Law with Criminal Justice LLB

About the Course

The School offers two exciting options to undertake the LLB Law with a specialisation in criminal justice, the 'LLB Law with Criminal Justice', and 'LLB Law with Criminal Justice (Professional Placement)', which includes one year in industry. Previous placements have been  in solicitors' firms, barristers' chambers, governmental institutions and related organisations. 'LLB Law with Criminal Justice' can be studied part-time.

'LLB Law with Criminal Justice' will fulfill all the requirements of the traditional LLB Law, giving graduates qualifying law degree status. Graduates gain the competitive advantage of a specialised knowledge in the area of criminal law and criminal justice. The course produces graduates with a thorough knowledge and understanding of how criminal justice works as a system, and an ability to think critically about the genesis of crime, its effects on society and the most effective strategies to fight against it. LLB Law with Criminal Justice uniquely brings the substantive (statutory/written law) and procedural (the 'machinery' to enforce) criminal law together into one programme

To ensure that students possess a solid foundation and gain the most comprehensive understanding of criminal justice, in year 1 of the programme students are introduced to the Criminal Justice System in conjuction with substantive Criminal Law. This allows students to put substantive criminal law into its procedural, institutional and cultural context.

Throughout this specialist degree programme, students attend the monthly Criminal Justice LLB seminars/clinics delivered by the School's experts as well as other leading researchers and practitioners in the field. Following an introduction into major concepts and theoretical principles, these monthly seminars turn into research clinics. Students get the opportunity to work as part of small groups on topical and controversial criminal justice issues, with a view to producing reports that will be of relevance to scholars and practitioners in this area.

Monthly meetings involve participation in study visits to criminal justice institutions in the UK and abroad, Brunel Law Reading Group sessions and Brunel Law Film screenings as well as opportunities for active engagement with mooting, debating and the Pro Bono centre. These activities are supported by the Criminal Justice Research Centre (CJRC), which benefits from extensive links with criminal justice scholars and criminal law practitioners. The CJRC has a long history of very successful conferences, seminars and other events.

The monthly seminars and relevant foundation/ qualifying law degree first year subjects prepare students for an in depth examination of criminal justice in the final year of the programme, during which the following compulsory subjects are examined: Criminology, Sentencing & Punishment and Criminal Evidence. Brunel Law School invests heavily in supporting students in the development of their professional and business skills, working very closely with the award winning Placement and Careers Centre (PCC).

The PCC will provide students in the 'LLB Law with Criminal Justice' programme specialist guidance and support with regards to securing placements, mini pupillages and training contract/ pupillage interviews in the area of criminal law and criminal justice, and with regards to following career paths within relevant criminal justice institutions such as the Crown Prosecution Service, the Probation Service and the Police. All LLB Law programmes provide students with an essential foundation in 'Legal Skills and Method' in year 1. Students are also offered a range of master classes, workshops and training opportunities throughout each academic year.

Students on the 'LLB Law with Criminal Justice (Professional Placement)' will spend a year working in industry where they gain valuable experience. We are one of only a few UK law schools that offer this unique opportunity as a part of the degree programme. Students on the four-year placement programme graduate with a degree from a respected law school, a most distinct CV and excellent links with legal practitioners.

Aims

The LLB Law provides students with an opportunity to earn a qualifying law degree and develop a dynamic perspective of English law.

LLB Law with Criminal Justice is designed to give students a thorough knowledge and understanding of how crime is created, its effects on society as well as the role of modern criminal justice institutions. Within this context students will be expected to think critically about the most effective strategies to tackle crime, the ways in which criminality affects the public interest and how the fight against criminality may impact upon individual rights. The programme is also designed to allow students to apply relevant substantive and procedural law and demonstrate relevant career skills, especially skills pertinent to criminal justice professions.

Students in this programme will be drawn into the frontlines of legal scholarship and have opportunities to further their knowledge by participating in conferences, seminars and workshops hosted by the Criminal Justice Research Centre, membership of which will be offered to them upon participation in relevant activities.

Students will be encouraged to get involved in activities that will foster the development of social and professional skills by joining the pro bono centre, mooting and/or the debating team, and participating in international programmes and professional development seminars. Our reading and film groups, much enjoyed by our students, are fantastic ways to explore facets of law in a different context. These extra-curricular opportunities challenge students to take a fresh and contemporary view of law and think outside the box when faced with new concepts.

