Riara University RU Law School Courses

I.  INTRODUCTION  

The aim of the Pre-Kenya School of Law Core Courses Compliance Programme to be offered at Riara University Law School is to enable applicants to the Kenya School of Law to attain compliance with Section 23 of the Legal Education Act 2012, which, read together with the Second Schedule of the same statute, stipulates the core courses required for the Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree.

All the stipulated courses are in the Riara Law School LLB Programme Curriculum that was approved by the Council of Legal Education in August 2012.  This approved curriculum will supply the rules, policies, course description and course content for this programme.   The programme has four modules, described below, the first of which is mandatory.

 II.  ADMISSION  REQUIREMENTS    

To gain admission to this programme, applicants must:

1.   Be holders of an LLB degree from a recognized university; and

2.   Have a conditional offer from the Kenya School of Law indicating the courses they need to take to become eligible for admission to the School.  For this first year of the programme, a letter from the Council of Legal Education/Kenya School of Law specifying the courses required for admission will satisfy this requirement.

III.  CERTIFICATION  

Upon completion of the their course of study, students will receive an academic transcript from Riara University and a letter signed by the Dean of Riara Law School

1 There are sixteen courses in total: Legal Research; Torts; Contracts; Constitutional Law; Legal Systems and Methods; Criminal Law; Family Law and Succession; Law of Evidence; Commercial Law (Including Sale of Goods, Hire Purchase and Agency); Law of Business Associations (including Insolvency); Administrative Law; Jurisprudence; Equity and Law of Trusts; Property Law; Public International Law; Labour Law.

2  Students  who  have  advanced  law  degrees  (master’s  or  doctorate  degrees)  or postgraduate diplomas in the mandatory course units may apply for exemption in writing.certifying  that  they  have  undertaken  and  completed  courses  chosen  and  met  the requirements of the programme.

 IV.  PROGRAMME    REQUIREMENTS    

A.  COURSE UNITS

The programme is made up of the four modules listed below.  The first module is mandatory, but students who hold postgraduate degrees or diplomas in any of its course units may apply in writing for exemption from such course or courses.  All other students will be expected to take all the courses listed in it.  Students are at liberty to pick only the courses they need from the remaining three modules.

1.   Module One (mandatory)

•   RLLB 106: Constitutional Law II
•    RLLB 202: Legal Writing & Research II

2.   Module Two

• RLLB 201: Criminal Law I
•  RLLB 209: Criminal Law II
•  RLLB 205: Law of Evidence I
•  RLLB 208: Law of Evidence II
•  RLLB 206: Administrative Law I
•  RLLB 211: Administrative Law II
•  RLLB 109: Legal Systems and Methods
•  RLLB 302: Public International Law
•  RLLB 307: Jurisprudence
•  RFC 101: Communication & Writing Skills

3.   Module Three

• RLLB 102: Law of Contracts I
• RLLB 107: Law of Contracts II
• RLLB 301: Commercial Law
• RLLB 303: Law of Business Associations I
• RLLB 308: Law of Business Associations II (to include Insolvency Law)

• RLLB 402: Family Law
• RLLB 405: Law of Succession
• RLLB 203: Property Theory
• RLLB 212: Property Law
• RLLB 309: Equity & Trusts
• RLLB 103: Law of Torts I
• RLLB 108: Law of Torts II
• RLLB 304: Labour Law

B.  CONTINUOUS  ASSESSMENT

 For each course, students will sit a final examination that will comprise 70% of their final grade.  Continuous assessment assignments will also be given that will make up 30% of the final grade.  Continuous assessment will include class written tests, take home research assignments, legal drafting assignments, moot court, and classroom presentations.

 C.  CLASS ATTENDANCE, PREPARATION  AND PARTICIPATION

Riara   Law   School   has   a   mandatory   class   attendance,   preparation,   and participation policy.   Students who fail to attend 80% or more class sessions will be ineligible to sit final examinations.  Those who routinely fail to prepare adequately for class will suffer reduction of continuous assessment grades.  Students will be encouraged to avoid penalties related to attendance, preparation, and participation by letting their instructors know in advanced of necessary absences, and by taking up make up assignments.

V.  DURATION  

This programme will run in semester sessions.  There will be two sessions in each academic year.  The first session will begin in May and end in September.  The second session will begin in September and end in December.   Each semester will run for 17 weeks: 15 teaching weeks and 2 examination weeks.