Fundamentals of a law degree: Tort law

Following on from our recent blog looking in depth at the need and reasons for criminal law being a compulsory and foundation module on a law course, we bring you tort law. Tort law as many of you are aware is taught at A-level similar to criminal law and there is a very good reason for them doing this. Tort law concerns many different areas of the law such as medical negligence and other negligent acts for instance in the workplace or anywhere there is a duty of care on a person.

As stated, above tort law is taught in A-level law class across the breadth and width of the UK. This subject is a cornerstone of an essential area of law. like Criminal law tort law covers vast swathes of the law and many different issues can come up in a wide variety of cases studied. This is a very interesting but demanding area of the law and this is why the fundamentals of this module are pushed at A-level. The pushing of tort law in most ways gives you a big boost when it comes to taking the module at university as you have the basics already allowing you to spend more time improving your exam technique and getting to grips with harder elements.

Normally when entering university tort law is one of the very first subjects you will come across. However, don’t worry if you haven’t taken A-level law as your university will get you up to speed with the basics very quickly. For the basics of tort law, there are very straight forward tests and legal areas that have to be applied when deciding a case and this you will pick up rather quickly. These tests are real-world tests and are used on a day to day basis by lawyers working in the area. This a proactive way by universities to get you used to the real-world application of the law and how you will work if you eventually go on to work within the law.

Tort law may not be the area of law that you want to specialise in however the very fundamental elements needed to be successful apply to nearly every module on the course. This means that you are being proactive with your learning and learning future critical skills for work.

In many cases, you will carry out a basic level of tort law and then go onto study a more advanced version increasing your knowledge in the area. As I stated above there are many types of law that fall under the large umbrella of Tort such as medical negligence, workplace negligence, strict liability offences, Ect. These areas can in some universities have their own module where you can dive into the more complicated areas of the law and how these concepts are put together. This will help you to decide whether these areas suit you and are areas of law you would consider working in when you eventually pass your exams and graduate.

Once you have completed your studies and you have tort law on your CV this can really broaden the areas of law you can work in. the law of negligence is a very popular area of law where a lot of money and cases can be found. This area is very competitive and if you work hard will give you the gains you deserve. However, this area really is tough and will need you to spend many hours on each case as it passes you. Medical Negligence is a very specific example of this as the facts of the case can be in-depth and not straightforward especially when applied to the law.

However, having tort law really does aid you with your choices. Negligence is but one area of the law you can work in when you have the module. For example, you can work in areas of sport law, within the civil service as well as areas of medical law and cases of strict liability.

In conclusion, tort law is fundamental to a law degree down to the skills it gives you and how they are transferable to your future career in the area. We hope you have found this post useful and gives you a small insight into the world of negligence and how it will affect your own degree.