Law of Succession (Spr) (M3020)

15 credits, Level 6

Spring teaching

The Law of Succession deals with what happens to a person's assets after they die, often reflecting a lifetime of work and saving. This module covers both intestacy (when assets are distributed according to legal rules because there is no will) and the law of wills.

It will explore:

• the modes of transfering inherited wealth and property on death in a social context
• the idea of freedom of testation and the social context in which that principle operates
• the consequences that freedom of testation may have for poverty and the impact that that may have on the State's obligation to alleviate poverty
• whether current laws are sufficient to ensure support for family members and dependents
• probate and the administration of estates.

 

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 150 hours of work. This breaks down into about 22 hours of contact time and about 128 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2024/25. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum.

We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.