• CILEX Logo
New

Foundations of Law in England and Wales: Introduction to Law for Non-lawyers

Gain essential legal knowledge as a non-lawyer to navigate England and Wales's legal system, courts, and professional roles.

Image of the central criminal court

Foundations of Law in England and Wales: Introduction to Law for Non-lawyers

  • 4 weeks

  • 2 hours per week

  • Digital certificate when eligible

  • Introductory level

Find out more about how to join this course

  • Duration

    4 weeks
  • Weekly study

    2 hours
  • 100% online

    How it works
  • Unlimited subscription

    $244.99 for a whole yearLearn more

Explore the judicial system that shapes England and Wales

Understanding the legal system is crucial for professionals working alongside lawyers or handling legal matters in their roles. In this four-week course, you’ll explore how law is structured and applied, from key legal classifications to how courts operate.

You’ll gain insight into the foundations of law, including common law and equity, primary and secondary legislation, and the distinction between civil and criminal law.

Delve into the structure of the civil and criminal courts, learning how procedure rules guide legal processes. You’ll also explore Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) methods like mediation and arbitration, understanding how disputes can be settled outside of court.

Through real-world examples, you’ll gain the confidence to understand legal processes and their impact on society and workplaces.

Law firms and legal institutions operate within a unique professional and regulatory framework. This course will introduce you to the key roles within the legal profession—including solicitors, barristers, Chartered Legal Executives, judges, and juries—so you can better understand how law is practised.

Learn with the experts at CILEX

As the professional body for over 17,000 legal professionals in England and Wales, CILEX is dedicated to making legal careers more accessible. With deep expertise in legal education, CILEX has designed this course to provide essential legal knowledge for those working alongside legal professionals or returning to the field.

Syllabus

  • Week 1

    Framework of Law for England and Wales

    • Introduction

      Welcome to the course.

    • What is law?

      Whenever a group of people start to cooperate and work together, they will start to agree some guidelines, rules and boundaries for each other’s behaviour.

    • Legislation

      The most important source of law in England and Wales is Legislation. Legislation is what most people would think of if you asked them for an example of law.

    • Case law

      The second key source of laws within England and Wales is case law. Case law is law which is created by judges.

    • Other categories of law

      There are other categories of law which you should also understand: Common law and equity, public law and private law, and criminal and civil law. It is helpful to look at them in pairs. Do be aware that there is some overlap.

    • Summary and confidence check

      6 key points relating to the framework of law for England and Wales. Check your confidence in understanding this topic.

    • Knowledge check

      Now for a quick quiz to check your understanding.

  • Week 2

    The System of Courts

    • The System of courts

      The court system can be confusing. You might expect that criminal cases and civil cases would be dealt with in separate courts but, partly for historical reasons, some of the courts deal with both types of case.

    • The Different courts

      We'll know look at some of the English courts in more detail.

    • Summary and confidence check

      13 key points relating to the system of courts. Check your confidence in understanding this topic.

    • Knowledge check

      Now for a quick quiz to check your understanding.

  • Week 3

    Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and Tribunals

    • Introduction to ADR

      Going to court can be an intimidating experience. The costs of using lawyers and the delays in getting a final decision will deter many people and organisations from using the courts. However, there is an alternative.

    • Negotiation

      Negotiation is where the lawyers acting for the parties to the dispute discuss the issues between them in order to reach an agreement (or settlement).

    • Mediation

      In mediation a trained mediator acts as a neutral third party to help the parties to the dispute reach agreement.

    • Conciliation

      Conciliation is similar to mediation, but is often used to resolve disputes between groups of workers represented by their trade union and their employers.

    • Arbitration

      Arbitration is a procedure under which the parties to the dispute submit arguments and evidence to one or more independent arbitrators, who make a decision in relation to the dispute.

    • Tribunals

      A tribunal is a form of specialist court set up to resolve disputes in specific areas of law.

    • Summary and confidence check

      6 key points relating to the framework of law for England and Wales. Check your confidence in understanding this topic.

    • Knowledge check

      Now for a quick quiz to check your understanding.

  • Week 4

    The Legal Professions

    • The three main branches of the legal profession

      The legal profession in England and Wales is divided into three main branches.

    • Chartered legal executives (CILEX lawyers)

      The majority of chartered legal executives work in law firms as partners or employees, working with solicitors, paralegals and support staff.

    • Solicitors

      Solicitors are the largest branch of the profession within England and Wales. They work with clients in a wide range of areas of law, including conveyancing (buying and selling houses) and litigation.

    • Barristers

      Barristers are independent legal advisers whose main focus has traditionally been on advocacy (representing clients) in the courts. They are the smallest branch of the profession and are regulated by the Bar Standards Board.

    • Other professionals working in law firms

      Law firms will often employ non-legal professionals as well.

    • Judges, Juries, and Magistrates

      In England and Wales, being a judge is not a distinct legal profession with its own qualification structures and career progression. Instead, judges are recruited from among experienced members of the legal professions.

    • Summary and confidence check

      13 key points relating to the legal professions. Check your confidence in understanding this topic.

    • Knowledge check

      Now for a quick quiz to check your understanding.

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

  • Available now

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Demonstrate an understanding of why law is important and why it is needed.
  • Identify different types of law and explore how it is created, catergorised, and applied in England and Wales.
  • Investigate the systems of courts and explain the work they carry out.
  • Compare the different types of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
  • Describe the roles of legal professionals and the work of judicial decision makers

Who is the course for?

This course is part of a series for professionals in law-adjacent roles such as HR and legal services who want a clearer understanding of the legal system in England and Wales. It’s also ideal for those returning to law after a career break.

What software or tools do you need?

None

Who will you learn with?

Who developed the course?

CILEX Logo

Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX)

CILEX believes in creating more accessible opportunities to build careers in the legal profession.

By providing a range of flexible routes to qualification, campaigning for better working permissions for CILEX legal professionals, as well as ongoing support and representation for members post-qualification, CILEX is working to build a more inclusive legal sector which ultimately delivers a better service for clients.

Ways to learn

Buy this course

Subscribe & save

Limited access

Choose the best way to learn for you!

$79/one-off payment

$244.99 for a whole year

Automatically renews

Free

Fulfill your current learning needDevelop skills to further your careerSample the course materials
Access to this courseticktick

Access expires 27 Mar 2025

Access to 1,000+ coursescrosstickcross
Learn at your own paceticktickcross
Discuss your learning in commentstickticktick
Certificate when you're eligiblePrinted and digitalDigital onlycross
Continue & Upgrade

Cancel for free anytime

Ways to learn

Choose the best way to learn for you!

Subscribe & save

$244.99 for a whole year

Automatically renews

Develop skills to further your career

  • Access to this course
  • Access to 1,000+ courses
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Digital certificate when you're eligible

Cancel for free anytime

Buy this course

$79/one-off payment

Fulfill your current learning need

  • Access to this course
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Printed and digital certificate when you’re eligible

Limited access

Free

Sample the course materials

  • Access expires 27 Mar 2025

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

Sale price available until 3 March 2025 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply.

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

Sale price available until 3 March 2025 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

Want to know more about learning on FutureLearn? Using FutureLearn

Do you know someone who'd love this course? Tell them about it...

You can use the hashtag #FLIntrotolawCILEX to talk about this course on social media.