Fundamentals of a law degree: Property law

When starting my degree there were two things, I was certain of, I would study criminal law and I would study property law. Property law is one of the biggest modules you will take at university and in my opinion one of the hardest you may take too.

When taking the module in my first year I had a small idea of what I would be studying as some areas of property law are present in the A-level assessments. As many of you may know property law plays a large role in 6^th form law exams and this knowledge can be transferred to your property module.

However, the knowledge from 6^th form can only get you so far. During this module, you will learn very complicated rules and laws and applying these laws to certain facts can be difficult like most law degree modules, but with the right amount of reading and studying it is something that you can master.

When studying this module, you will come across certain areas of property law such as; property rights, ownership of property and the transfer of property from one person to another. Now during this module, you may find some difficult and confusing terminology such as Chattel meaning personal possessions. However, the more time you spend reading for this subject the easier and more understandable the terminology becomes.

When studying property law, you will delve into the very basis of our society, and how everyday life for most people works. From the gifting of personal tangible and intangible property in wills to the sale of houses and the requirements for a mortgage. All these areas are required knowledge for any future lawyer to have at hand. When law firms look at your application this module will be a good guidance for them as it requires many different skills. Achieving a high grade on this module demonstrates an ability to adapt your skills across a very broad spectrum. It also shows that you have the ability to work on real-world issues, issues that you will face most days as a qualified lawyer or barrister.

This module and all the content you will learn can be transferred to your other modules. For instance, the ability to work within everyday situations such as mortgages and the sale of certain properties. This allows you to think practically and can lend a hand to modules like criminal law and law involving torts. Understanding the basics of property law not only helps with your career but allows you to learn essential life lessons. Being able to understand how a mortgage and house sale works, will ultimately, help you when it comes to buying your dream house in the future.

When considering a career in property law a large portion of the graduate jobs available tie into property law in some way. For instance, criminal law on the outside may look and feel like crimes against a person but they can involve and be against property too. Massive amounts of European and international law contains the regulation of property and how we trade in certain items around the world. It is very difficult to work within any area of the law that doesn’t come into contact or work alongside property law in some way.

A big message I would pass on from doing this module is that reading is key. There are many in-depth and complicated arguments and laws surrounding each of the core aspects of property law. Many areas of property law require extensive reading to understand core concepts and to push your grade up towards a first, I would also suggest working in groups, being able to work with other people may allow this content to sink into your brain faster and in new and improved ways.

This module may seem like a tough one and I'm not going to lie it’s not a walk in the park. However, when you get down to the work and you start to understand what is required of you it can be one of the most rewarding modules of your degree. Once you get to grips with how the module works and how the processes work to protect property it can be one of the most successful modules that you take.

As a final note, I would say that property law however difficult it became the reward of doing well and the skills I gained from this module will stay with me forever. The skills from this module have placed me in a privileged position in my degree that I have been able to transfer to every one of my modules since.

We hope you find this blog useful and we would love to hear all about your experiences with property law and how you felt the module went for you.

Until the next time, we have been The Almost Lawyers and we thank you for your continued support.