Criminality defined as “behaviour that is contrary or forbidden by criminal law” has often been hard to explain, with many competing theories explaining why someone would resort to crime. A variety of disciplines have attempted to explain this phenomenon but there lacks consensus, even within psychology there are several potential explanations. There are three overarching approaches: biological, cognitive, and social. Raine’s biological theory suggests there is a correlation between brain function and aggression, Crick and Dodge’s cognitive approach suggests that criminals are less capable of interpreting social cues, and Box’s theory suggests the main explanation for crime is poverty. However, each theory as a standalone has a major drawback, and as result it would be more effective to understand each in conjunction with the others.

One psychological explanation follows Raine et al’s study, which compared the brain activity of a group of murderers that pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity with a group of law-abiding citizens, through PET scans. Raine found that the criminals had less activity in the prefrontal cortex (associated with rational thinking and self-restraint) and parietal lobe (abstract thinking such as morality), but more activity in their occipital lobe (vision), as well as other imbalances in brain activity. He concluded therefore that there is a link between aggression and brain structure, and that criminality can be caused by biological defects. Interestingly however, Raine did the same PET scan on himself and found similar results in how own brain activity to the criminals, which suggests there are wider factors at play than brain structure alone that result in criminal behaviour.

An alternative explanation is Crick and Dodge’s Social Problem Solving theory within cognitive psychology. They argue that the average individual makes sense of the world around them by picking up on social cues, and through understanding these cues they ca respond to the social situation they’re in. However, violent offenders are less capable of picking up on these cues, and the cues they do pick up on are interpreted in a much more hostile fashion than how a non-offender would interpret them. As a result, they’re less capable of understanding the consequences of their actions and are more likely to think that violence is the only response to the situation they’re in. However, this theory doesn’t really consider why criminals have this way of thinking; is it because of a biological predisposition like Raine suggested? Is it an environmental cause?

Contrastingly, there is the crime, inequality, and poverty theory, which suggests that the driving cause for crime is poverty. The greater the inequality between the rich and the poor, the higher the rate of crime, specifically property crime. Hence, crime is a result of deprivation. However, why do wealthy or “well-off” individuals also commit crime? We hear news of celebrities committing various crimes on a regular basis, but according to this theory they shouldn’t be.

Consequently, each theory that attempts to explain crime has a major flaw or fails to explain a key element of criminal behaviour. It seems that the best way to understand crime is as a combination of these theories, rather than through one stand alone explanation.

Zeina Eweiss is a second year LLB student at King’s College London, who aspires to become a barrister one day, but still isn’t sure which area of law she enjoys the most. When she’s not reading random novels, she can be found binge watching cringey sitcom shows or just hanging out with her friends.

Discrimination in the legal system has long been an issue, particularly in regards to race, gender and socio-economic status. In ‘Misjustice: How British Law is Failing Women’, Helena Kennedy explores how women are treated throughout the legal system, in regards to the treatment of women working in the legal industry, the treatment of women on trial and the treatment of women in prisons. The book, published in 2019, is intended as a follow up to Kennedy’s earlier book, ‘Eve Was Framed: Women and British Justice’, published in 1993 on the same topic - throughout, Kennedy weighs up evidence, including many examples of real cases, surrounding the treatment and discrimination of women, to determine how it has changed since then.

Kennedy breaks down her investigation by looking at different types of crime, such as rape and domestic violence cases, and the victim blaming that is still prevalent within these cases. She also looks at the disadvantages faced by women from the BAME community, including the fact that black women are more likely to be refused bail or given longer sentences than white women, as well as the effect that communicating through a translator can have on testimony in the courtroom.

Kennedy’s ultimate conclusion is that though things have improved since 1993 - she references the positive impact of the Human Rights Act on the law throughout the book - changes still need to be made for women in the legal system.

Kennedy’s discussions throughout the book highlight the importance of challenging discrimination in the legal system, and the reform that is still needed. Although big steps have been taken, for example the recognition of coercive control as a form of domestic abuse in the Serious Crime Act 2015, it is clear that there are still issues that need tackling, including the large culture of victim blaming in sexual assault cases, the difficulties women often have in being taken seriously when reporting domestic situations and the racism still present both within the industry and courtroom.

One of the key takeaways, is not only the need for reform in the way that women are treated in many of these cases, but also the need for more female practitioners - though the proportion of female solicitors has increased to 53% in 2015 according the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), they report that there are still fewer women in senior positions within firms. It is also reported by the SRA that though the proportion of BAME solicitors has increased, the proportion is lower at larger firms. Increasing the diversity within the legal industry could be considered a key part of improving the treatment of women and BAME communities in the courtrooms; by having solicitors and barristers who identify with defendants, there may more understanding of gender and cultural issues within the courtroom.

Overall, Kennedy truly gives a wider understanding of the issues faced throughout the legal system by women, giving a deeper understanding of the legal system and its flaws as a whole. Her urge for reform does not undermine the progress that has been made since 1993, but highlights the importance of continuing the process of change, to achieve a just system.

Hira Ahmed is a second year Law student attending King’s College London. She is aiming to pursue a career as a solicitor in the future, and has a specific interest in IP law.

With social media dominating the world, the importance of safeguarding the public’s privacy is as prevalent as it can be. Despite that, one significant part of this discussion is often left behind in the discussion of these matters – the right to be forgotten.

The Right to be Forgotten is the right of individuals to remove personal data concerning them from the internet if they fulfil the conditions that apply, as established in Article 17 of the GDPR for the member states of the European Union. According to the GDPR, this right is enforced in a plethora of conditions, such as when an individual withdraws their consent of the data or when the data is no longer necessary. When this happens, the data is required to be removed “without undue delay”.

Though this can appear rather straightforward, this right’s true controversial nature is brought put when it clashes with other rights that we deem necessary. This includes freedom of expression: should the press remove data the public wants to know just because someone withdrew their consent? Case after case, the reconsideration of sacrificing the freedom of expression and fulfilling public interest in certain pieces information for a piece of data to be ‘forgotten’ has garnered substantial debate. Think for yourself. Do you think the right to be forgotten is an ‘obstacle to the internet’, or is it a ‘clear victory for Data Protection’ as it presents itself?

Key Case

The Google Spain Case (Google Spain v APED and Mario Costeja) was the key case that brought the right out of dormancy, allowing it to generate the attention that attracted researched and developed in legislation. This case features Mario Costeja exercising his right to object to the specific processing of his data. The data came from the Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia, who published announcements of forced sale properties in 1998 that included Mr Costeja’s name. Although Mr Costeja had contacted the newspaper agency to remove his name from the newspaper, they had refused. Following this, Mr Costeja then proceeded to contact Google Spain directly, who then forwarded the request to the Google Inc’s main headquarters in the USA. They too refused. This left Mr Costeja no choice but to lodge a complaint to higher powers: the Spanish Data Protection Agency. This case went further up to the Court of Justice of the European Union, where the battle came to a victory for Mr Costeja.

Further Impacts

After the Google Spain case, this right has been enacted in many other areas over the years. Criminals that have served their sentence look to have newspaper articles on their conviction erased. Prostitutes hoping to start a new life seek to remove evidence of their work online. Victims of revenge porn seek to have their photos and videos posted without their consent to be ‘forgotten’. But how can that be balanced with maintaining the freedom of expressing yourself online and the right of people to know what has been reported on?

In many countries, this right is yet to even be discussed. The right to be forgotten still has a long way to go in terms of becoming a globally recognised human right, and yet it is slowly becoming a forgotten right as its importance has faded in the world’s minds.

Victoria Piong Ji Eun is a first-year Law student attending King’s College London. She is interested in commercial law, and enjoys researching areas of technology law spanning from its intellectual property to digital regulation.

Written by Ujjwala Singh

To effectively understand homelessness, we must define what ‘home’ means. The concept of a home is significant to all of us and is often defined using emotional language. The adage ‘the home is where the heart is’ elucidates the emotions attached to the concept of a home and is a good way to define such an abstract concept. However, the definition of ‘home’ is significant in areas other than everyday life: the process of lawmaking requires a practical definition of the term to improve the homelessness crisis. Several academics and scholars hence have taken the task of defining ‘home’ on for themselves and conducted thorough research in the field.

