Learning the law

Dismay and disappointment! These emotions characterised the reactions of a large group of young students questioned recently on their feelings at the end of the first lesson in a course on General Principles of English Law. Dismay at the mass of material which, clearly, had to be digested and assimilated if the subject was to make sense, even at an elementary level. Disappointment at the somewhat arid nature of the subject content which seemed totally removed from the exciting picture of the legal process painted so often by fiction writers and the news media. So it is for many students of the law who must come to terms with its difficulties. There are no short cuts to competence in legal studies; so texts which hold out to the reader a promise that the law will be made easy, or that its essential features will be clarified in ten simple lessons, can give no more than a sketchy outline of some few topics. A difficult journey lies ahead of the young student, whether the goal be ONC/D, HNC/D with a law content, or the law examinations of the professional bodies. But the journey can be made much easier, much more enjoyable, once the inescapable rigours are accepted and precautions taken to mitigate their severity.