Mr Richard Leonard-Davies

Research Highlights

1. Leonard-Davies, R. & Davies, K. (2015). From Dagenham to the West End - the Equal Pay Saga. Student Law Review, 75, 14-15.

   SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa21566
2. Davies, K. & Leonard-Davies, R. (2015). Pendulums, Politics and Predictions: Main Developments in Employment Law. Student Law Review, 76

   SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa24704
3. Leonard-Davies, R. & Poole, A. (2016). Collateral Damage: Implications for Employment Law on the Vote to Leave the EU. Student Law Review, 79, 16-19.

   SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa30967
4. Davies, K. & Leonard-Davies, R. (2015). Working for the Devil: Internships and Employment Rights. Student Law Review, 74(Spring 2015), 12

   SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa21539
5. Davies, K. & Leonard-Davies, R. (2016). TUPE or not TUPE? That is the question.. Student Law Review(77), 14-16.

   SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa34839

All Research

• LAA336 Company Law: Incorporation, Constitution and Control

  This module will introduce the registered company as a unique legal and business entity, distinguishing it from other forms of business organisation such as the sole trader and the partnership. It will consider the nature and implications of the company as a specific creature of statute and, therefore, a legal person separate from its members and officers. The module will also clarify the legal procedures necessary for the formation of the registered company, the fiduciary duties of those who take it upon themselves to form such companies and the contents and contractual nature of the company¿s constitution. It will round off by discussing the role and duties of those who have the primary responsibility for managing the company¿s affairs, the board of directors.

• LAA337 Company Law: Governance, Rights and Liquidation

  This module builds upon matters introduced in the first module ¿ Company Law 1 ¿ which is a pre-requisite for this one. The module will clarify the principles and structures of corporate governance, the concept of separation of ¿ownership¿ and ¿control¿ of the company and the rationale of the division of powers between the board of directors and the shareholders in general meeting. It will explain the distinction between the rights of members and the rights of the company as a separate legal person, as well as the rules governing the processes by which these may be protected. It will consider the consequences of disqualification for errant directors whose conduct may render them unfit to be engaged in the management of companies generally, and will also look at the role and responsibilities of other important officers of the company, such as the company secretary and auditors. Finally the module will deal with the process by which a company may be wound up and its existence brought to an end, paying particular attention to the role of the liquidator and the distribution of the assets of the company.

• LAPM01A Business Law and Practice

  Business Law & Practice (¿BLP¿) is designed to enable students to appreciate the nature of business media and business transactions, to be able to identify and deal with the steps in such transactions and gain experience through practical exercises from taking instructions through to completion of the advice. During the BLP course students will deal with the legal and commercial issues raised by clients wishing to trade as ¿sole traders¿, a ¿partnership¿ and as a ¿company limited by shares¿. Students will undertake realistic ¿trainee¿ tasks relating to establishing the correct business vehicle, personnel issues, raising finance, dealing with financial difficulties, taxation obligations, protection of the business vehicle, the regulation of commercial relationships and exit strategies. Business Accounts is integrated into the BLP Module to enable students to appreciate the basic principles of business accounting and be aware of how to interpret business accounts to ensure clients are appropriately advised in an number of commercial matters such as options for financing and insolvency. Students will learn to undertake tasks relating to the final accounts for a sole trader, a partnership and a limited company. Students will explore how the information contained in final accounts can be interpreted to provide a better view of the financial performance of a business (the topics making up Business Accounts will be taught after the relevant substantive law on the business entity in question has been covered. For example, Partnership Accounts will be dealt with once students have been introduced to the legal and commercial issues surrounding partnerships). By the end of the module students will have fully understood the Objectives and achieved the Learning Outcomes (which have been designed to meet the individual elements of the BLP Outcomes and the general outcomes, taxation and Professional Conduct and Regulation elements for the new LPC) set out below.

• LAPM15 Employment Law and Practice

  Employment Law and Practice will enable students to appreciate the nature of employment issues, identify and deal with these issues and gain experience of handling instructions commonly dealt with by employment practitioners. The module will be taught on a transactional basis, using a number of clients, some employees and others employers, reflecting both high street and commercial practice. As Stage 1 of the LPC will have given students experience of handling contentious and non-contentious work (e.g. case analysis and advocacy learnt in litigation, drafting and business letter writing learnt in PLP and BLP), Employment Law and Practice will often expect students to work independently using these skills, with minimal tutor intervention. Students will have three main clients, whose matters they are expected to progress throughout the module: a new employer, an established employer and an employee. The module will start with students receiving instructions from a new employer, which will require students to complete typical non-contentious work routinely undertaken by employment practitioners, such as such as drafting employment contracts, advising on employees¿ statutory rights and employment policies. Students will then receive new instructions from an employee wishing to pursue an unfair dismissal claim. During the course, students will progress this claim, from taking initial instructions and gathering evidence, through to conducting the advocacy at the tribunal hearing. With the established employer, students will be expected to assist the client to draw up a redundancy programme, handle a TUPE transfer and defend a discrimination claim. Again students will progress the discrimination claim over a number of weeks. With each of these clients, students will be expected to maintain client files. A number of cameo clients will also be used to ensure that students gain experience of advising on a particular topic from both the employer and employee perspective. By the end of the module students will have a sound grasp of both substantive employment law topics and procedure and will appreciate the role of the Employment Tribunal. Students are introduced to the fundamental principles in 3 large group sessions (LGS) in the introductory week. This will be followed by a further 9 large group and 8 small group sessions (SGS), followed by a final large group session which is run as an employment tribunal and expected to last 2 hours. This module has 30 class contact hours (13 hours of LGS and 16 hours of SGS). The notional learning hours for this module are in excess of 100 hours - student preparation for each LGS will take approx 2 hours and for the tribunal will be approx 4 hours. Preparation for each SGS will take approx 4 hours. In addition student preparation for the formative assessment will be in excess of 10 hours.

• LAPM19 Course Skills

  Skills are essential and integral to the course. Skills appear throughout the course and will be practised and developed in both the compulsory and elective sections of the LPC. Students are assessed throughout the course on a number of key skills. However, before they are assessed and have plenty of opportunity to learn and practise the skills required. This is through formal class contact (in the introductory block, or in the individual subjects), in their own practice time, their own reading and through supervised practice, where they informally practise skills with staff who give them feedback

• LAPM19A Course Skills (A)

  Skills are essential and integral to the course. Skills appear throughout the course and will be practised and developed in both the compulsory and elective sections of the LPC. Students are assessed throughout the course on a number of key skills. However, before they are assessed and have plenty of opportunity to learn and practise the skills required. This is through formal class contact (in the introductory block, or in the individual subjects), in their own practice time, their own reading and through supervised practice, where they informally practise skills with staff who give them feedback

• LAPM33 Solicitors Accounts

  The Solicitors¿ Accounts module aims to impress upon students the importance of adhering to the Solicitors Accounts Rules (the Rules) and to give students a thorough understanding of solicitors¿ accounts, such that they are competent to be entrusted with client money. Students will complete realistic exercises that require them to record all the ledger entries that would occur on a typical file, using a double entry bookkeeping system that accords with the Rules. This will entail repeatedly identifying client, office and controlled trust money and the steps that must be taken when handling this money. Students will record the financial transactions that are typical of civil litigation (including conditional fee agreement), property, probate, company and commercial work. Students will also practice preparing completion statements. As well as these transactional exercises, students will encounter stand alone exercises in which they are required to apply the Rules and identify an appropriate course of action. Students will be given an intensive introduction to Solicitors¿ Accounts in the foundation course, with 2 LGS and 2 SGS. This is followed by a further 3 LGS and 3 SGS. Ordinarily a topic will be introduced in LGS before being explored in SGS the following week. As well as these discreet sessions, students will also be required to identify SAR issues as they arise in the Core Practice Areas and deal with these in an appropriate manner. In particular, Solicitors¿ Accounts will be regularly encountered in PLP, Civil Litigation and Probate. Students will have a mock assessment in Solicitors¿ Accounts which will be marked and returned to students, to enable students to reflect on their performance before the assessment.