One of the influential academics in this discussion is Jeremy Waldron. In Waldron’s paper, ‘Homelessness and the Issue of Freedom’, he uses a home’s (perceived) functions to define the term. According to Waldron, homes allow individuals a safe place to carry out “primal human tasks” (Homelessness and the Issue of Freedom, 1991). Homelessness is therefore shelter lessness. This definition, although practical in its nature, completely rejects the abstract feelings often attached to homes. If used in lawmaking, the definition can therefore allow for a lower standard of living in council homes, with little importance being placed on community and emotional wellbeing. It is for this reason that Jenkins and Brownlee claim Waldron’s position creates a fairly “low standard”. On the other hand, it can be argued that while the term home does carry emotional undertones in everyday life, it is the law’s job to be straightforward. The law may be able to take the more analytical approach toward defining the term to ensure the resources it uses are used efficiently and less people sleep rough.

Essert, on the other hand, posits that a home gives its owner a property right; that it is the property right attached to the home that should be used to define the term. From this perspective, the property right and the control it gives to us is the primary function of a home. This definition, although a step above Waldron’s, brings into question whether those living in their partners’ home or elders dependent on their children (to name a few) are ‘homeless’. If the crux of a home is the property right it conveys, then this definition would categorise thousands of people as ‘homeless’ and as a result, be rather inefficient. A case can be made that Essert’s definition of a home could aid those understanding property interests for the first time. However, the definition’s practicality is its biggest drawback.

Although there isn’t a consensus amongst academics as to how the term should be defined, the UK, like many other countries, has been able to construct its definition of a ‘home’ to tackle homelessness in the country. Via the Housing Act 1966, the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 and other laws, the UK government is attempting to reduce homelessness as best it can. However, as of 2023, 270,000 people are recorded as homeless (Shelter, 2023) with 123,000 being children. How we define a home, and consequently, homelessness, may therefore need to be reconsidered.

Ujjwala Singh is a penultimate year Law student at King’s College London. She is the President of the King’s Poetry Society and has recently published her debut poetry novel. She is interested in private equity and corporate law and is an aspiring commercial solicitor.

As you embark onto the journey of studying law at university, you soon realize that there is much more that you have to face than what you have expected. Apart from studying, it’s time for you to think about your future career path. You soon will hear about people talking about first-year schemes, open days, vacation schemes and training contracts and terms like “Magic Circle” and UK or US-based law firms which you have no idea about. Before you know what you are doing, you might be already busy filling in applications, facing interviews and panicking about deadlines and outcomes.

So, what exactly are all those terms that law students talk about and what should students who are new to the legal industry prepare for?

Choosing Law Firms

Many students with an aspiration to become a solicitor apply to prestigious international firms that are mainly UK or US-based. “The Magic Circle” is the 5 most prestigious London-headquartered multinational law firms, namely Allen and Overy, Clifford Chance, Linklaters, Freshfields and Slaughter and May. For US-headquartered firms, you might be looking at names like Baker McKenzie, Kirkland & Ellis and Latham & Watkins. These law firms all have a global presence and focus mainly on corporate and commercial law, with their main practice areas being on Merger & Acquisition, Banking and Finance and Disputes Resolution.

Nonetheless, there are also many other types of law firms that have different business focuses or are from different countries which also offer similar work experience or insight schemes. So take your time to explore your options and just follow your heart in choosing those that you feel like you would enjoy working in that culture and environment.

Schemes to Apply For

As a first-year student, you would be applying for first-year schemes which might be an open day or a few days of experience at the firm that would enable you to understand the firm better.

For students in penultimate year or beyond, you will be aiming for vacation schemes that gives you 2-4 weeks of work at the firm that really give you practical legal work experience and would hopefully help you secure a training contract that will begin after you graduate from university and finish the required Boards exam.

Application Process

The application process for most firms are fairly the same with slight differences in terms of questions or number of steps:

Part 1: Personal Information, e.g. academic results, work experience etc, CV and Cover Letter/a few questions on motivation, interest and commercial understanding

Part 2: Online tests, e.g. Situational Judgment Tests (SJT) that require you to give response in relation to different situations or Watson Glaser Test that tests your critical thinking and reasoning ability

Part 3: Video Interview: questions might range from motivation-based to commercial-based which you will record your answer to it in a timed manner

Part 4: Assessment Centre or Online/In-person Interview: This part usually includes both written and oral assessment. The interview part might be a case-study and/or general questions regarding your motivation and interest and scenario-based questions. The written part would require you to produce some writing in relation to information given to you at the interview.

Steps to Prepare for Application

So, what exactly can you do to make your application stands out from the rest. Afterall, most firms’ application questions are more or less the same and are similar in terms of their work.

Step 1: Attending Open Days

I strongly recommend applicants to join any Open Days or Networks organized by these firms. Attending these events give you a better understanding of the firm and a chance for you to get tips on applications. They might talk about recent or significant deals that are worth mentioning in your personal statement or cover letter. Do take this chance to get to ask about things that you are interested in or network with people and make the most out of your attendance. Most importantly, feel the culture of the firm and know whether you want to work in that environment.

Step 2: Research

Even if you cannot make it to firm visits, look into their websites or google about the firm. Look at recent deals or works of the firm and include it in your application would show the firm that you have done research about their firm and display your interest in any particular practice area. Lastly, get to know more about commercial or business news. It can just be generally trends about the economy or policies by governments on certain industries. Then, you can think about how it might affect clients of the firm or different industries that would allow you to improve your commercial awareness and showcase your ability during interviews.

Step 3: Interviews

If you have been shortlisted for an interview, get prepared for it. Try to search online for similar interview questions or ask seniors who might have went through it before. Do more extensive research into the firm and build up some knowledge on the areas that you are interested in. For case-study interviews, it might involve business-side on things that law students are less familiar with, e.g. balance sheets. Websites like Investopedia are a great way to get used to reading these materials and practice summarizing trends and simple calculations like profit or debt ratio.

Frankly, it is quite a nerve-wrecking and highly-pressurized experience. But don’t be too disappointed if you were unable to secure a spot on those schemes. Afterall, everything is a learning process. Try to learn from the feedbacks that firms provide for their online tests and interviews or reflect on your applications to conclude on what you failed on and how to improve. I am confident you all would be able to reach your full potential and achieve your dreams. Good luck!

Michelle Chan is a second year Law Student studying at King’s College London from Hong Kong who is keen in commercial law. In her post, she discusses how to better understand firms and prepare for law firm applications.

Introduction

It has been nearly four years since the UK officially withdrew from the European Union (EU), after 47 years of membership. Today, perhaps to one’s amazement (or amusement), you can still find law students poring over their EU Law textbooks across the law schools in the UK. The most obvious question to anyone who has a basic understanding of what Brexit means would be, as Professor Biondi helpfully raised in his first lecture here at King’s, “Why?” - Why should we still study the law of the European Union when the UK has ceased to be a part of it? This article will begin with a brief overview of the status of EU law in the UK’s domestic legal landscape during its time as a Member State, and proceed to propose two reasons for studying EU Law today.

EU law in the UK: Pre-Brexit

During the years of EU membership, certain substantive EU legal rights and obligations could be invoked directly before courts in the UK. The European Communities Act 1972 passed by the UK Parliament incorporated into the UK's domestic legal system EU legal sources such as Directives and judgments of the European Court of Justice, giving them overriding domestic effects. After Brexit, however, such a legal landscape has changed which deserves continued attention.

Image source: https://theconversation.com/fact-check-are-60-of-uk-laws-really-imposed-by-the-eu-58516

EU law in the UK: post-Brexit

One possible answer to the question raised at the beginning of this article is that certain EU legal sources are still applicable and binding in the post-Brexit UK and form part of the UK’s domestic law. The legal device that made this happen is the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 and the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act 2023 (the Retained EU Law Act). The former legislation created a body of EU laws which are carried over to the UK law after Brexit, while the latter, among other things, abolished some of these retained laws and renamed the remaining ones as ‘assimilated laws’ from 1 January 2024. Now we’ve started to get a picture of EU laws' relevance in the post-Brexit UK, but why is this important?

