. Identify problems generated by the limited company and evaluate how corporate law can respond to these.
4. Illustrate the importance of the distribution of decision-making power within the limited company and the role of corporate law in facilitating this.
5. Understand how to apply the law to complex factual scenarios and the skills needed to provide reasoned, tailored advice to clients.

Skills learning outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
1. The ability to write in a clear, concise, focused and structured manner that is supported by relevant authority.
2. The ability to explore different ways of learning in digital spaces and with digital media, and to develop both an awareness of what works for you and a willingness to look for help online when you need it.
3. The ability to consider options, use and apply your judgement, to create possibilities and solutions to your client’s legal issues.
4. The ability to articulate legal advice accurately and concisely, with an awareness of the commercial issues facing your clients.
5. The ability to search for, evaluate and use appropriate and relevant primary sources of law to help strengthen the quality of academic work and independent research.

Syllabus

Details of the syllabus will be provided on the Minerva organisation (or equivalent) for the module

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
seminars	8	2.00	16.00
Independent online learning hours			24.00
Private study hours			110.00
Total Contact hours			16.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			150.00

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

A formal formative assessment opportunity will be provided, which is specifically pedagogically aligned to the summative assessment task. As part of this, each student will receive individual feedback designed to support the development of knowledge and skills that will be later assessed in the summative assessment.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Assignment	Coursework	50.00
Assignment	Coursework	50.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 27/03/2024

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