Practice Questions

Law applicants to the one, two or three year course at any institution may find these questions both useful and interesting to mull over, as well as a practice tool with which they may put themselves in the analytical mindset that they will have to apply in an interview or test situation.

Kindly supplied by a St Edmund's applicant.

“The day before your interview you will be given a written test. It should take no more than about 1 hour (and so is likely to be about 500-800 words), it does not involve the use of any books. The test is not designed to test knowledge as such, but more your ability at critical thinking, analysis and presentation.
You will receive the questions by email, and return your answer by email, and you will have about a day to return your answer.”

PLEASE ANSWER ONE QUESTION ONLY
DO NOT USE ANY BOOKS IN PREPARING YOUR ANSWER.
DO NOT SPEND MORE THAN ABOUT 1 HOUR ON YOUR ANSWER, (WHICH IS THEREFORE LIKELY TO BE ABOUT 500-800 WORDS)

December 2007
1. Discuss whether capital punishment is ever justified?
2. Is international law really 'law', or simply national behaviour given the title 'law' in order to imply order, structure and precedent?
3. Under what conditions may the State suspend parts of 'the rule of law'? How should that suspension be limited?

December 2005
1. What do you think are the key elements of a sound legal system?
2. How much freedom should judges have when interpreting the law?
3. When should an activity be made a criminal wrong, and when a civil wrong?

December 2004
1. When should the law restrict freedom of speech?
2. Just because something is described as a court does not give it moral or legal validity unless it has the attributes of a proper court. What are those attributes?
3. How far should the law regulate our private activities which do not harm or affect others?

December 2003
1. A charity has collected, over many years (and mostly in small amounts), the sum of $500,000 "for the purpose of protecting the Scottish porpoise" which was indigenous to an area of Northern Scotland. Despite their efforts, the porpoise is now extinct. What should they do with their funds?
2. How would you appoint judges, and what criteria should we be looking for in judges?
3. Are you entitled to disobey a law which, by 'universal standards' is unethical?

December 2002
1. What rights should employees have, with respect to their employment?
2. In what ways is it right to limit a person's right to freedom of speech?
3. When is theft reasonable?
4. Why do we have laws; could we do without them?