The aforementioned Acts affect how one interprets and applies laws in the UK. Because of the Retained EU Law Act, assimilated laws that used to require special treatment in interpretation so that it is in line with EU legal principles can now be interpreted in a traditional domestic way, which is relevant to law students in terms of how you argue your case on the proper interpretation of a statute in the current-day UK that used to be covered by EU legal principles; the changing legal landscape is also relevant to aspiring legal practitioners in terms of the regulatory advice concerning assimilated EU law areas that you provide to your clients operating across Europe.

From a more academic point of view, studying EU laws in the post-Brexit UK is beneficial to getting a grasp of the UK constitutional law. Many EU legal principles are tightly linked to and indeed influence the development of the UK’s constitutional doctrines. For instance, the twin doctrine of direct effect and supremacy of EU law as constructed by the European Court of Justice has influenced the debate revolving around the scope and substance of Parliamentary sovereignty, a fundamental UK constitutional principle. Studying EU Law will therefore equip you with a more sophisticated understanding of some of the constitutional debates in UK Public Law which on the surface are of domestic concern, but are actually rooted in or developed by its history with the EU.

Hao Tian is a first-year Law LLB student at King’s College London. In his post above, Hao discussed why studying EU Law is still relevant and indeed important to law students in the post-Brexit UK.

During my time at school, I had never shied away from challenge or competition. I was always aware of the difficulties and how much hard work law school would be. Despite that, I was still surprised by the true realities of law, and I believe every future applicant should keep these in mind when applying.

The study of law is fundamentally all about reading - reading cases, textbooks, journals – which is a well-known fact. But law school is so much more reading than I thought. Each year you study four modules (more if you choose half modules), and each module has set reading for each week to prepare for your tutorials. These build on the lectures and go into the topic in much greater detail. This is great because it really helps you understand the topic, and everything falls into place. But the cases are tens of pages long, and the textbook chapter can be up to (maybe more) a hundred pages. And you have this per module, per week. On top of that, the language of the cases and the textbooks tends to be quite convoluted and takes a couple of weeks to grasp, which makes reading and understanding the set texts much harder and slower. So having strong time management and being organised is vital as a lawyer.

Additionally, each week builds on the week before in terms of content, so missing a significant chunk of the course or being behind can hurt your general understanding of the module. So, it’s important to stay on top of things as much as possible. That being said, this isn’t too different to most, if not all, A level subjects. For example, I took Maths and Chemistry, and in those subjects, it was vital I had a strong understanding of year 1 algebra and organic chemistry, because without it, year 2 would be a disaster. So, ensuring you’re always up to date with your A level work and having strong foundational knowledge is a key skill you’ll take into law school.

The final shock was going from a high performing student to feeling like average (at best) in my first year of law. It tends to take a toll on your confidence as you start spiralling and think your intelligence has plummeted or that everyone else is so much better than you. But everyone is in the same boat. First year of law school is very different to A levels and takes time to grasp the skills and requirements. It’s important to remember that everyone is new to law too, and not to compare yourself to others in your class. You wouldn’t have been accepted if you didn’t have the skills for law.

Despite how difficult law can be at times, it is genuinely a very interesting subject. You learn about completely knew topics that you might not have known even existed beforehand (I’ll admit I had no idea what equity was before my second year) that give insight into how the world works. Studying it builds key skills that you’ll take on regardless of your career choice, such as critical thinking, and breaking down large and complex pieces of text. So, if law truly is your passion, then you’d find it enjoyable despite the (very) long hours of work (just keep this in mind when applying).

Zeina Eweiss is a second year LLB student at King’s College London, who aspires to become a barrister one day, but still isn’t sure which area of law she enjoys the most. When she’s not reading random novels, she can be found binge watching cringey sitcom shows or just hanging out with her friends.

The role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the legal industry has been extensively discussed. It is likely to be of some interest to many law students, especially those interested in ‘Legal Tech’. Much of the discussion around development of AI in the legal world centres around its practical use, the way cognitive functions native to humans can be applied by AI systems to perform tasks linked to legal research, due diligence, and by lawyers and those who administer the law in court-rooms, whether in evidence or sentencing.

The challenge these developments may pose to the practice of law is often addressed by the usual journalistic cliché - if technology can do it for free, why pay a lawyer? The growing literature on the relationship between AI and law is very often centred on the impact on activities of legal professionals themselves, and how development of AI tools may be both welcomed and, to an extent, feared by legal professionals, with the struggle to develop norms alongside that of understanding the technology.

In ‘We, the Robots? Regulating Artificial Intelligence and the Limits of the Law.’, Simon Chesterman takes a refreshingly different approach. His focus is not on algorithm-dependent lawyers or the machines but the structural issues that bedevil regulation of AI, putting stress on the central role of the State, government, and governance. In a three-part structure covering the challenges, the tools and then sketching out future possibilities, Chesterman offers a fluent and wide-ranging entry point for anyone interested in the thicket of legal and regulatory issues raised by the application of AI. His book is an accessible introduction to AI with an anticipatory perspective focused on potential challenges to come as the technology and algorithmic tools develop and become widely adopted.

Chesterman makes clear that market forces cannot be left to their own devices, even as law and rule-making struggle to keep up with the dizzying speed of AI development and opaque new technologies. He emphasises the importance of the role of the state with the appropriate regulatory touch of public control. The author, a veteran law school dean, frames his approach from a public law perspective as well as international law, which is a plus for law students. He provides a robust discussion of the effectiveness of regulatory tools currently in place, and what else governments ought to consider based on his assessment of the shape of things to come. The notion of AI pushing the ‘limits of the law’ is of great significance; whether the laws we have in place are sufficient, and how they can and should be applied, is of great practical consequence.

The increasing autonomy of AI is a significant challenge for regulators. These swift and complex technological developments raise moral and legal dilemmas that are not easily squared. Questions of attribution of responsibility lead into a discussion of a potential independent legal personality for systems of AI, issues that were science fiction a generation ago are matter of law and regulation today.

The legal challenges posed by AI are well explored within the text using familiar legal concepts such as causation and foreseeability, and acts as an intriguing means of critical analysis of these all too familiar concepts. In highlighting the many challenges posed by AI, a discussion of the necessity of finding balance between proper precaution in utilising regulatory tools such as laws and enforcement of regulation, and avoiding the hindrance of innovation, is highlighted. This reinforces why legal challenges brought about by technological development are so complex, and emphasises the practical relevance of the area; the advantages of technological innovation cannot be overstated, thus precaution must be balanced with allowing room for growth.

The interaction between AI and systems of legal interpretation and decision making, and how regulation of AI is an issue for policymakers are all topics of practical relevance for aspiring lawyers.

While the link between AI and the law may seem like a daunting area to explore, Simon Chesterman’s book provides an accessible, well explored introduction. I highly recommend it to anyone who finds this area intriguing or challenging and who needs a friendly and readable guide to understanding the risks, red-lines and continuing relevance of public authority in managing and controlling AI-related activities. It may eventually indeed prove to be a thin regulatory line between killing the machines or having the machines kill us.

What is the LNAT?

The Law National Aptitude Test, or LNAT, is the national admission test for undergraduate law programmes in the UK. The exam is divided into two sections: Section A consists of multiple-choice questions, while Section B contains essay-type questions.

As of 2022, all students, regardless of whether they are home students or international students, are required to take the test if they wish to attend certain universities in the UK, such as King’s College London. The exam is crucial for aspiring law students, as universities might reject applicants based on the result of this exam alone. This is especially important for universities that do not interview applicants. On the bright side, the exam is another chance for applicants to demonstrate their skills.

Image Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/DZpc4UY8ZtY

Section A: Multiple-Choice Questions

Law students throughout their studies need to read long judgments, deduce the legal reasoning behind, and apply the facts to the issue at hand. Reading comprehension skills is therefore crucial. This is the main assessment point of section A. Candidates are required to answer 3-4 multiple questions for each passage provided. There are 3 tips for section A:

Tip 1: Avoid presumptions based on knowledge outside the passage

The test is designed to assess the candidates’ reasoning skills, not their knowledge. Hence, all pre-existing knowledge that a candidate possessed should be deemed irrelevant when answering the multiple-choice questions. The choice of answers should be based on the content of the passage alone. Otherwise, candidates risk selecting the wrong answers. It is recommended that candidates demonstrate their knowledge in the essay in section B instead.

