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EnglandLegal Studies

The Legal System (Component 1, Section A)

4 dot points across 4 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How do people pay for legal advice and representation, and how effectively does the system provide access to justice?

Access to justice and the funding of legal services: legal aid (civil and criminal) and its restriction under LASPO 2012, private funding, conditional fee agreements, and advice agencies.
An OCR A-Level Law guide to access to justice and the funding of legal services. Explains civil and criminal legal aid and its restriction under LASPO 2012, private funding and conditional fee agreements, and advice agencies, with worked exam answers and the AO3 evaluation the paper rewards.
15 min answer →

How are civil disputes resolved through the courts and through alternative dispute resolution, and what are the strengths and weaknesses of each route?

The civil courts (County Court and High Court), the civil claims process and track allocation, and the alternative dispute resolution methods of negotiation, mediation, conciliation and arbitration.
An OCR A-Level Law guide to the civil courts and alternative dispute resolution. Explains the County Court and High Court, the three tracks, and the four ADR methods of negotiation, mediation, conciliation and arbitration, with their strengths and weaknesses, worked exam answers and the AO3 evaluation the paper rewards.
16 min answer →

How are criminal cases tried, and what roles do lay magistrates and juries play in the criminal justice system?

The criminal courts and the classification of offences, and the role, selection and evaluation of lay magistrates and juries as lay people in the criminal justice system.
An OCR A-Level Law guide to the criminal courts and lay people. Explains the Magistrates' Court and Crown Court, the classification of offences, and the selection and role of lay magistrates and juries, with their strengths and weaknesses, worked exam answers and the AO3 evaluation the paper rewards.
16 min answer →

What do barristers, solicitors and legal executives do, and how are judges appointed and kept independent?

The legal professions of barristers, solicitors and legal executives, their work and regulation, and the judiciary: the types of judge, their appointment, and the doctrine of judicial independence.
An OCR A-Level Law guide to legal personnel and the judiciary. Explains the work and regulation of barristers, solicitors and legal executives, the types of judge and their appointment, and the doctrine of judicial independence, with worked exam answers and the AO3 evaluation the paper rewards.
16 min answer →