WardblawG

Category: Law School & Legal Careers Legal Blogs & News

How to write a first class dissertation: Chapter 2: Developing the Debate

As noted in the previous post, one of the most important breakthroughs in writing your dissertation can come from spotting a gap where something has not yet been discussed. Once writing to fill that gap, it may be helpful to ask yourself what other angles there are to the debate. Or think about if the matter went to an official debate or, for law dissertations, to court. Think about creative arguments that an advocate might run and try to develop them yourself. Such development can lead to your getting a first rather than a 2:1.

Read More

How to write a first class dissertation: Chapter 2: New Propositions

Another thing that truly separates a first class dissertation from a second class one is discussion of ideas and issues that have never before been discussed. The following is an example of such a proposition and discussion, all of which stemmed from one footnote in an academic article that said a certain proposition “had never been discussed before in the courts of the UK”. Finding this loophole was essential to the dissertation’s success.

Read More

How to write a first class dissertation: Chapter 2: Argument

Having set the scene, it is time to delve straight into comment and opinion, drawing on relevant facts and law where required. Where possible, suggest ways in which events or decisions could have been improved and do not be afraid to say that commentators, judges or even powerful institutions, like the ECJ, got it wrong.

Read More
University of Glasgow Logo | Law School

How to write a first class dissertation: Foreword

Centred on a narrow topic of international private law and human rights, this dissertation received a first class honours award from the University of Glasgow in 2007 under Dr Janeen Carruthers and Professor Elizabeth Crawford, and was verified externally by Professor Richard Fentiman of Cambridge University.

Read More