Tip 2: Distinguish opinions from facts

Candidates should be cautious about the source of a statement. It is recommended that candidates pay attention to the party that makes the statement. Time is plentiful for this exam, so students should read the entire passage word by word, instead of skimming through it. Some answers might appear correct at first glance but the devil is in the details. This skill is actually very useful for law students as well. In a judgment, not every statement made by a judge is the law. Judges tend to cite multiple sources and law students need to be aware whether the judge is simply restating the opinion of a counsel, or the view of judges from the lower courts, or the reasoning for a case that was not applied. The actual legal reasoning (ratio decidendi) in the judgment needs to be deduced with care.

Tip 3: Read news articles on niche topics

The content of the passages can be about anything, and is usually unrelated to law. It ranges from philosophy and economics to astrophysics and biomedical sciences. It is likely that candidates will be unfamiliar with the topics, and will come across concepts or terms that are outside their usual studies. I distinctly remember having to perform calculations during the exam, even though they are just simple arithmetic.

Therefore, reading news article beyond the subjects that candidates studies is a great way to polish their comprehension skills. Sites like the Washington Post, or the Financial Times that covers a wide variety of content can be a good starting point.

Image Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/s9CC2SKySJM

Tips for Section B: Essay

In section B, candidates are required to write an essay, that is roughly 700 words long in 40 minutes. The section is also not centrally marked. Each university has their own criterion and assess the answers independently. Unlike section A, candidates will not receive a score for section B. There are 3 tips for section B:

Tip 1: Demonstrate critical thinking skills

The questions in section B are usually very short and straightforward, leaving a lot of room for candidates to express themselves. Many of the questions are usually argumentative in nature. Therefore, defining the terms is a good place to start, as it allows candidates to be clear about the arguments they want to make. Another tactic that is useful for these argumentative essay is to consider multiple situations, e.g. legal implications v moral implications, ideals v reality.

Tip 2: Manage the time wisely

Unlike section A, there are only 40 minutes to complete an essay in section B. Candidates should not take to too much time to choose which essay questions to answer. It is recommended that candidates simply select the topic they are the most familiar with. Most importantly, candidates should finish the essay at least a few minutes earlier to proofread. A good command of plain English is crucial for law students and making grammatical or spelling mistakes leaves a bad impression.

Tip 3: Practice using the sample tests provided by the official exam body

The official LNAT website provides online sample tests. It is a precious opportunity for candidates to familiarise themselves with the test format. This is also a chance to practice time management.

It is important to note that there are many external sites, like education consultancy companies, that offers LNAT practice tests, or even textbooks. However, candidates should remember that these tests are not official, and might not reflect the actual scenarios during the exam. Personally, I did not use or pay for any external services before taking the LNAT. Aspiring students should approach these services with caution.

Image Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/iXqTqC-f6jI

Final Thoughts

This article was written in early 2022, and some information can be outdated. Nevertheless, the skills are likely applicable even for future exams. For more information about the LNAT, the best place to check is the official website at https://lnat.ac.uk/.

For those applying to study law at King’s College London, the LNAT might seem daunting at first, but with proper preparation it should not be too big of a hurdle to jump across. I wish all candidates and aspiring law students the best of luck in their preparation.

Over the past decade the climate conversation has erupted with much force. In 2015, almost 200 countries backed a global plan, the Paris Agreement, to keep the global temperature rise well below 2°C. However, this goal seems more elusive than ever; even if all climate pledges are met the world is bound to see a global increase of 2.4°C. This increase will have a devastating impact, countries will vanish under rising sea levels, climate refugees will emerge, and the world will be in a dire code red situation.

Following the recent conclusion of the COP26 nations are under renewed pressure to take effective action. Concurrently, the private sector is also being coerced to commit to sustainable and meaningful action. The private sector contributes to 70% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. This post will discuss soft law remedies in the realm of climate action. Besides taking an interest in the legal dimension of the matter, these are developments that we should be aware of as responsible consumers.

Image Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/6xeDIZgoPaw

OECD Guidelines

The OECD is an international organisation that works on economic and social policy. It has developed a set of guidelines for responsible business conduct. The guidelines foster a transparent approach where companies should make their environmental impact public so that consumers can make an informed choice. Accordingly, several enterprises like Microsoft and Apple have made certain climate pledges for the reduction of carbon footprint. NGOs, employees, and communities can bring complaints against corporations if they have breached OECD guidelines. (Please find OECD guidelines here)

Enhanced Due Diligence and Human Rights

The OECD also has a detailed guidance for responsible supply chains of minerals from high-risk areas. Due diligence is a reactive and proactive process through which companies can ensure that they respect human rights. Climate change and human rights usually intertwine. Especially, in the field of mineral extraction which involves poor working conditions and several health concerns. Setting up mineral factories also displaces local communities without adequate compensation. (Please find the guidelines here)

Greenwashing

Greenwashing is the process of creating a false impression that a company’s products are environmentally sound. Green marketing is often used by companies to deceive consumers and persuade them to buy their products. One specific OECD complaint that illustrates this point is ClientEarth v BP (UK), whereby ClientEarth alleged that BP’s adverts conveyed that increases in global primary energy demand are desirable and inevitable for progress and development, while omitting information about the negative impacts of climate change caused by the use of fossil fuels. Although, the complaint was rejected it was a positive development in combatting greenwashing.

You’re in for an adventure!

When people talk about criminal law, they think of opulent courtrooms, robes and wigs, gruesome murders and criminal masterminds. Whilst these conjectures aren’t necessarily inaccurate, they are but a tip of the iceberg. Criminal law in action is a lot more fun and exciting than anything I could ever have imagined. From cannibalism in the middle of the Atlantic to vengeful Sergeants in the Iraq war, dangerous horse carriage drivers in Victorian London to devout Jehovah’s witnesses in blood transfusion surgeries, the law of crime is never boring, never standing still and never fails to surprise. Below, I shall go through what to expect in your study of criminal law and what I wish to have known before jumping into such extraordinarily thought-provoking an adventure.

What is criminal law really about?

Image Source: https://blog.ipleaders.in/types-omissions-significance-criminal-trial/

Perhaps the easier question to start with is what criminal law isn’t about. Criminal law isn’t about The Silence of the Lambs, that belongs to criminology; Nor is it about Sherlockian crime solving, for that belongs to the realm of criminal investigation and; No, it’s got nothing to do with those secondary school essays on whether or not capital punishment should be abolished for that is concerned by human rights law. What we are left with in criminal law is the question of what is and isn’t criminal, and what punishment is available upon conviction. It’s as simple as that. And then again there’s this occasional question of whether what is ought to be, something which should have been left in the realm of jurisprudence but which you will stumble upon nonetheless.

I understand that this may seem rather vague, so here I’ve included a problem question by way of illustration. Please comment below to share your thoughts on this. Suppose X is a robber who wishes to kill A, a traveller who’s been stranded in a desert for days. When A falls asleep, X secretly puts poison into A’s water bottle from which he knows A will drink. B, A’s travel companion, spots this at the corner of his eye and therefore pours all the water away despite knowing as a virtual certainty that A would then die of thirst. Also, he does not intend to share his water even when the circumstances grow dire. After a few days, as expected, A dies of thirst. Who then, is the murderer? Is it X? I mean, after all, it is he who wanted to kill A by putting poison into his drink. And then again, A didn’t really die of poisoning, he died of thirst. Can then be his death attributable to X’s initial poisoning? Moreover, does it matter that A and B would both die anyway in so vast a desert with so little water? What if we change the facts a little? What if the amount of poison put into the drink wasn’t enough to kill? What if B wasn’t aware of X’s poisoning and simply wanted to murder his companion by emptying his bottle? What if B greedily drank from A’s bottle and died instead? Would these change your answer to the question? Even now, halfway through the first semester, I cannot give you a definite answer. Nor may I ever be able to. Thing is, criminal law baffles, and that’s exactly what makes it so interesting to study and learn about.

What you should know before applying

Whilst this may seem all new to you, and whilst you may have had heard the horror stories about studying law, criminal law really isn’t that scary and it’s definitely not boring. Contrary to common belief, you won’t need a photographic memory and an insatiable thirst for reading to excel in criminal law. What you will instead need if you wish to cut above the rest is good sense, an eye for detail and, above all, love of what you do. Anything asides those you will acquire in the subsequent three years of reading, lectures, tutorials and study so don’t panic.

