• Home
• Study
• Study Information
• Modules
• Module Information

Law and Technology

Module description

The law in scientific and technological areas has been rising rapidly. This module will build on a legacy of research in these fields, such as computers and the law and other wide-ranging areas. This means you will explore aspects across legal technology, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT) and automation, technology and contemporary human rights challenges, e-Commerce and legal design, financial technologies, tokens economy and alternative finance, smart cities and environmental issues, cybersecurity, intellectual property and creative industries, privacy and data protection  and more.

No pre-requisite or co-requisite modules will be required to choose this module.

Module aims - intentions of the module

Legal practice, as is the case across the professions, is increasingly focused on technological innovation. Employers such as law firms are keen on law graduates who are tech-savvy in terms of awareness of legal matters in technology and in terms of how technology is coming to operate within a profession such as legal technology. This module aims to address this gap through a flexible mode of teaching approach and a wide array of topics covered by academic experts and industry leaders. This allows students to learn from experienced legal academics with robust interdisciplinary backgrounds.

This innovative and employment-focused module will draw on the dynamic academic law staff on the Cornwall campus and their substantial experience in terms of the role of law in regulating technology and technology’s role in transforming governance and legal practice. This module can be also seen as an opportunity to build a strong relationship with the private sector, such as law tech firms and legal startups, and further involvement with relevant research communities to showcase their current affairs in the field by, for example, participating in employability seminars and events.

The module aims to do the following: 

1. Familiarise you with the wider area of law and the impact of advancing technologies. 
2. Place employability skills at the core of your experience (including problem-based learning and case analysis skills, coding, and legal automation)
3. Introduce you to the interplay of and interfaces between technology and law.
4. Develop practical skills to address the contemporary human rights challenges faced by both the traditional and the emerging global digital landscape.
5. Develop foundational commercial and technological awareness.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Employ advanced skills to conduct independent research.
• 2. Demonstrate a clear, in-depth understanding of the relevant domestic and (where appropriate) international legal framework, regulatory sphere and governing policy of law and technology.
• 3. Demonstrate a clear, in-depth understanding of the domestic and international efforts designed to address the current problems in the topics covered.

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 4. Display an understanding of the complex and specialised area of knowledge and skills in the interdisciplinary area of law and technology.
• 5. Consolidate professional and personal ethics in the context of law and technology.
• 6. Develop new technological legal skills and foundational commercial and technological awareness.

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 7. Ability to identify and analyse legal doctrines, principles, and opinions to assess their validity and merit.
• 8. Ability to think critically about the rules, principles, and concepts of the current state of technology regulations.
• 9. Ability to synthesise ideas often from contradictory sources where various legal and normative positions are concerned.

Syllabus plan

This module is principally focused on the UK legal system but can take a comparative regulatory approach, in considering the influence and/or competing approaches of international jurisdictions and bodies. Students will engage in a critical analysis of the topics covered, consider the relevant jurisdictions, and develop a sufficient understanding of the modern and shifting approach, dealing with the interaction between law and technology. The design and teaching approach of the Law and Technology Module allows students to learn different skills and equip them with intellectual knowledge from different members of the academic staff.

While the module’s precise content may vary, it is anticipated that it will cover the following topics

• Introduction to Law and Technology Module including an Overview of the Comparative.
• Legal Approaches of Regulating New Technologies.
• Technology and Environmental Issues.
• Smart Cities.
• Open Banking.
• Cryptocurrency.
• Intellectual Property, Technology, and the Creative Industries.
• Land Law and Technology.
• Privacy and Data Protection.
• Technology and Contemporary Human Rights Challenges.
• Technology and Democratisation.
• Tort Law and Technology: Liability and the Future of Proof.
• Sharing and Token economies.
• Money Laundering and Advance Technology.
• Legal Technology.
• Smart Contract.
• Crowdfunding and NFTs.
• e-Company.
• Employability Skills: Python for Law Students / Legal Coding and Legal Automation.

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to redo the assessment(s) as defined above. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• The Oxford Handbook of Law, Regulation and Technology by Roger Brownsword (ed.) et al. (latest edition).
• Legal Challenges in the New Digital Age by Ana Mercedes Lopez Rodriguez, Michael D. Green, and Maria Lubomira Kubica (latest edition).
• FinTech Law and Regulation by Jelena Madir (latest edition).
• Knowledge, Technology and Law by Emilie Cloatre and ‎Martyn Pickersgill (latest edition).
• Routledge Handbook of Financial Technology and Law by Iris H-Y Chiu and ‎Gudula Deipenbrock (latest addition).
• Tomorrow's Lawyers: An Introduction to Your Future by Richard Susskind (latest edition).
• Open Banking by Linda Jeng (latest edition).
• Sarah Durrant and Mangai Natarajan, ‘Cryptocurrencies and Money Laundering Opportunities’ in Mangai Natarajan (ed) International and Transnational Crime and Justice (Cambridge University, latest edition).
• Intellectual Property Perspectives on the Regulation of New by Tana Pistorius (latest edition).
• Technology v Technocracy: Fintech as a Regulatory Challenge by Saule Omarova (latest edition)
• Cryptoassets: Legal, Regulatory, and Monetary Perspectives by Chris Brummer (latest edition).

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE – College to provide hyperlink to appropriate pages. 

Indicative learning resources - Other resources

• Any additional resources shared in lectures, workshops, and surgeries. 

Key words search

Law and technology, regtech, legtech, fintech, law and innovations