Dear Student,
It is a pleasure to welcome you back for another academic year.
Your new Programme Director is Dr. Conor Hanly and your Class Advisers
are Prof. Ronán Long (2nd Year) and Dr. Lucy-Ann Buckley (Final Year).
The start of the academic year is a good time to reflect on the outcomes you
wish to have achieved by next summer and, indeed, on your ultimate career
and life ambitions. I say this because now is the best time to put in place and
implement plans that will enable you to realise your ambitions in the short and longer-terms. If you wish
to avoid regrets later, plan to succeed now.
My colleagues and I are here to help you with all of this. Our primary obligation is to ensure that you are
exposed to the highest standard of research-led teaching sufficient to enable you to compete with the best
students from other institutions. But we also provide other, less formal, supports by way of advice,
mentoring and encouragement. As a graduate of this University myself I am acutely aware of the
supportive and generous tradition of the Law School. This is something I am keen to nurture and maintain
as Head of School.
You should therefore feel confident, as you embark on another academic year with heightened ambition,
that my colleagues and I will be here to support you in many ways.
This is a challenging time for law graduates not all of whom opt for the traditional professional careers of
solicitor or barrister. Even if you do go on to qualify as a solicitor or barrister you should be open to other
careers in which those qualifications are recognised as valuable and useful. Despite the dreams of some,
the need for lawyers will not disappear! However, I would never argue for the existence of lawyers on
grounds of pure utility. Lawyers are not just useful, they are essential to the rule of law and the
maintenance of democracy too. You should never lose sight of that higher purpose, no matter how
irrelevant it may seem, as you progress in your career.
During the year ahead if you need my assistance with anything in particular please do not hesitate to
make an appointment through the Law School Administration Office. I look forward to meeting in person
with you in the coming months.
Best wishes for a happy and rewarding 2014-2015.
Professor Donncha O’Connell,
Head of School.
Programme Director
Dr. Conor Hanly,
Room 411, Floor 2, Tower 2,
T: +353 91 493390
conor.hanly@nuigalway.ie
Class Advisor for 2nd LLB
Prof. Ronán Long,
Room 412, Floor 2, Tower 2,
T: +353 91 493875
ronan.long@nuigalway.ie
Class Advisor for Final LLB
Dr. Lucy Ann Buckley,
Room 503, Floor 5, Tower 2,
T: +353 91 493661
lucy-ann.buckley@nuigalway.ie
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GENERAL INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS
LOCATION OF SCHOOL
The School of Law is located on Floor 2 and Floor 3 of Tower Two. Access may be gained through the stairways and
lift located at the Bank of Ireland end of the Concourse. Some Law lecturers’ offices are located in Block T.
SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION
Prof. Donncha O’Connell
Head of School
Ms. Patricia Conroy
Acting Head of Administration and Process
Development
Ms. Carmel Flynn
Administrative Assistant
Ms. Christina Mulgannon
Administrative Assistant
Ms. Tara Elwood
Administrative Assistant
Mr. Michael Coyne
IT Administrator
School Web Address
School Fax Number
School Email Address
(091) 492388
donncha.oconnell@nuigalway.ie
(091) 495614
patricia.conroy@nuigalway.ie
(091) 493082
carmel.flynn@nuigalway.ie
(091) 492389
christina.mulgannon@nuigalway.ie
(091) 492752
tara.elwood@nuigalway.ie
(091) 494067
michael.coyne@nuigalway.ie
http://www.nuigalway.ie/law/
(091) 494506
law@nuigalway.ie
SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION OFFICE
The School Administration is located in Room 406, Floor 2 of Tower Two. During the academic year 2014-2015, the
office will be open each day, Monday to Friday, from 11.15 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. and from 2.15 p.m. to 5.00 p.m. All
questions relating to course and examination regulations should be raised with the School Administration Office in the
first instance.
STAFF-STUDENT LIAISON
A meeting between school members and representatives of each year of the B.A., B.Corp. Law, B.C.L and LL.B.
programmes is held at least once a semester. Each class will be requested to nominate one or two representatives early in
the academic year. Likewise, the Library User Forum meets once a semester and consists of Library staff, the Law
School member on the Library Committee and student representatives.
CONSULTATION WITH SCHOOL MEMBERS
All school members set aside regular times for consultation with students and these times are posted on their office
doors.
AVAILABILITY OF PHOTOCOPIED MATERIAL
Some of the reading required for certain courses is available on a pay-as-you-get basis in photocopied form, and can be
purchased from the print shop “Print That” which is located on the main concourse (Adjacent to Smokey Joes coffee
area). The opening hours are 8.30am to 6.00pm.
STUDYING ABROAD UNDER THE ERASMUS PROGRAMME
B.Corp, B.C.L and LL.B. students who would like to spend a semester or year of their law studies abroad may do so as
part of the School’s involvement in the ERASMUS programme. Some Law subjects are taught through English in the
universities of Leuven in Belgium, Leiden and Groningen in Holland, Aarhus in Denmark and Budapest in Hungary.