Another thing which deters students from applying to law is the perceived amount of reading that has to be done. Whilst I am in no way suggesting that there isn’t much reading to do, the actual amount of reading isn’t anywhere as unbearable as I would have thought. Indeed, you might be intimidated by the huge list of cases and statutes with which you must familiarise. Don’t be. Oftentimes as you soon shall see, judgments, especially the old ones, are riddled with irrelevancies and long-winded evaluations of unrelated jurisprudence. The crucial skill which you will acquire in law school is the ability to separate between relevant and irrelevant, important and unimportant – To sift gold from sand. In many cases, a very important legal doctrine is being established but because you focus your mind on all the minute details: The defendant’s age, the date on which the crime occurred, the procedural history etc., you miss the forest for the trees. Once you’ve mastered the art of reading law cases, you’ll find the workload much more manageable and enjoyable (strange way to describe workload but anyways).

An overview of the criminal law course

If you’re still reading it means you’re seriously considering to study law. In that case, do continue reading. Here, I shall give a brief overview as to how the criminal law course is structured in most universities followed by some of my own tips.

If you’ve been doing some pre-reading on criminal law, one of the first Latin phrases that you will come across is “Actus reus non facit reum nisi mens sit rea”. This phrase is broadly translated to “the act is not culpable unless the mind is guilty”, which means that a person cannot be guilty of a crime unless two elements are established: the actus reus (guilty act) and the mens rea (guilty mind). (As an aside, please do not be intimidated by the Latin phrases, you don’t actually need much knowledge of Latin to survive law school.) Normally, the criminal law course begins here. In this stage of the course, you will learn about legal causation, intervening acts, different states of mind and the legal meaning of intention.

Then, you will move on to investigate the major offences one by one, usually kicking off with the king of all crimes – murder. Other offences which you will have to study are homicide, sexual offences, non-fatal offences against the person, theft and fraud. At the same time, you will learn about inchoate offences, that is, offences which have not been completed. You will also learn about the liability of employers for the acts of their employees (vicarious and corporate liability), accessories to crime (secondary participation) as well as different forms of liabilities (strict and constructive liability). Finally, this part of the course will end with an overview of the legal excuses (defences) which are available in general and for specific crimes.

Ultimately, you will engage with the question of what the law ought to be. Here, you shall explore the theories expounded by the likes of John Stuart Mill, HLA Hart and Ronald Dworkin. Personally, I find this part of the course most confusing but also the most intellectually rewarding. To many, the exploration of deep philosophical questions seems to be a tedious exercise far removed from reality (at least that was what I thought before starting) but in fact, it is a tremendously interesting task that has every relevance to our real world. An interesting question to kickstart your journey in jurisprudence is as follows: Should victimless crimes be punished?

So that’s it for now I suppose

Hopefully, reading this has been not only a reassurance, but also a source of motivation for your journey ahead. In short, the criminal law is a wonderful concoction of bizarre stories, strange characters and odd legal rules. If you will, step forward and begin your trip of a lifetime. It won’t be calm; it won’t be easy but I tell you what it would be – Absolutely fantastic. Good luck!

Studying can sometimes be either the most boring thing you can possibly be doing on a Saturday morning, or it can be the most rewarding. Studying law, it would be safe to say that you’d find yourself, more often than not, catching up to work (or staying ahead of the curve!) on a weekend. Of course, you can do your work at home, where you don’t have any distractions. You can even go to the reliable library that everyone else goes to (yes, Maughan, I’m looking at you).

But what many people seem to forget, in their rush to finish their work, is that coffee shops are amazing for getting in the zone. And no, I’m not talking about Pret, even if their coffee subscription is amazing.

So below are some of the best coffee shops to go to when you need to get your work done!

1. The Prettiest!

Of all the coffee shops listed on here, the one that would win the award for prettiest café would go to The Wren Coffee in the beautiful St Nicholas Cole Abbey, just a short walk away from Blackfriars station.

With the best quiet, tranquil atmosphere, you’re surely going to get your mid-week class prep done in one sitting here. Remember though, Wren Coffee may be great for a mid-week pick me up, but it’s not an option for the weekends as it’s only open Mondays through Fridays.

2. For Study Groups!

Many people would argue that studying with other people (especially when a deadline is coming up) is a bad idea. But in Host Café, that may not be a problem. Situated in one of the most photogenic cafes anyone has ever seen, Host Café also advertises an amazing deal for anyone looking to have a spot reserved just for them and their work needs.

If you choose to work here, the best plan would be to make a reservation via their website where you’re guaranteed a slot up to 4 hours (or 8 hours if you’re feeling intense), including 2 free coffees, teas, or sodas. When you’re ready to grab a few friends and hold each other accountable, take note that Host Café is also only open Mondays through Fridays.

3. For the People-Watchers!

When you’re out studying or getting some work done, you’re not always sticking your nose in a book. We never admit it, but people watching is definitely a no-brainer break from doing what we’re supposed to do. In SOHO Coffee Co., especially the one on 215 Strand, you’ll find yourself enjoying the steady bustle of people coming to and from work (and the KCL strand campus nearby!). Should you find yourself here, you might even feel motivated as many law firms and chambers are dotted around this area.

4. The Student Classic!

Everyone’s got their classic choices, their go-to’s, right? For many students that I know, the familiar favorite has to be Le Pain Quotidien, with its large selection of food and drinks, as well as its multiple locations scattered around London. As one of the few places with sockets literally everywhere, as well as unlimited WIFI and great service (where they definitely won’t kick you out even if you stay til closing), it’s an easy choice to make.

Applying for university can seem a daunting task; countless schools to pick from, impending deadlines and the nagging possibility of choosing the wrong course. As a fresh-faced 18-year-old who had recently gotten his International Baccalaureate results, I felt uncertain. Uncertain about what to do, where to go, and who to turn to. With this uncertainty came an urge to procrastinate making such an important decision, and hence I pushed it to the back of my mind as I embarked on my compulsory two year long National Service in the army.

But, the passage of time is inevitable, and I soon found myself face-to-face with the decision yet again, only this time I lacked the luxury of time which had allowed me to procrastinate prior.

Which university should I go to? What course should I even do? What will I do in the future with my degree? These questions haunted me as I pored over university websites and student blogs. I quickly came up with a set of criteria to aid me in my search; cost, practicality of degree and location.

With that, I decided upon a local university which was 25 minutes away from my house and offered a reputable Business Management degree. At that time, I felt that a business degree would expose me to a variety of areas within the corporate world, and throughout my two years there, I was able to learn something new every day. However, there was always a lingering thought that I could never shake.

Am I in the right course?

Image Source: https://www.td.org/insights/deciding-how-to-decide

For months I would go back and forth in my head, weighing the pros and cons of my current course. Not to take anything away from a business degree, I learnt a great deal about the intricacies of business and am much more prepared to face the commercial world because of it. However, I continued to feel like there was something missing, and so began my search for a new course.

Fast forward a few months, and with a few internships under my belt, including one with a local law firm, I felt certain that I had to make the switch to law. I was excited by the challenge posed by a degree in law, and I set about applying for university once more, this time with profound vigor.

Looking back, I do not hold any regrets about the time I spent studying business. It equipped me with the necessary research and analytical skills that have served me well in law school thus far. However, if I could travel back in time to give some words of advice to my younger self, I would have a few things to say.

Consider your strengths, and find a degree which truly challenges you and makes you excited to learn more. Additionally, do not be afraid to go for what you want, even if it does involve a certain amount of risk. Finally, your choice in degree does not define or limit your job opportunities in the future, but it will determine the knowledge and skills you are exposed to whilst at university.

The growing intersection between law and technology best illustrates the dynamic nature of the law, showcasing the field as not only subject to social and doctrinal change but also to innovation, in the form of technological progress. As a keen learner who, along with many other law students, spends an overwhelming amount of time in the library reading cases and articles, exploring the intersection between law and technology opened my eyes to an area of the field that is quickly expanding in the professional world, thus providing me with a fascinating view on the constant malleability of the law.

A topic that I have had the chance to delve into and that I thought would be interesting to share in this article is the growth of Artificial Intelligence through the development of “creative” computers, and the implications for copyright law.

Image Source: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/prime/technology-and-startups/artificial-intelligence-needs-an-update-on-ethics-to-be-able-to-help-humanity-in-times-of-crisis/primearticleshow/77205576.cms

Many of our dystopian science-fiction theories according to which machines will one day be able to rule the world are inspired by the development of machine learning software through “neural networks”. These networks enable computer programs to generate work using a thought process similar to humans. This is possible through a built-in algorithm that allows the computer to learn from data input, to evolve, and eventually, to make independent decisions through the process.

An example of what such programs are able to produce is the next Rembrandt: a new artwork generated by a computer that had analyzed thousands of works by the 17th-century Dutch artist Rembrandt. The project was sponsored by the Dutch banking group ING, in collaboration with Microsoft, J.Walter Thompson marketing consultancy, and advisors from TU Delft, The Mauritshuis and the Rembrandt House Museum.

These creations raise the issue of copyright. Indeed, creative works qualify for copyright protections if they are “original”: this is often associated with the requirement of a human author. However, copyright protection for work created by machines increasingly appears as a commercial necessity, as the companies selling the work have invested in the system and will probably perceive it as unfair to not receive compensation for its distribution and use.

This issue remains unresolved in many countries not amenable to non-human copyright. The UK is at the forefront of legislative change through section 9(3) Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, which creates an exception to all human authorship requirements by recognising the work that goes into creating a program capable of generating the works, even if the creative spark is undertaken by a machine.

The question remains as to whom the law should consider to be the person to receive compensation for the use of the work. Should it be the programmer or the user of the program? This question may be equivalent to wondering whether the maker of a pen or the writer deserves the credit for the work produced. Copyright for work produced on Microsoft Word lies with users, not Microsoft. However, the question is relevant when dealing with AI: when using text-generating machines and neural networks, users may only have to press one button to produce their work. The nuance present in this question illustrates the overall intricacy that comes with the growth of AI. As a law student, reflecting on these issues and how they should be regulated enabled me to participate in the process of adopting AI as an inevitable consequence of progress, an essential move in order to embrace all its potential benefits and curtail its risks.

Are you fascinated with the mind but also picture yourself arguing in court? Perhaps you want to learn how to treat mental illnesses but also see yourself protecting a company’s legal interests? If you’re torn between doing law and doing psychology in college, there’s good news for you; you can do both. It is a common practice in the UK to do a degree in any subject before taking a 1-year long law conversion course to complete an LLB. Common picks for prior degrees are literature, history, or political science, but what if I told you that the best pre-law course is Psychology? Here are some reasons a psychology degree will help you ace a conversion course and become a far better lawyer than if you hadn’t done it.

Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing will be Second Nature

The fundamental skills of law school are reading, writing, and formulating arguments. Psychology is firmly entrenched in the humanities; this means you will be required to read, write, and critically think through the course of your major. The skills you will exercise while reading and evaluating academic articles in psychology are identical to those you will use while reading cases and law textbooks. The practice you will get critically analyzing hypotheses and explaining complicated concepts in clear written language will make legal essays very easy. By the end of your psychology degree, you will be a persuasive writer, a quick reader, and a clear thinker, ready to take law school by storm.

Image Source: https://cpet.tc.columbia.edu/news-press/information-overload-combating-misinformation-with-critical-thinking

Insight into heuristics

There is substantial psychological research on the common logical mistakes people make, often because of heuristics. Heuristics are mental shortcuts which our mind tends to take while reasoning. For example, the availability heuristic is our tendency to estimate the probability of something based on how easily it comes to mind. If asked, you’d probably incorrectly say that there are more words which have ‘K’ as their first letter than words which have ‘K’ as their third letter, because words which start with ‘K’ come to mind quicker. Psychology provides insight into all the common pitfalls which our minds wander into when we reason. This is invaluable knowledge when reasoning or when trying to anticipate what conclusion a judge or lawyer will come to after being given some information.

Persuasion Skills

Psychological insight is helpful when trying to convince someone of something. Persuasion is a fundamental pillar of the legal profession; whether you’re persuading a judge to take your view on a legal issue or convincing your opposing lawyer on a settlement, the ability to persuade ethically and effectively is an invaluable skill as a lawyer. There are psychological principles which underpin the art of persuasion. Doing a degree in psychology will allow you to study these principles in depth, and in turn, master them for use in the real world.

Image Source: https://contentfiesta.com/persuasive-techniques/

Empathy for Others

To be a good lawyer you need to be able to respect the rule of law and live by a set of principles. The study of how the mind works is a sobering and enlightening experience. It will help you realize that there are reasons why people are the way they are. This, in turn, may help you become a more levelheaded and less vindictive person. This will only help your practice as a lawyer as you develop contacts and build a rapport with your colleagues. Depending on what kind of law you are interested in, you may find yourself in moral dilemmas; a degree in psychology will help you navigate these issues.

Allrounders Are in Demand

During your psychology degree, you will also learn basic statistics, computer science, neurobiology, and game-theory. This means you will be an allrounder with tons of practical skills. These skills will carry over effortlessly into your legal practice. This will make you not only more employable but also able to solve problems in unique innovative ways. These skills can also help you carve out a niche in the already super saturated legal workforce.

I have found my psychology degree incredibly useful in my study of the law so far. But if the idea of studying for 4 years puts you off, or if that is not on the cards for you financially, you can glean a lot of the benefits of a psychology degree by reading some popular psychology books. Thinking Fast Thinking Slow by Daniel Kahneman and Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini are two fantastic books covering practically useful psychology information. Psychology is a subject that if you invest in, will pay dividends in your legal career.

The pandemic has undoubtedly made a significant impact on all of our lives. From online school and recorded lectures at university to social distancing and great reductions in social/extracurricular activities, these past couple of years were unexpected to say the least.

But how has the pandemic impacted law firms and the legal industry in general?

Remote work

Image Source: https://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/benefits-of-remote-work/

Like many others in different industries across the world, solicitors have had to work from home during the pandemic. This meant that traditionally in-person activities, like client meetings and hearings, were done online on video.

While the pandemic has shown that some things, like team meetings and learning from exposure, are truly done better in-person, the pandemic has also shown that solicitors working from home can be successful. This may impact office requirements in the future and increase the likelihood of the adoption of hybrid schedules, mixing in-person and remote work.

More focus on clients

In these especially economically stressful times, solicitors have had to focus on their clients’ needs and wants more than ever. For commercial law firms, this may have meant that solicitors may have taken up more business advisory roles.

Increase in profit?

Interestingly, many commercial law firms saw an increase in profits. This may have been for several reasons:

• Economic downturn meant that legal services were higher in demand

This is especially true for practice areas like restructuring, which has to do with modifying the operations or structure of a company confronting financial difficulties, and capital markets work, which has to do with buying and selling stocks and bonds. This will also vary depending on the industry the law firm is working in.

• Solicitors were able to cut down on commuting time

Not needing to commute to work every day meant that more time could have been made towards billable hours. (A billable hour system is a billing system that many law firms use whereby clients are charged by the number of hours that the employees at the firm worked for them or their case.)

• Law firms were able to reduce overhead costs

These overhead costs could include things like electricity, business meals, and travel expenses, especially due to the massive decrease in international travel. Reduced international travel has also increased the amount of time solicitors could devote to billable hours.

However, this isn’t to say that there weren’t any negative impacts on law firms; in 2020, many law firms took pre-emptive financial measures like furloughing staff, reducing salaries and deferring promotions.

But overall, many top law firms performed better than expected over the pandemic.

The jump from in-person teaching to online teaching has been a difficult adjustment for a lot of us. I know that I definitely felt it and struggled immensely, especially since I entered into this new world of teaching in my first year of university and all of my lectures were two hours long. I didn’t know how to handle it.

Two hours long of being bombarded with Latin phrases, Supreme Court judgements, and enough case names to make your brain boil. As you can tell, sometimes it gets overwhelming. So, it is important to find a way to work that doesn’t cause you stress and allows you to stay on top of your work.

Image Source: https://lawyerd.tumblr.com/post/182770293874/359-finals-season-for-those-of-us-on-the-quarter

Here are a few methods I have come up with:

1. Find the keywords for each topic

You often begin a lecture with no knowledge of the topic, which may lead to confusion and then subsequent disinterest. I recommend looking at the lecture timetable and seeing the topics covered in that lecture, and putting the keywords of each into a table, and filling out this table when watching your lectures.

2. Take strategic breaks

If you are like me, your attention span cannot be held for long periods. Therefore, to gain maximum productivity, you should take short, regular breaks throughout your lecture. For me, the Pomodoro technique is particularly effective: where you take a five-minute break after twenty-five minutes of work, then after four intervals take a fifteen-minute break. This will work for when lectures are one whole video. But sometimes they can be split up, and in this case, I suggest you find what works best for you: you can either use the Pomodoro technique or you can watch each lecture part and have a short break after each one.

3. Have questions at hand that you want answering in the lecture

To truly engage with what your lecturer is saying write down some questions that you want to answer about the topic. I did this by looking at my tutorial question handouts (the work I needed to do after watching the lecture and doing the relevant readings) and seeing if the lecturer answered any of these questions.

4. Understand that sometimes you may not be in the mood to focus

Often, I found myself with no motivation to do any work, and when I would watch the lectures, I would not be paying attention to what was being said. I often found myself scrolling through my phone, getting distracted by the outside, or just zoning out. In these situations, get off the computer and take a break - and break for however long is necessary until you have the motivation to work again. Go for a walk. Get a coffee. Do some painting. Go to the gym. Make a TikTok. Whatever it is, do it! Otherwise, you will not truly understand the topic of the lecture, nor will you engage in the content of it.

These are a few of my tips, I encourage you to try them. As you are working you will find ways that work for you. It is a process of becoming the best student that you can be.

In the Kingdom of Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia with nearly 70 million people, it is still a criminal offence to criticise the King and his royal family. This is known as the Thai lèse-majesté laws. Article 112 of Thailand’s Penal Code stipulates that, ‘whoever defames (minpramat), insults (dumin), or threatens (sadeng khwam-akhathamat-rai) the King, the Queen, the Heir to the Throne, or the Regent, will be punished'. The laws are also one of the harshest in the world, with the offence being punishable by up to 15 years of jail term [2].

This article will provide an overview of Thailand’s lèse-majesté laws. It will first discuss the extent of the jurisdiction of the lèse-majesté laws, and their effect on human rights, as well as the Rule of Law. The article will then provide examples of previous attempts by the people of Thailand to abolish these laws, through judicial review and civil disobedience.

Source: Photo by Evan Krause on Unsplash (License)

What counts as an insult towards the Thai royal family?

Political satire is not tolerated in Thailand. In 2015, two students from Thammasat University performed a play named The Wolf Bride, which featured a fictional king losing an eye in a car accident. The Ratchada Criminal Court in Bangkok held that the play parodied King Bhumibol and the students were jailed for 2.5 years [3]. Not even foreign citizens could be spared from this law, as Australian writer Harry Nicolaides was once arrested for writing a novel featuring characters that resemble members of the royal family. Although he retracted the book and publicly apologised for his “reckless choice of words”, bail was denied three times [4].

Unfortunately, the effect of the law extends far beyond political satire. According to past enforcement of the Thai lèse-majesté law, an “insult” towards the royal family can be something as simple as sharing news on social media. In 2016, former law student Jatupat Boonpattaraksa was charged with lèse-majesté for posting a BBC Thai article about King Vajiralongkorn on his Facebook profile, which was shared by more than 2,000 people. He was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison. In an interview with Reuters, the student activist admitted that fighting the charges would be futile [5]. The jurisdiction of the law apparently also extends to the King’s dog, despite there being no mention of royal pets in the legal text itself. In 2015, a man in Thailand faced up to 15 years in prison for posting on Facebook images of King Bhumibol’s favourite dog in a way that mocked the King, according to the prosecutor in the military court [6].

All of these prosecutions demonstrated the notoriously sweeping effect of the lèse-majesté law. This is supported by the United Nations Special Rapporteur, Frank La Rue, who described the Thai lèse-majesté laws as vague and the punishment as overly harsh [7].

What is the effect on human rights and the rule of law?

The chilling effect of the lèse-majesté laws on freedom of expression is not difficult to see, as the laws are often used to quash political dissent. The restrictions however extend beyond individuals to organisations, leading to concerns about press freedom. BBC Thai was investigated by Thailand for its publication of a biography of King Vajiralongkorn [8].Google was also requested by the Thai government to remove online content insulting Thailand’s monarchy. According to the Google Transparency Report, 1,880 requests of content removal were made by the Thai government officials [9].

Apart from concerns connected with the freedom of expression, there are also issues with the legal system in Thailand, which poses a threat to the Rule of Law. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights pointed out that most of the hearings of lèse-majesté cases are closed to the public [10]. Apart from secret trials, lèse-majesté offenders were also denied the presumption of innocence, the right to bail pending trial, and the acceptance of truth as mitigating circumstances [11].

The government of Thailand tried to justify its position by associating lèse-majesté with religious blasphemy and libel laws. In a report submitted as part of the framework of the UN Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review in 2016, the Thai government stated that ‘freedom of expression shall be exercised in a constructive manner that does not insult any faith or belief system, be they religions or main institutions’ [12]. Nonetheless, the argument was dismissed by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner, suggesting that “lèse-majesté laws have no place in a democratic country” [13].

What are the people of Thailand doing to abolish the laws?

Unfortunately, there is no legal remedy to this problem. An attempt to abolish this archaic law through judicial review was made, but it was unsuccessful. In 2012, the lèse-majesté law was challenged in the Constitutional Court on petition from two criminal courts. By a unanimous decision of the judges, the Constitutional Court affirmed the constitutionality of the lèse-majesté law, holding that the law gave effect to Article 8 of the Constitution of Thailand, which states, “the King is sacred (sakkara) and inviolable (lameut mi day). Nobody can expose the King to any accusation or action of any sort” [14].

The court also dismissed the question of proportionality (satsuon), which was the main argument put forward by the claimants, suggesting that the penalty contained in Article 112 of the Penal Code is strictly necessary and appropriate [15]. As a consequence, the abolishment of the lèse-majesté law through the Thai judicial system was deemed no longer possible.

Recognising the futility of judicial review, the people of Thailand sought to repeal the law by means of protests and civil disobedience. Thousands have participated in peaceful marches, and many arrested as a result [16]. The failure of peaceful protests led to creative campaigns designed to attract global attention, like wearing crop tops as references to the king’s decadent lifestyle [17]. This has led to some success, as the campaigns led to solidarity from other Asian countries like Myanmar under a loose transnational network called “Milk Tea Alliance” [18].

Despite all the efforts, the pro-democracy movement lost its momentum since it took a break due to the coronavirus pandemic [19]. At the time this article was written (November 2021), the lèse-majesté laws have not been abolished yet.

Final Thoughts

Constitutional monarchies in European countries remain common, like the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, where lèse-majesté laws have long been abolished. The idea of monarchs being sacred and inviolable might seem out of place in modern times, like Pharaohs being worshipped as demi-gods in Ancient Egypt. It is, however, important to remember that rulers abusing their power are still a reality in many parts of the world in the 21st century. Thailand is a place where people are starting to fight for their fundamental human rights, and history has shown it is possible for the people to stand up against the monarch. It is now up to the rest of the world to take actions to support these people through this constitutional moment.

References

[1] Harding A and Pongsapan M (eds), Thai Legal History: From Traditional to Modern Law (Cambridge University Press 2021)

[2] BBC News, ‘Lese-majeste explained: How Thailand forbids insult of its royalty’ BBC News (6 October 2017) <https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-29628191>

[3] Agence France-Presse, ‘Two Thais jailed for 'insulting' royal family in university play’ The Guardian (23 February 2015) <https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/23/two-thais-face-jail-for-insulting-royal-family-in-university-play>

[4] Thornton McCamish, ‘The trouble with Harry’ Sydney Morning Herald (22 November 2008) <https://www.smh.com.au/national/the-trouble-with-harry-20081121-6e4z.html>

[5] Reuters Staff, ‘Thai activist jailed for two and a half years for posting BBC article’ Reuters (15 August 2017) <https://www.reuters.com/article/us-thailand-king-insult-idUSKCN1AV0YN>

[6] Jonathan Head, ‘Defaming a dog: The ways to get arrested for lese-majeste in Thailand’ BBC News (16 December 2015) <https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-35099322>

[7] UN Human Rights, ‘Thailand / Freedom of expression: UN expert recommends amendment of lèse majesté laws’ United Nations (Geneva, 10 October 2011) <https://newsarchive.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=11478&LangID=E>

[8] Oliver Holmes, ‘Thailand opens investigation into BBC for alleged insult of new king’ The Guardian (7 December 2016) <https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/07/thailand-investigation-bbc-alleged-insult-new-king>

[9] Google, ‘Google Transparency Report’ Google <https://transparencyreport.google.com/government-removals/overview>

[10] UN Human Rights, ‘Press briefing note on Thailand’ United Nations (Geneva, 13 June 2017) <https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=21734&LangID=E>

[11] Eugénie Mérieau, ‘Thailand’s Lèse-Majesté Law: On Blasphemy in a Buddhist Kingdom’ (2019), 4 BLS 53.

[12] UNGA ‘National report submitted in accordance with paragraph 5 of the annex to Human Rights Council resolution 16/21’ (1 November 2021) UN Doc A/HRC/WG.6/39/THA/1

[13] UN Human Rights, ‘Thailand: UN experts alarmed by rise in use of lèse-majesté laws’ (Geneva, 8 February 2021) <https://www.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=26727&LangID=E>

[14] Ruling No. 28–29/2555 dated 10 October 2555 BE (2012 CE), para 11.

[15] Ruling No. 28–29/2555 dated 10 October 2555 BE (2012 CE), para 13.

[16] Rebecca Ratcliffe, ‘Thousands protest in Bangkok as Thai activists face charges of insulting king’ The Guardian (25 November 2020) <https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/25/seven-thai-activists-face-charges-of-insulting-king-on-eve-of-mass-protest>

[17] Bangkok Post, ‘Protest leader 'Rung' detained after bail denied in crop top case’ Bangkok Post (15 November 2021) <https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/politics/2215827/protest-leader-rung-detained-after-bail-denied-in-crop-top-case>

[18] Leela Jacinto, ‘“Milk Tea Alliance” blends Asian discontents – but how strong is the brew?’ France 24 News (1 March 2021) <https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20210301-milk-tea-alliance-blends-asian-discontents-but-how-strong-is-the-brew>

[19] Deutsche Welle News, ‘Thailand: Hundreds protest lese majeste law in Bangkok’ Deutsche Welle News (6 March 2021) <https://www.dw.com/en/thailand-hundreds-protest-lese-majeste-law-in-bangkok/a-56795671>

As a first-year law student one of the questions I find myself being asked frequently is ‘Why Law?’ and, in all honesty, I usually don’t have a straightforward answer. There were many factors I considered before getting into law and each were significant in their own way. Perhaps the three main things to reflect on are:

1. Is law something I truly want to study?

Upon deciding whether you want to study law at degree level (or pursue it later in a career) it is easy to mistake a genuine interest in the academic subject with a fascination that may have come from external influence or pressure such as the media. The media’s portrayal of law may be a great way of sparking an interest in the subject, however, it is not a true representation of what a law degree entails. I found myself having to separate this from the subject by isolating what areas of law I was interested in. Personally, reading around the topic (whether this be through topical legal affairs or books that explored certain issues such as human rights), solidified that law was the right pathway. I was fortunate to have had work experience prior to choosing my degree which allowed me to become familiar with the daily tasks that lawyers undertake. There are many online legal experiences available that can also help provide a more accurate representation of what law entails. I’m not recommending you skip your next episode of Suits, however, engaging with the law in more practical ways can provide more of an insight before making your decision.

Image source: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/suits-who-sold-mike-reveal-861668/

2. What skills do I need before considering the degree?

I found that studying law requires certain skills such as the ability to analyse, problem solve and express ideas fluently and coherently. You do not necessarily need to love reading but should be motivated to put in the work and digest large amounts of information; reflection on your current work ethic and method can help greatly with this. It is normal to struggle with some of these skills yet consider whether you would be able to improve them before embarking on the legal pathway.

Image source: https://www.legalcheek.com/2019/11/3-essential-skills-all-junior-lawyers-must-master/

3. What careers can I see myself doing in the future?

A degree does not necessarily lead to a specific career though many law students become lawyers as they find a passion for the subject. Consider what career opportunities a law degree will provide you in the future (there is a wide range!) and most of all, choose an area that you are passionate about. In looking at potential universities, consider your potential module options and whether these could interest you. At this stage it is completely normal to not know what future career you want yet consideration of your options after a law degree can help solidify whether this is something you want to pursue.

Image source: https://www.gqrgm.com/2019-legal-job-market-4-things-to-know/

If you're choosing to study law, there is a high chance that you are also interested in a career in law! You might be thinking about a particular area of law that you're fascinated by, anything between commercial and criminal law.

However, when I was applying to study law, I didn't really know what area of law I wanted to go into career wise, and that's actually pretty normal - one of the great things about studying law at university is that you'll be able to study many subjects. The compulsory modules include Public Law, Criminal Law, Contract Law, Land Law, Trusts Law and a few more (and you'll also be able to pick your own additional modules as per your liking!). From studying different modules, you'll get a taste of what fascinates you and what area of law you'd rather leave behind. It was in this way that I realised that the area that I would want to specialise in when I become a solicitor is a mix of public law and human rights.

I found that I really enjoyed studying Public law in my first year of university. Public law effectively governs the relationship that we, as citizens, have with the state. If the government creates a policy that we feel discriminates against a certain group of people, or if a government department makes a decision that is wrong, we have the right to hold the government to account. If we think about it, government policies and decisions affect our daily lives, and especially those that are working class. For example, the roll out of universal credit benefits, or the immigration policies from the Home Office. One way in which we are able to hold the government to account is through the process of judicial review. This is a process whereby we can ensure that governmental decision making is held to particular standards.

I particularly like the idea of working in public law because not only do I enjoy academia and being able to critically analyse a situation, but I've always found a sense of purpose in being able to serve others and better the community. I want to use the law to challenge political moves that prejudice the most vulnerable, and support people trying to enforce their rights Therefore, working as a solicitor specialising in public law seems like the best of both worlds to me!

Another area that I’m really interested in is human rights law, as specialising in this area would allow me to partake in what I feel is meaningful work. This year, one of the modules I chose is human rights law!

Human rights are the basic freedom and rights that everyone is entitled to. Studying human rights law has been both a disheartening and inspiring experience. Disheartening because even today, there are still so many injustices against so many different people. However, by working in human rights law, you are able to represent the victims of human rights violations and enforce their rights before the law. You can truly make a difference with some of the cases that you work on. If I look at what is in the news as I write, Shamima Begum is fighting for the right to have a trial in the UK regarding the revocation of her citizenship status. Human rights cases are monumental and are at the forefront of society when they arise. I know that I would love to be able to work on such huge cases in the future.

Through research, I found quite a few firms that focus on a combination of Public Law and Human Rights. To name a few, Duncan Lewis, Bhatt Murphy, Hodge Jones & Allen! Consequently, studying both of these modules has allowed me to find what area of law I want to specialise in. When you come to study law at university, I would recommend thinking to yourself, could I see myself working in this area?

If anything, that I've said here has resonated with you, here are some excellent resources that have helped me:

• Reading the news! The Guardian is a great free resource for quality news articles.

• The Prosecutor by Nazir Afzal

• Stories of The Law & How its Broken by The Secret Barrister

• Linkedin - connect with people that are already doing what you want to do and get an insight into how they find their area!

• Take free online courses on the area you’re interested in at futurelearn.com

• Volunteer with your local Citizens Advice Bureau.

• Get involved with Pro Bono work at university - King's has a great Pro Bono society!

Links to the photos I used:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpubliclawproject.org.uk%2Fwhat-is-public-law%2F&psig=AOvVaw1jJHEtAzD-NyIjq9WuC-Dk&ust=1615937646813000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CA0QjhxqFwoTCMj2nf-6s-8CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.europewatchdog.info%2Fen%2Fcourt%2F&psig=AOvVaw2LO6e-6DoNrTGEonCVK7dv&ust=1615937725694000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CA0QjhxqFwoTCNDu_6m7s-8CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD