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Academy Documents

Kindly access the Students' Policies & Forms by clicking on the button below. The following documents, among others, can be found there: Student Handbook, Student Code of Conduct, Students' Privacy Notice, Deferral, Suspension, and Cancellation Policy, Assignment Extension Policy, Re-Sit Policy, Complaints Procedure Policy, Equality Policy, and Student Disciplinary Policy.

Students' Policies & Forms

Online Sessions Link

To join the online sessions for this module, please click on the button below. If you are not already signed in to your Zoom account, you will be prompted to register your attendance. You will also need to enter the password provided below.

Join Session

Meeting ID: 883 5302 9026
Passcode: 118557

Please ensure that your name and surname appear as registered for the study programme, as this is essential for recording your attendance.

Lecture Schedule & Notes

Lecture notes will be available during the week following the respective lecture. Schedule dates are indicative and may change. All changes, if any, may be communicated via email, SMS or telephone calls.

Lecturer/s  

Dr. Sara Vassallo Ciliberti

Lecture Summaries & Suggested Reading 

Lecture 1 - Introduction to the Maltese Legal System

• Overview of course structure and objectives
• Explanation of assessment methods, including course assignment
• Self assessment
• What is law and the main purposes of law
• Brief overview of different legal systems
• The evolution of the Maltese legal system
• Influence of various ruling powers on Malta’s legal framework
• Sources of Maltese law

Core Reading List

• Attard, D., 2012. The Maltese Legal System Vol I

Supplementary Reading List

• Aquilina, Kevin., 2011. ‘Rethinking Maltese Legal Hybridity: A Chimeric Illusion or Healthy Grafted European Law Mixture’ Journal of Civil Law Studies, Vol 4 no. 2 P. 261

Lecture 2 - Sources of Maltese Law & the Legislative Process

• Maltese law and a further understanding of sources of Maltese law
• Legislative process
• Understanding the law
• Language and law – general rules
• Judicial interpretation and a brief introduction to finding & understanding judgments as a source in themselves

Core Reading List

• Attard, D., 2012. The Maltese Legal System Vol I

Supplementary Reading List

• Borg, T., (2016). A Commentary on the Constitution of Malta
• Cremona, J J,, (1997). The Maltese Constitution and Constitution History since 1813

Lecture 3 - The Constitution

• The Constitution of Malta as the highest law of the land
• The separation of powers
• The rule of law
• Main functions of - The Judiciary, The President, The Executive, Parliament, The Attorney General, The State Advocate & the Commission of the Administration of Justice
• The Superior Courts
• The Inferior Courts
• Tribunals & Boards
• Main Chapters of Law

Core Reading List

• Attard, D., 2012. The Maltese Legal System Vol I

Supplementary Reading List

• Borg, T., (2016). A Commentary on the Constitution of Malta
• Cremona, J J,, (1997). The Maltese Constitution and Constitution History since 1813

Lecture 4 - The Courts of Malta

• Delving into understanding the structure Maltese Courts
• Competence and jurisdiction of Maltese Courts, Tribunals & Boards
• The Constitutional Court and Human Rights
• The European Convention on Human Rights

Core Reading List

• Attard, D., 2012. The Maltese Legal System Vol I

Lecture 5 - Court Structure, Legal Bodies and Professions

• Legal Professions – Attorney General, State Advocate, Lawyers, Notaries, Legal Procurators
• Re-visiting key points related to Maltese court structure
• Court of Magistrates as a court of criminal inquiry and as a court of criminal judicature
• Brief understanding of a Jury
• General understanding of appeal procedure
• Assignment discussion and titles

Core Reading List

• Attard, D., 2012. The Maltese Legal System Vol I

Supplementary Reading List

• Cremona, J J,, (1997). The Maltese Constitution and Constitution History since 1813

Methods of Assessment

Self-Assessment (20% of final grade): Students are required to complete a multiple-choice test during the first lecture of the module on 6th October 2026. The test sheet and answers will be provided in an additional 30-minute session, scheduled for 6th November 2026 at 17:30 hrs. Students will be expected to mark their own submissions.

Assignment (80% of final grade).

Assignment

You are required to choose one of the three questions available in the Assignment Submission Form made available by clicking the button below. The assignment must be submitted no later than Thursday, 28 January 2026, along with the Assignment Submission Form. Please ensure that you indicate the question you have addressed on the Assignment Submission Form.

Assignment Submission Form.

For guidance on how to plan, draft, and submit your assignment, please refer to the 21 Academy presentation on Writing and Submitting Your Assignment by clicking the button below.

Writing and Submitting Your Assignment

We are also providing the 21 Academy's Assignments Rubric for your reference. This rubric is a performance-based assessment tool that tutors will use for grading, and it will help you understand the requirements of the assignment and how it will be assessed.

Assignments Rubric

For referencing purposes, please use the OSCOLA Referencing Guide available by clicking the button below.

OSCOLA Referencing Guide

Submitting Assignments - Turnitin

The Academy will notify you via email when the assignment questions become available. Shortly after, you will receive another email from Turnitin, likely on the same day, confirming your enrolment in a "class" where you can upload your assignment(s).

Please ensure that your assignments are submitted no later than 23:59 on the assignment submission deadline, as indicated on the Assignment Submission form or in the Turnitin "class."

At 21 Academy, you have the option to submit multiple drafts before the final submission deadline. The version uploaded at the deadline will be treated as your final submission for assessment.

Assignment Preparation and Submission Instructions

All students must follow the procedure below when preparing and submitting assignments. Please read these instructions carefully to ensure that your assignment is completed, formatted and submitted correctly.

1. Write Your Assignment Using Turnitin Clarity

You must write and complete your assignment using Turnitin Clarity. All drafting and development of your assignment must take place within this platform.

For guidance, watch the following video:

Clarity for Students

Ensure that you click Submit to complete the required submission process.

2. Transfer Your Completed Assignment to Microsoft Word

Once you have finalised your assignment in Turnitin Clarity:

1. Copy the complete text of your final draft.
2. Paste it into a Microsoft Word document.

3. Format Your Assignment in Microsoft Word

Use Microsoft Word to only format your assignment in accordance with the official Assignment Guidelines.

Ensure that you include the following, where applicable:

• Submission form: Complete the submission form and tick the question you are answering.
• Cover page: Add the required cover page.
• Table of contents: Include a contents page where required.
• Headings and subheadings: Format these appropriately.
• Document layout: Apply the required font, font size, line spacing and margins.
• Page numbering and referencing: Ensure that these are correct and consistent.
• Refernce List on a fresh page
• Final checks: Verify that the assignment meets all the requirements specified in the Assignment Guidelines.

Refer to the official guidelines here:

Assignment Submission Guidelines

Important: Microsoft Word should be used for formatting and presentation purposes only. Do not add, remove or substantively change any assignment content after completing your work in Turnitin Clarity. If you do please make sure that these changes are also made on Turnitin Clarity and resubmit.

4. Submit Your Assignment Through Turnitin Standard As Well

Once you have completed the formatting, upload your final document to the relevant Turnitin Standard assignment submission area.

This is the formally submitted version that will be forwarded to the assessor.

File naming convention

Your file must be named using your full name followed by the question number answered.

For example: Joseph Borg Q3

Before uploading, check that your document is complete, correctly formatted and saved under the required file name.

5. Important Rules for Turnitin Standard Submissions

Please observe the following submission rules:

• Multiple drafts: You may submit multiple drafts before the final submission deadline.
• Final submission: The version uploaded at the submission deadline will be treated as your final assignment for assessment.
• 24-hour restriction: Turnitin evaluates the same assignment twice within a 24-hour period. Any additional submission made during this period will not be reviewed until the 24-hour period has elapsed. Plan your submissions accordingly.
• Similarity threshold: Your final submission must not exceed 20% similarity. Pay particular attention to the use of direct quotations and ensure that all sources are properly acknowledged.

6. Consistency Between Turnitin Clarity and Turnitin Standard

Both the version in Turnitin Clarity and the version uploaded to Turnitin Standard will be used for assessment purposes.

It is therefore essential that the assignment text in both versions is identical.

The only differences should relate to formatting and presentation, such as the submission form, cover page, table of contents, headings, page numbering and overall document layout.

Do not introduce new content, remove existing content or make substantive changes to the assignment in Microsoft Word after completing it in Turnitin Clarity. If you do, please update the version on Turnitin Clarity and resubmjit from there too.

Final Checklist

Before considering your assignment complete, ensure that you have:

• Written and completed the assignment in Turnitin Clarity.
• Clicked Submit in Turnitin Clarity.
• Copied the final assignment into Microsoft Word.
• Formatted the document in accordance with the Assignment Guidelines.
• Completed the submission form and ticked the relevant question.
• Checked the assignment's content against the version in Turnitin Clarity.
• Confirmed that the similarity score does not exceed 20%.
• Saved the file using the correct naming convention.
• Uploaded the final, formatted document to Turnitin Standard before the deadline.

Please note: Failure to follow these instructions may affect the assessment process. Students are responsible for ensuring that both versions are consistent and that the final assignment is submitted correctly and on time.

Follow this very short video to understand how to submit your assignment through Turnitin - Submitting a Paper

To understand the similarity report generated by Turnitin follow this 1 minute video - Understanding the Similarity Report

Referencing Style

Law students should use the OSCOLA referencing style as it is the standard citation system for legal writing in Malta. It ensures consistency, accuracy, and clarity when referencing legal sources, which is essential for academic and professional work. The video below provides detailed guidance on how to reference using OSCOLA. Please also refer to the OSCOLA Referencing Guide by clicking the button below

OSCOLA Referencing Guide