Law: Legal Reasoning – University Masterclass With Professor Andreas Stephan From University of East Anglia

The law is often portrayed on television and movies as set of clear-cut rules, defences and loop-holes that smart lawyers can negotiate their way around with confidence.

In practice, while the law works very effectively at regulating the vast majority of human behaviours and interactions, the courts have to deal with many real-life situations where the application of the law is far from clear. This can come about because Parliament failed to properly design the law, because changes to society, technology or other circumstances have come into being that were not foreseen. It can also come down to the way in which legal arguments are formulated and the logic that underpins them.

This workshop will give you an insight into how judges, barristers and solicitors navigate their way through these challenges when dealing with novel or difficult situations that raise an issue in law. It will help you reflect on your own communication and reasoning skills.

Andreas Stephan is a Professor of Law and Head of the School of Law at the University of East Anglia. He teaches, Legal Method Skills and Reasoning, Criminal Law and Competition Law.

Our events are designed so that a group of students can take part from a classroom or students and teachers can take part as individuals, either from school or from home. This means that sessions will continue irrespective of possible school closures.

Lecturer Profile (Please Click): Professor Andreas Stephan

Suitable for: Year 12 & 13 (and equivalent) Law students, or those with a potential interest in studying Law. Teachers and members of school staff, as always, are welcome too, particularly where you are joining as a group along with your students.

The IT Setup: The event will be run on Bluejeans and participants will be able to join using laptops, tablets, and mobile devices. If you are joining as a school group, we recommend connecting with one device and projecting on to a whiteboard. You will be able to interact with the university via a microphone and/or typed comments and questions. Full details will be sent to those who have registered (see below) prior to the event.

Booking a Place: This is free for schools and colleges. If you would like to take part in this event, please register your interest using the link to the registration form below: