This free course, Scottish courts and the law, explores the role, function and purpose of the courts in Scotland and their relationship with the law. You consider the way in which cases come to court, the difference between the criminal and civil justice systems, the separation of powers, how individuals may become involved with the court system, the alternatives to courts that have evolved in recent decades and future advances that are being considered. You learn about the work of lawyers and the judiciary and explore how Scottish courts and tribunals operate in an open and transparent way working to ensure justice.Enrolling on the course will give you the opportunity to earn an Open University digital badge. Badges are not accredited by The Open University but they're a great way to demonstrate your interest in the subject and commitment to your career, and to provide evidence of continuing professional development.Once you are signed in, you can manage your digital badges online from My OpenLearn. In addition, you can download and print your OpenLearn statement of participation - which also displays your Open University badge. This course is accredited by the CPD Standards Office. It can be used to provide evidence of continuing professional development and on successful completion of the course you will be awarded 24 CPD points. Evidence of your CPD achievement is provided on the free Statement of Participation awarded on completion.Anyone wishing to provide evidence of their enrolment on this course is able to do so by sharing their Activity Record on their OpenLearn Profile, which is available before completion of the course and earning of the Statement of Participation. Â
Overview
Syllabus
- Introduction and guidance
- Introduction and guidance
- What is a badged course?
- How to get a badge
- Acknowledgements
- Week1Week 1: Why do courts exist and what do they do?
- Introduction
- 1 What are courts?
- 2 Why have courts?
- 2.1 Courts in Scotland
- 3 Courts and the state in Scotland
- 3.1 The rule of law
- 3.2 The jurisdiction of the courts
- 4 This week’s quiz
- Summary
- References
- Acknowledgements
- Week2Week 2: Bringing a case to court
- Introduction
- 1 Categories of unlawful conduct
- 1.1 Classification of unlawful conduct
- 2 Thinking about bringing a case
- 2.1 Factors to consider when building a case
- 3 This week’s quiz
- Summary
- References
- Acknowledgements
- Week3Week 3: The court structure in Scotland
- Introduction
- 1 An overview of the court system
- 1.1 An overview of the court structure in Scotland
- 1.2 Scottish civil court structure
- 1.3 Scottish Criminal Court Structure
- 1.4 The UK Supreme Court
- 1.5 Other courts
- 2 Consolidating your knowledge
- 3 This week’s quiz
- Summary
- References
- Acknowledgements
- Week4Week 4: Court proceedings in Scotland
- Introduction
- 1 The role and function of courts
- 2 Civil court procedure
- 3 Criminal court procedure
- 4 This week’s quiz
- Summary
- References
- Acknowledgements
- Week5Week 5: Who does what in the courtroom
- Introduction
- 1 Seeking advice before going to court
- 1.1 The civil court room
- 1.2 The criminal court room
- 1.3 Reflections on the courtroom
- 1.3.1 The role of an Inner House Judge
- 1.3.2 The role of an Outer House judge
- 1.3.3 The role of a Sheriff Principal
- 1.3.4 The role of a Sheriff
- 1.3.5 The role of a Justice of the Peace
- 1.3.6 The role of a court officer
- 1.3.7 The role of a Procurator Fiscal
- 1.3.8 An example of a victim’s story
- 2 Behind the scenes
- 3 This week’s quiz
- Summary
- References
- Acknowledgements
- Week6Week 6: The legal profession in Scotland
- Introduction
- 1 Solicitors
- 2 Advocates
- 3 Paying for legal advice
- 4 Judges
- 4.1 The judiciary
- 5 Procurator Fiscal
- 6 A time of change
- 7 This week’s quiz
- Summary
- References
- Acknowledgements
- Week7Week 7: Reporting cases
- Introduction
- 1 Official law reports
- 2 Case names and citations
- 3 Reading case reports
- 4 This week’s quiz
- Summary
- References
- Acknowledgements
- Week8Week 8: Reflections on the legal system in Scotland
- Introduction
- 1 Change and the justice system
- 2 Courts and the digital future
- 3 The legal profession and the future
- 3.1 Plans for change
- 4 This week’s quiz
- Summary
- Course summary
- Resource Page
- Tell us what you think
- References
- Acknowledgements
