OTHM Level 5 Extended Diploma in Law

Name: OTHM Level 5 Extended Diploma in Law
Availability: InStock

An Ofqual-regulated, 240-credit qualification covering twelve mandatory law units across Levels 4 and 5, equivalent to the first two years of a UK honours degree in law.

Course Features

The OTHM Level 5 Extended Diploma in Law is a comprehensive, Ofqual-regulated qualification consisting of twelve mandatory units delivered over two academic years with flexible study options.

Qualification Number: 610/1961/6, regulated and approved by Ofqual
240 credits across 12 mandatory units (120 credits at Level 4, 120 credits at Level 5)
2400 hours Total Qualification Time (TQT) with minimum 1200 Guided Learning Hours (GLH)
Equivalent to the first two years of a UK honours degree (HND level)
Fully assignment-based assessment; no written examinations
Delivered face-to-face, via distance learning, or online through approved centres

About This Course

The OTHM Level 5 Extended Diploma in Law is designed to give learners the opportunity to develop knowledge and understanding of core legal principles while building foundational professional and research skills. Learners study twelve mandatory units spanning Level 4 and Level 5, worth 120 credits per academic year, for a total credit value of 240 credits. The qualification is equivalent to the first two years of a three-year UK honours degree programme.

Ofqual-regulated qualification with strong UK and international recognition
Covers all core legal disciplines required for a career in law
Provides underpinning knowledge towards the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE)
Equivalent to Year 2 of a UK Bachelor's degree
Supports direct progression to Year 3 of a UK undergraduate degree
Flexible delivery modes including face-to-face, online, and distance learning

What You'll Learn

This qualification develops a comprehensive understanding of core legal principles across twelve officially specified units. Upon completion, learners will be able to:

Understand how laws are created in England and Wales, including the court hierarchy, judicial precedent, legislation, and statutory interpretation
Understand the role of the legal profession, including solicitors, barristers, judges, and the jury system
Understand the role of alternative dispute resolution and restorative justice in civil and criminal proceedings
Conduct effective legal research using case law, statutes, and academic sources, applying Harvard referencing and proper legal citation
Understand and apply the fundamentals of contract law, including formation, terms, vitiating factors, breach, and remedies
Understand criminal law, company law, employment law, tort law, land law, international business law, and public law principles

Who Should Attend

This qualification is designed for learners typically aged 18 and above who wish to develop a broad and thorough understanding of English law in preparation for a legal career or higher academic study. It is suitable for:

Aspiring legal professionals aiming to build a career in law firms, corporate legal departments, or public sector organisations
Recent school leavers or A-level graduates who wish to progress into higher legal education
Holders of a relevant Level 3 Diploma or GCE Advanced level qualifications in two subjects
Individuals with a relevant Level 4 Diploma who wish to continue directly into Level 5 law units
Mature learners aged over 21 with relevant professional experience in law or related fields
Professionals seeking to formalise their legal knowledge and progress towards the Solicitors Qualifying Examination

Entry Requirements

The OTHM Level 5 Extended Diploma in Law is designed for learners aged 18 and above. Centres must review the prior qualifications and experience of each learner to confirm sufficient foundation to undertake the programme.

Relevant Level 3 Diploma, GCE Advanced level in 2 subjects, or an equivalent qualification; OR mature learner status (over 21) with relevant professional experience confirmed by the delivery centre
English language competency evidence required for learners not from a majority English-speaking country (e.g., IELTS or equivalent accepted)

Assessments

All units within this qualification are internally assessed by the approved centre and externally verified by OTHM. The qualification is criterion-referenced, based on the achievement of all specified learning outcomes. To achieve a pass for any unit, learners must provide evidence demonstrating fulfilment of all learning outcomes and satisfaction of all assessment criteria.

Internal assessment by coursework and written assignments (approximately 3000 words per unit)
Portfolio of evidence submissions for specific units
External verification by OTHM Quality Assurance Verifiers
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) may be applied for individual units where sufficient evidence exists

Progression

Successful completion of the OTHM Level 5 Extended Diploma in Law opens a wide range of academic and professional progression pathways, supported by OTHM's established university progression arrangements in the UK and internationally.

Direct entry into Year 3 of a three-year UK Bachelor's degree programme (LLB or related honours degree) at OTHM partner universities
Progression to the OTHM Level 7 Diploma in International Business Law
Preparation for and progression towards the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE)
Career opportunities in law firms, corporate legal departments, government agencies, non-profit organisations, and public sector legal services

Curriculum

Comparison between criminal and civil law, nature of law and morality
The court hierarchy in England and Wales; overview of civil and criminal court structures including appeal courts
The role of criminal courts and civil courts, including their powers and aims
The doctrine of judicial precedent: ratio decidendi, obiter dictum, distinguishing, and persuasive precedent
The process of creating legislation: green papers, white papers, readings to royal assent, parliamentary sovereignty
Codification of laws, repeals, consolidation, and delegated legislation
Statutory interpretation: literal rule, golden rule, mischief rule, and purposive approach
The role of the Law Commission in the development of law
Appointment of judges and magistrates; roles of solicitors and barristers; Queens Counsel
Education, training, and ethical responsibilities of the legal profession; the cab rank rule
The jury system: selection process, benefits, and detriments
Access to justice, legal fees, legal aid, public and private funding
Alternative Dispute Resolution: mediation, arbitration, and tribunals; advantages and limitations
Restorative justice in the criminal justice system: purpose, benefits, and difficulties

Researching All England Law Reports and locating case law; reading case law and case headnotes
Differentiating facts, legal reasoning, and outcome within case law; citing judicial legal reasoning
The role of green and white papers; researching and reading statute; use of Hansard
Accessing and citing Acts of Parliament; reading and paraphrasing sections of statute
Rules of statutory interpretation: literal rule, golden rule, mischief rule, purposive approach
Planning and structuring legal essays and problem/scenario-based questions using the IDEA approach
Identifying legal issues, potential liabilities, relevant laws, and research to support conclusions
Using legal dictionaries, academic textbooks, and journal articles; differentiating primary and secondary sources
Report writing; role of command verbs in legal assessment: analyse, evaluate, assess, advise
Harvard Referencing system; using Turnitin; understanding plagiarism, paraphrasing, and legalese
Evaluating personal academic progress, competencies, and independent learning skills
Developing an action plan for academic and personal development

Identifying parties to a contract; making, communicating, and accepting an offer
The postal rule and its exceptions; electronic acceptance; revocation of an offer
Invitation to treat versus offer; consideration and promissory estoppel
Intention to create legal relations; rebutting presumptions in social, domestic, and business relations
Privity of contract; express terms and methods of incorporation
Terms implied by custom, trade, and usage; conditions, warranties, and innominate terms
Exclusion clauses and limitation clauses; Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977; Consumer Rights Act 2015
Severance of exclusion clauses; capacity to enter contractual relations
Minors' contractual capacity; intoxication and intention to create legal relations
Contracts void on grounds of public policy; statutory illegality
Misrepresentation: fraudulent, innocent, and negligent; contractual mistake: common, mutual, and unilateral
Duress and undue influence in family relations and professional capacity
Frustration of contract: destruction of subject matter, death of parties, illegality, impossibility
Anticipatory breach and repudiatory breach; liquidated damages and penalty clauses
Calculation of damages: expectation loss, market value, loss of enjoyment
Equitable remedies: rectification, specific performance, injunction; clean hands and laches

Sole traders; partnerships under the Partnership Act 1890; formation and dissolution of partnerships
Limited and unlimited liability; liability of incoming and retiring partners
Limited Liability Partnerships (LLP) under the Limited Liability Partnership Act 2000; separate legal personality of LLP
Tax status and dissolution effects of the LLP
Formal requirements of company registration; private versus public companies
The doctrine of incorporation; separate legal personality; lifting the veil of incorporation
Companies limited by shares and by guarantee; role and types of company directors
Agency powers within partnerships, LLPs, and companies; associated liabilities
Companies Act 2006; de facto directors; shareholder rights and member liability
Formation, administration, and winding up of business organisations

The nature of constitutions and separation of powers; sources of the UK constitution
Parliamentary sovereignty and constitutional conventions
The role and powers of Parliament; legislative process and constitutional reform
The rule of law: historical development and contemporary application
The role of the executive and the judiciary in constitutional governance
Human rights law; the Human Rights Act 1998 and the European Convention on Human Rights
Judicial review: grounds for review including illegality, irrationality, and procedural impropriety
Administrative law; decision-making powers of public bodies
Devolution and the constitutional arrangements of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland
Constitutional relationships with international and EU law frameworks

Fundamental requirements of actus reus and mens rea in criminal liability
Common law and statutory governance of violent crimes: assault, battery, ABH, GBH
Non-violent offences: theft, fraud, and property-related crimes under statute
Strict liability offences and their rationale
Capacity defences: insanity, automatism, intoxication
Necessity and duress as defences to criminal conduct
Participation in crime: principals, accessories, and joint enterprise
Inchoate offences: attempt, conspiracy, and encouragement
Defences specific to homicide: diminished responsibility, loss of control
Murder and manslaughter: voluntary and involuntary; causation principles

General principles of company formation under UK law; the Companies Act 2006
Separate legal personality and the doctrine of incorporation; lifting the veil of incorporation
Types of company: private limited, public limited, company limited by guarantee
Substantive and procedural aspects of company law; articles of association and company constitution
Setting up and running private limited companies; shareholder rights and member duties
Role and duties of company directors: de facto, de jure, and shadow directors
Corporate governance frameworks; board structures and accountability mechanisms
Concepts of insolvency and liquidation; administration and receivership
Minority shareholder protection and derivative actions
Corporate governance codes and their application in practice

Key concepts and themes in the development of employment law
Employment contracts: formation, terms, implied duties, and variation
Distinction between employees, workers, and independent contractors
Rights and obligations under the employment relationship
The law relating to equality and discrimination: Equality Act 2010, protected characteristics
Unfair dismissal: grounds, procedures, and remedies
Wrongful dismissal and constructive dismissal
Redundancy law: definition, selection, consultation, and redundancy pay
Employment tribunals: jurisdiction, procedure, and remedies
Recent developments in employment law including agency workers, zero-hours contracts, and gig economy issues

Purchasing goods and services at national and international level; cross-border transactions
The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG)
Terms of international trade: Incoterms; rights and responsibilities of parties
International shipping: bills of lading, sea waybills, and carriage of goods by sea
Letters of credit and documentary collections in international trade finance
Liability and dispute resolution in international commercial contracts
Jurisdiction and choice of law in international disputes
International arbitration and alternative dispute resolution in cross-border matters
Regulatory and compliance considerations in international business transactions
Emerging issues in international trade law and e-commerce regulation

The nature of land and property rights in English law
Legal and equitable interests in land; freehold and leasehold estates
Differences in ownership and interests relating to leases, licences, and mortgages on land
Creation, transfer, and registration of land interests under the Land Registration Act 2002
Overriding interests and overreachable interests
Co-ownership of land: joint tenancy and tenancy in common; trusts of land
Restrictive covenants and their enforcement against successors in title
Easements: creation, acquisition, and extinguishment
Mortgages: creation, rights of mortgagor and mortgagee, remedies on default
Adverse possession and its statutory framework

Functions and purpose of tort law; the relationship between tort and contract
The tort of negligence: duty of care, breach, causation, and remoteness of damage
Establishing duty of care: the Caparo three-stage test and its development
Negligence in professional contexts; occupiers' liability under the 1957 and 1984 Acts
Employer's liability; vicarious liability; non-delegable duties
Psychiatric injury: primary and secondary victims
The tort of nuisance: private nuisance, public nuisance, and the rule in Rylands v Fletcher
Defamation: libel and slander; defences including truth, honest opinion, and privilege
Trespass to the person: assault, battery, and false imprisonment
General defences in tort: consent, contributory negligence, volenti non fit injuria
Remedies in tort: damages, injunctions, and other equitable relief

Identifying and formulating a legal research question; scope and structure of legal research
Reviewing literature in support of legal research; primary and secondary research sources
Accessing and evaluating legal databases, law reports, and academic journals
Ethical and legal issues in relation to research; research integrity and academic honesty
Qualitative and quantitative research methodologies in a legal context
Presenting legal research findings: written reports and oral presentation skills
Professional skills development: reflective practice, time management, and independent study
Career development in law: professional legal qualifications and pathways
Preparation for professional legal practice and Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) context
Producing a legal research portfolio demonstrating research competence and professional skills