General Course Information
1.1 Course details
| Course code: | LLAW3024 |
| Course name: | Insurance Law |
| Programme offered under: | LLB Programme |
| Semester: | Second |
| Designated research course: | Not applicable |
| Specialization: | Commercial, corporate and financial law |
| Prerequisites / Co-requisites: |
|
| Course offered to non-law students: | No |
| Credit point value: | 6 credits |
1.2 Course description
While insurance law is significant in its own right it also plays a critical role in the development of other branches of the law. Insurance contracts obviously underpin commercial transactions, particularly contracts for goods and services (including consumer contracts) and international trade. Insurance law also pervades the policy issues not always openly avowed in the reasoning of the courts when deciding negligence cases and claims for breach of statutory duty. At its root, insurance is the means by which a party, the insured, shifts the risk of suffering a loss (for example, property, life, credit or potential liability) to another party, the insurer. As a specialist area of the law of contract, there is a rich body of case law together with a range of statutory interventions.
There is renewed interest in the reform of insurance law in a number of a review of the law in the UK jurisdictions. The English and Scottish Law Commissions in 2006, which cumulated in two significant statutes on insurance contract law in 2012 and 2015, together with related amendments to other statutes. Australia and New Zealand have also conducted similar reviews. Hong Kong may use these as a template.
The course covers the definition of insurance contracts; risk spreading; the importance and reform of the concepts of insurable Interest and Utmost Good Faith the role of intermediaries; the specific terms of insurance contracts; how losses and claims under insurance contracts are dealt with; and the rights of insurers.
1.3 Course teachers
| Name | E-mail address | Office | Consultation | |
| Course convenor | Gary Meggitt | garym@hku.hk | CCT 907 | Request an appointment in advance by email |
Learning Outcomes
2.1 Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) for this course
CLO 1 Develop an awareness and understanding of insurance law to include distinguishing features and characteristics of an insurance contract.
CLO 2 Recognise, understand and apply the legal duties owed by each party to an insurance contract.
CLO 3 Appreciate the roles of brokers and insurance agents within the insurance market.
CLO 4 Appreciate the different classes of insurance and range of wordings available.
2.2 LLB Programme Learning Outcomes (PLOs)
Please refer to the following link: https://course.law.hku.hk/llb-plo/
2.3 Programme Learning Outcomes to be achieved in this course
| PLO A | PLO B | PLO C | PLO D | PLO E | PLO F | |
| CLO 1 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 2 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 3 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 4 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Assessment(s)
3.1 Assessment Summary (Three house open book unseen examination)
| Assessment task | Due date | Weighting | Feedback method* | Course learning outcomes |
| In class assessed problem-style question | TBC | 50% | 1, 2, 3, 4 | |
| Research essay | TBC | 50% | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| *Feedback method (to be determined by course teacher) | |
| 1 | A general course report to be disseminated through Moodle |
| 2 | Individual feedback to be disseminated by email / through Moodle |
| 3 | Individual review meeting upon appointment |
| 4 | Group review meeting |
| 5 | In-class verbal feedback |
3.2 Assessment Detail
Two essays, each of 2500 words, to be submitted at a date to be confirmed.
Note: Unless otherwise indicated by the course teacher, if a candidate submits an item of assessable coursework after the required completion date, the examiner(s) shall award a grade for such coursework but subject to the imposition of a penalty (unless late submission was due to illness or other acceptable reason), which penalty shall involve the immediate deduction of 3 per cent of the full grade of the coursework for failing to submit by the required completion date and time and the deduction of a further 3 per cent of the full grade of the coursework for every additional day later thereafter.
3.3 Grading Criteria
Please refer to the following link: https://www.law.hku.hk/_files/law_programme_grade_descriptors.pdf
Learning Activities
4.1 Learning Activity Plan
| Seminar | 3 hours / week for 11 teaching weeks |
| Private study time: | 9.5 hours / week for 11 teaching weeks |
Remarks: the normative student study load per credit unit is 25 ± 5 hours (ie. 150 ± 30 hours for a 6-credit course), which includes all learning activities and experiences within and outside of classroom, and any assessment task and examinations and associated preparations.
4.2 Details of Learning Activities
Seminar questions will be distributed via Moodle
Learning Resources
5.1 Resources
| Reading materials: | Reading materials are posted on Moodle |
| Core reading list: | TBA |
| Recommended reading list: | TBA |
5.2 Links
Please refer to the following link: http://www.law.hku.hk/course/learning-resources/