Planning law regulates development. Given that environmental problems are often caused by development, planning law has an important role to play in environmental law. With that said, planning law is a vast subject. This chapter provides a basic introduction to planning law and its relationship to environmental law. Its objective is to ensure students have a robust understanding of how planning law works. It begins with a brief overview of the history of planning law, its major themes, and provides a map of the main legal frameworks in planning. It then considers the role of planning policy, the development application process, and the relevance of a range of environmental issues in that process.
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19. Planning Law
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1. Ethical theories
This chapter sets out some general theories about ethics. How do we judge what is the right thing to do? What makes a decision morally justifiable? What makes a person good? It considers some ethical disagreements and describes some of the general ethical approaches that are taken to ethical dilemmas. It then addresses the question of whether lawyers’ ethics are any different from others; in other words, whether lawyers can be said to have any extra ethical obligations because they are lawyers. Finally, it looks at how legal training and legal practice has taken the ethical obligations of lawyers more seriously.
Chapter
1. Ethical theories
This chapter sets out some general theories about ethics. How do we judge what is the right thing to do? What makes a decision morally justifiable? What makes a person good? It considers some ethical disagreements and describes some of the general ethical approaches that are taken to ethical dilemmas. It then addresses the question of whether lawyers’ ethics are any different from others. Finally, it looks at how legal training and legal practice has taken the ethical obligations of lawyers more seriously.
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22. Procedural Rules as Practical Tools
For litigation lawyers, interim applications will be much more numerous than full trials. There may be several interim hearings for each case before trial, and many cases will have some interim hearings to deal with specific issues and then proceed to settle without trial. A key strand of effective litigation is to make strategic and cost-effective use of interim applications. It is important to be familiar with what orders can be sought, what is needed to make a successful application, and what tests the courts will apply. This chapter discusses the general procedure for applications; making applications before a case starts; ways of cutting short an action; tactical considerations when involving people as parties and witnesses; gaining access to information held by the opposing side and non-parties; and money strategies.
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8. Fees
This chapter focuses on legal fees. It discusses the ways in which lawyers charge fees and the different ways of funding legal costs. A common way of assessing fees is using the ‘billable’ hour, by which a client is charged for each hour (or part of an hour) a lawyer works in their case. This has both advantages and disadvantages, as explored in this chapter. The chapter goes on to consider the ethical aspects of fees. The chapter covers conditional fee arrangements (CFAs) and speculative fees, legal expense insurance, hourly fees, and legal proceedings to recover fees. It also discusses legal aid.
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2. The social context of the legal profession
This chapter looks at lawyers in a broad social context. Lawyers hold a position of privilege within society by virtue of their knowledge about the law. It explores why lawyers have this special status and the role that they play in the broader society. This is coming under challenge as a range of other individuals and groups seek to take on what might be traditionally seen as legal work. There is also a tension between the wish to maintain the integrity of the legal profession, while increasing access to it. The chapter shows that the legal profession is under challenge from a number of directions.
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2. The social context of the legal profession
This chapter looks at lawyers in a broad social context. Lawyers hold a position of privilege within society by virtue of their knowledge about the law. It explores why lawyers have this special status and the role that they play in the broader society. It shows that the legal profession is under challenge from a number of directions.
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7. Fees
This chapter focuses on legal fees. It discusses the ways in which lawyers charge fees and the different ways of funding legal costs. It goes on to consider the ethical aspects of fees. The chapter covers conditional fee arrangements (CFAs) and speculative fees, legal expense insurance, hourly fees, and legal proceedings to recover fees. It also discusses legal aid.
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24. Presenting a Case in Court
This chapter discusses the process of presenting a case in court. It begins with an overview of the trial process, covering the timetable, the claimant's case, the defendant's case, closing speeches, and judgment. It then explains the importance of good presentation and advocacy in winning a case. This involves focusing on the issues on which the judge needs to reach a decision; presenting the case clearly, coherently, and concisely; developing and presenting an overall theory for the case — a single story can be more convincing than a lot of separate arguments; and developing persuasive arguments that pull elements of the case together and deal with any gaps. The remainder of the chapter covers the judgment of the case; the drawing up of orders; and the form of orders.
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7. Defining Objectives, Advising a Client, and Taking Instructions
This chapter focuses on the elements of effective litigation. It first explains the importance of a good working relationship as well as good communication between lawyer and client. It then discusses how to maintain a structured interface with the client. A poorly managed interface can undermine the strength of the case and is also a risk. Aside from face-to-face meetings, there is now a wide range of interface options, from conference calls to using shared web space for documents and exchanges. The remainder of the chapter elaborates on identifying client objectives and managing their expectations, advising a client (e.g. elements of advice, giving sufficient information, delivering bad news), advising clients on options, taking client instructions, and dealing with difficult clients.
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8. Establishing and Analysing Facts
This chapter deals with the issue of facts in a legal case. Effective litigation requires close attention to establishing and analysing the facts relevant to a case, and an ability to understand and address the problems that dealing with facts can present. It is a vital function of the lawyer to be proactive in gathering, sifting, proving, and presenting the facts. The chapter discusses the challenges of establishing truth and ways to address problems with facts; establishing facts; the stages at which factual information is likely to become available (e.g. the first meeting between the lawyer and the client or following pre-action exchange of information); managing and analyzing facts; identifying and dealing with those gaps in facts; and the interaction of facts and law. The final section explains how to build a factual framework for a case.
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9. Making Best Use of Law to Define Issues
This chapter discusses the use of the legal knowledge in practice. A good general working knowledge of legal principles for effective legal practice should enable a lawyer to get initial ideas about the legal shape of a case so as to be able to draw up a proper research plan. Without a good general knowledge it can be difficult to know where to start, or to spot areas of a case that might require legal analysis. The chapter explains the use of practitioner sources (i.e. statutes and statutory instruments, case law, books and journals, online resources, and other lawyers); the importance of strategic legal research; planning research and presenting findings; the ways in which law is used in litigation; and combining law and fact to define a case. Once full analysis of facts and law has been put together to define a case, the resulting legal elements and the factual allegations that show the legal elements comprise the issues in the case. These issues are then the focus for all decisions on procedure and evidence, and for case management once proceedings are issued.
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10. Legal Letters and Opinions
This chapter deals with legal writing. Professional quality writing is an important skill for the effective litigator. While there is still a focus on oral advocacy at trial, written advocacy has become increasingly important in persuading a court with the focus on defining issues in the statements of case, the use of witness statements as evidence in chief, and the increasing use of skeleton arguments. The clarity of letters and opinions for a client are also important in communicating information and advice. The chapter discusses the purpose, audience, content, and structure of legal writing; the professional use of language; the importance of correct taking and storing of notes; writing letters and e-mails; the role of opinions; the format and structure of an opinion; and the content of an opinion.
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11. Making Strategic Use of the Pre-Action Stage
This chapter focuses on the pre-action stage of the litigation process. Most civil disputes are settled prior to the issue of any proceedings. Save where a pre-issue application is appropriate, no court will be involved. Nonetheless the approach taken to resolving the dispute will be shaped to a significant extent by the view a court might take if proceedings were to be issued. The chapter discusses the Practice Direction Pre-Action Conduct, which seeks to enable parties to settle disputes without the need to start proceedings, and to support the efficient management by the; pre-action protocols, which set out the steps that the parties should follow before issuing proceedings; steps in preparing a case; forming the relationship with the other side; deciding when to issue proceedings; and portal claims.
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12. Drafting Statements of Case
A statement of case is a summary of allegations of fact which sets out all the elements required by law to show a cause of action, and entitlement to all remedies claimed. Clear, concise, and complete statements of case are central to effective litigation. A good statement of case encapsulates what the case is about, demonstrating good factual analysis, based on a proper understanding of the relevant law. This chapter deals with the rules and skill related to statements of case, and how statements of case can be refined. The discussions cover the process for drafting a statement of case; rules for drafting; principles for focusing on issues; headings for statements of case; framework for particulars of a claim; specifying remedies and relief; refining a statement of case; and challenging a statement of case.
Book
Paul J. du Plessis
Course-focused and comprehensive, Borkowski’s Textbook on Roman Law provide an accessible overview of the key areas on the law curriculum. Borkowski’s Textbook on Roman Law provides an account of Roman private law and civil procedure, with coverage of all key topics, including the Roman legal system, and the law of persons, property, and obligations. The text sets the law in its social and historical context, and demonstrates the impact of Roman law on our modern legal systems. For the sixth edition, the text has been comprehensively reviewed and references to a wide range of scholarly texts have been included, to ground the account of Roman law firmly in contemporary scholarship. Examples from legal practice have been added where these illuminate legal doctrine. The text has been updated to reflect current scholarly opinions. References to the latest legal scholarship on Roman law have been included to reflect the most recent developments in the field.
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12. Expanding Legal Skills— Mooting, Negotiation, and More
This chapter considers further activities and opportunities for the student to put their knowledge of law and their legal skills into practice, and further develop skills that are key to legal practice. This is important for legal careers but also in developing skills to enhance employability more generally. This chapter explores important legal skills-related extracurricular activities that are commonly available within the law programme or on an extracurricular basis, particularly mooting, negotiation, client interviewing, and debating, and the value of these activities in developing legal and general skills including analysis, critical thinking, professionalism, and teamwork.
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5. Legal Practitioners and the Developing Professional Context
This chapter provides an overview of the roles that different types of legal practitioners traditionally take in the litigation process. In England and Wales, it remains the norm that a client will initially approach a solicitor, who may then brief a barrister to provide specialist advice, to carry out key functions such as drafting statements of case, and to appear in court if litigation proceeds. The chapter goes on to discuss the main provisions in the codes of conduct that are relevant to litigation; professional privilege and confidentiality; professional negligence; options for clients dissatisfied with the standard of work done by a lawyer; the use of alternative business structures (ABS) for the delivery of legal services; and the regulation of an ABS.
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9. Problem-solving and case/matter analysis
Scott Slorach, Judith Embley, Peter Goodchild, and Catherine Shephard
This chapter first explains how to deal with problem-solving questions set for students on undergraduate law programmes. This includes consideration of the IRAC model and how to identify the relevant issues, apply the relevant law to the facts, identify a remedy, draw a clear conclusion, and structure and communicate an answer effectively. It then explores the practicalities for lawyers when problem-solving in practice, such as: effective case and matter analysis, clients providing insufficient or too much information, taking account of clients’ personal and commercial objectives, and considering other stakeholders’ interests. Next, the chapter considers in more detail the conclusion of problem-solving in practice: identifying options and advising the client.
Book
Judith Embley, Peter Goodchild, and Catherine Shephard
Edited by Scott Slorach
Legal Systems & Skills provides essential knowledge and skills for underpinning legal studies, providing a foundation for graduate employability both within and outside the legal service profession. It develops students’' understanding in three core areas: legal systems, legal skills, and professional development and commercial awareness. The first part of the book looks at legal systems, sources of law, legislation, case law, and legal services and ethics. The next part considers, in the context of academia and practice, how to read and understand law, legal research, problem solving, oral communication and presentations, client interviews and meetings, negotiation and mediation, mooting, advocacy and criminal advocacy competitions, and writing and drafting. The final part examines employability skills, commercial awareness, business, economics and finance, law firms, and clients.