For those with a high standard of spoken and written French, courses can be taken in Poitiers, Toulouse, ClermontFerrand or Aix-en-Province; for those with German, in Gottingen or Wurzburg; Italian, Siena; Spanish, Salamanca and
Granada. LL.B. students also have the possibility of spending a semester or year at the University of Maine in the United
States. Places on both exchange programmes are limited. A meeting of interested students will be convened by the
School Administrator, Patricia Conroy, early in the second semester.
IRISH LAW FIRMS
The School encourages representatives of the leading Irish Law firms to make presentations to students. Invitations are
being issued to the bigger Dublin-based law firms to visit us again this year.
THE LIBRARY
Effective use of the library is a crucially important part of legal education. Students should take advantage of every
opportunity to familiarise themselves with the library and the services it offers. Nowadays many excellent services are
available through electronic sources (located on the ground floor of the library). Training session details are available
from the information desk in the library.
Law Librarian Mr. Hugo Kelly (091) 493359 hugo.kelly@nuigalway.ie
LL.B. SUBJECT SCHEDULE, 2014/2015
FOR YEARS OTHER THAN FIRST YEAR
Year Long
Constitutional Law
Contract
Jurisprudence
Tort
Public International Law
CODE
ECTS
LECTURER
LW327
LW328
LW308
LW329
LW323
10
10
10
10
10
Dr. C. O’Mahony
Ms. N. Murphy
Dr. C. Hanly/Dr. E. Daly
Mrs. M. Twomey
Dr. C. Smyth
Semester I
Administrative Law I
Company Law I
Comparative Competition Law
Criminal Law I
Criminology
Environmental Law I
Equity I
European Union Law I
Evidence I
Family Law I
Independent Research (See Note 3 on Regulations)
Information Technology Law
International Protection of Human Rights
Labour Law I
Land Law I
Media Law
Moot Court
LW337
LW377
LW333
LW3101
LW365
LW357
LW360
LW4101
LW513
LW238
LW339
LW383
LW343
LW212
LW225
LW354
LW437
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
Mr. T. O’Malley
Dr. C. Healy
Ms. A. L. Hinds
Dr. C. Hanly
Dr. D. Griffin
Prof. R. Long
Mr. B. Tobin
Prof. R. Long
Mr. T. O’Malley
Mr. B. Tobin
Semester II
Administrative Law II
Banking Law
Company Law II
Comparative Disability Law
Criminal Justice
Criminal Law II
English Land Law
Environmental Law II
European Human Rights
European Union Law II
Equity II
Evidence II
Family Law II
Health Law & Policy
Housing Law & Policy
Industrial & Intellectual Property Law
International Trade Law
Labour Law II
Land Law II
Law of the Sea
LW422
LW374
LW378
LW370
LW394
LW3102
LW398
LW358
LW385
LW4102
LW363
LW514
LW239
LW405
LW232
LW356
LW364
LW216
LW226
LW415
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
Mr. T. O’Malley
Dr. J. Danaher
Mr. R. Kennedy
Dr. C. Smyth
Dr. L.A. Buckley
Dr. P. Kenna
Dr. C. O’Mahony
Mr. R. Kennedy/Ms. U. Connolly
Mr. C. O’Mahony
Dr. D. Griffin
Dr. C. Hanly
Ms. M. O’Sullivan
Prof. R. Long
Prof. D. O’Connell
Prof. R. Long
Dr. L.A. Buckley
Mr. T. O’Malley
Mr. B. Tobin
Dr. M. Keys
Dr. P. Kenna
Ms. M. O’Sullivan
Ms. A. L. Hinds
Ms. L.A. Buckley
Dr. P. Kenna
Prof. R. Long
LL.B. REGULATIONS FOR YEARS OTHER THAN FIRST YEAR
SUBJECT SELECTION
1. Prior to subject selection, students who intend to seek entry to the Law Professions must inform themselves of the
current requirements of the professional bodies which may change at short notice. The current core requirements
are set out hereunder.
The Law Society Entrance examination consists of the following eight subjects:
Company Law; Consistutional Law; Law of Contract; Criminal Law; European Union Law; Equity; Real
Property; Law of Tort.
The King’s Inns, for admission to the Barister-at-Law course, require in addition to the subjects listed above
the following three subjects:
Jurisprudence; Administration Law I; Evidence.
Note also that English Land Law and Administration Law II are necessary to pursue professional courses
in the UK.
2. Students cannot register for subjects in respect of which they have already been given credit by the Law School; i.e.
students exempted from parts of the LL.B. on foot of Law subjects taken at undergraduate degree level in NUI
Galway or elsewhere cannot normally present those subjects in the LL.B.
3. Students may apply to the Law School for permission to pursue an Independent Research project. This will be
equivalent to a semester course (i.e. 5 ECTS credits). A letter outlining the research proposal must be sent to the
Head of School. Permission will be given at the discretion of the School provided the student has discussed the
project with a member of the teaching staff who has agreed to supervise the project.
4. Students should bear in mind that non-core subjects may not be on offer every year and that such subjects will only
be offered if there is sufficient demand.
5. The course credit weighting scheme is the European Credit Transfer System or ECTS. Credit units are assigned to
courses such that a year-long course is valued at 10 ECTS and a semester course is 5 ECTS; the essay has a value of
5 ECTS.
6. All LL.B. students in both their final and penultimate years, shall be obliged to present by a date to be specified an
essay of approximately 5,000 words (twenty A4 double spaced pages) which may count towards the overall
examination result. Each essay is valued at 5 ECTS credits. As the essay is obligatory, non-completion of the essay
or a fail mark in it will result in a Fail result overall. Marks are capped for essays submitted late.
7. The required number of credits for the full-time mode is 60 ECTS per year and for the part-time mode is 45 ECTS
per year. In exceptional circumstances Students may request to take an additional subject(s) of not more than 10
ECTS per year in order to satisfy the requirements of the professional bodies. Students are required to adhere to
registration and change of mind dates on approval of their request.
8. Students who participate in approved Exchange Schemes, whether for a semester or a year, are exempted from the
essay requirement for the academic session in question but must make up the 5 ECTS by taking a module in
substitution.
EXAMINATIONS
9. In order to progress from one year of the LL.B. to the next year:
a. Full-time students must take and pass 60 ECTS (including essays) per year.
b. Part-time students must take and pass 45 ECTS (including essays) per year.
The pass mark is 40% in each subject.
10. Compensation: Regulations governing compensation are currently under review and will be clarified in due course
during the first semester of the current academic year.
11. Standards: Honours are awarded in individual subjects in accordance with the following standards:
H1
H2.1
H2.2
H3
70% on the aggregate
60% on the aggregate
50% on the aggregate
40% on the aggregate
12. Honours: Honours are awarded across the entirety of the programme as follows:
(a) Full-Time Mode: Honours are calculated equally across the three years of the programme (33.3/33.3/33.3). If
students take more than 60 ECTS in Second or Third LL.B (up to a maximum of 10 ECTS per year) the
lowest score for the year in question will be discarded in the calculation of the overall percentage for that year.
(b) Part-Time Mode: Honours are calculated equally across the four years of the programme (25/25/25/25). If
students take more than 45 ECTS in Second, Third or Fourth LL.B (up to a maximum of 10 ECTS per year)
the lowest score for the year in question will be discarded in the calculation of the overall percentage for that
year.
13. First Semester courses are examined in December but the formal examination results in such subjects will be issued
only with the Summer exam results.
14. Repeat Examinations will be held in the Autumn Examination Session for students who fail at the First Semester or
Summer Examinations, provided such students have not been absent without School permission from examinations.
15. Exemptions: In the case of candidates who fail in the examination as a whole, credit units for individual
components will be awarded where the pass mark is achieved.
16. A two-year time limit shall operate in which the examinations of any LL.B. Year must be passed.
17. Exam Deferral: Students who wish to defer examinations should note that the policy of the University is to grant
deferrals only as an exceptional matter such as in cases of illness or compelling family circumstances. The
examination timetable or work commitments will not justify deferral. Students seeking a deferral must apply on a
special examination deferral application form available in the School Administration Office having discussed the
matter with the Head of School and must provide medical certification, if applicable, or other evidence of the special
circumstances being cited. Please note that where an exam is deferred to August the overall result in Summer is
indicated as “deferred”. This is the case even if the student has enough credits to pass overall. In such an
eventuality, if the student has a change of mind and does not wish to present in August for examination in the
deferred subject, the final overall result will be calculated only at the Autumn exam results’ session and will be
issued by Exams Office in September.
18. Students should ensure that any special circumstances or factors impacting on their examinations not requiring a
deferral should be notified to the School Administration Office at the time.
SUBJECT LOAD PER YEAR AND GRADUATION
19. “The One-Year” LL.B Group:
Candidates who are exempted from First Year and Second Year Law courses and examinations (full-time mode)
must accumulate a minimum of 60 ECTS (incl. 5 ECTS allotted to the essay). In the event that courses in excess of
the graduation requirement are presented for examination, the best scores to a total of 60 ECTS will be counted for
honours purposes.
20. “The Two-Year” and “Three-Year” LL.B. Groups, i.e. those coming from First LL.B (3-year mode) and those
joining Second LL.B. directly:
To be eligible for the award of the LL.B. (full-time mode) candidates must satisfy the conditions as set out
hereunder;
(a) In Second LL.B, 60 ECTS (including essay) must be taken and passed.
(b) In Third LL.B, 60 ECTS (including essay) must be taken and passed.
21. “The Part-Time” or “Four-Year mode” group:
Candidates who are taking the LL.B. degree on a part-time basis must, on passing First Year, obtain 45 ECTS in
Second Year, 45 ECTS in Third Year (including essay), and 45 ECTS in Fourth Year (including essay).