Throughout their programme, students are required to confront contemporary, real-world legal challenges particularly in the criminal justice system and to develop skills of analysis and critical thinking. The School prides itself on developing students for professional life and challenges our students to cultivate the skills required to succeed in 21st century legal practice.

Enquiries

Candidates are advised to address admissions queries to:

Admissions Office
Wilfred Brown Building
Brunel University
Uxbridge
Middlesex
UB8 3PH

Tel: +44 (0)1895 265265
Fax: +44 (0)1895 269790
Contact Admissions

Special Features

• The degree gives students full exemption from Part 1 of the Professional Examinations for the Law Society and Bar Council. This is a qualifying law degree containing training in the seven foundations of legal knowledge (specified by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Bar Standards Board). The degree is one of requirements needed to practise law.
  
  
• The programme offers great flexibility. Students can choose to combine the sandwich degree (a superb opportunity to spend 1 year in industry) with the criminal justice specialism, and gain the 'LLB Law with Criminal Justice (Professional Placement)' qualification. Students can also switch from the LLB Law or other programme to the LLB Law with Criminal Justice (and vice versa) at any time, up to the beginning of level 3. They can even decide to do any part of the programme part-time, by completing one (or more) level(s) of study in two years rather than one.
  
  
• A monthly 'Criminal Justice LLB Seminar' will provide students exposure to a plethora of criminal justice perspectives from a range of law scholars and practitioners. The 'Criminal Justice LLB Clinics' will offer students the chance to undertake research and write reports on topical issues.
  
  
• At level 1, students will examine criminal law in parallel with the Criminal Justice System, and be holistically assessed in these two subjects (a distinctive feature of the Brunel LLB Law programme).
  
  
• In the 'Legal Skills & Method' module, students are introduced them to fundamental legal skills which are indispensable to successfully progressing through the programme and succeeding in the legal professions (e.g. legal reasoning and legal argumentation, legal writing as well as research, analysis and interpretation of sources of law). This, again, is a unique feature of the Brunel approach to learning.
  
  
• Students will have many chances to participate in criminal justice related extra-curricular activities, such as study visits to criminal courts and criminal justice institutions, mooting, debating, the Pro Bono centre, the advocacy, fraud examination and client interviewing short courses, reading group sessions and law film screenings.
  
  
• The School has excellent links with a wide range of criminal law practitioners, experienced solicitors and barristers. It benefits from a close working relationship with dynamic law firms and the Inns of Court such as Inner Temple.
  
  
• The Criminal Justice Research Centre offers a unique forum for students to interact with members of the Criminal Justice LLB team, in the context of seminars, workshops and collaborative projects. The research groups' activities have both a direct and indirect contribution to the programme. Directly by ensuring that students are exposed to the latest thinking in criminal justice and indirectly to the enhancement of teaching and supervision.

Facts and Figures

Brunel Law School

For over 45 years students from throughout the UK and over 100 countries have made Brunel Law School their first choice for its outstanding reputation as a respected London law school.

Brunel law students have amongst the highest graduate employment rates in the country (84%) and the School has  excellent links with industry. Our students are encouraged to take advantage of the many opportunities available to enhance their employability. Brunel University is proud of our award-winning Placement and Career Centre, acknowledged as one of the best in the country.

Brunel Law School offers exceptional student support. We are one of the few UK law schools with a dedicated skills tutor who runs workshops designed to meet the needs of law students in the areas of essay writing, critical thinking, analysis and examination, presentations and time management among other subjects. International students can take advantage of free in-sessional English language classes.

Course Content

All students take a core set of modules. At Level 3 you will take a number of law options and you will focus your study on Criminal Justice and also study a particular area of law in depth for your major final year dissertation.

Typical modules

Level 1 Core

• Contract Law
• The Civil Justice System
• Criminal Law
• The Criminal Justice System
• Legal Skills & Method
• Public Law in Context

Level 2 Core

• European Union Law
• Land Law
• Tort Law
• Trusts

Level 3 Core

• Dissertation
• Sentencing & Penology
• Evidence
• Criminology

Level 3 Options

The following are examples of other modules that may be available. These can change from year to year and there is no guarantee that an option will run in any particular year.

• Banking Law
• Children and the Law
• Company Law
• Competition Law
• Consumer Law
• Employment Law
• Family Law
• Intellectual Property Law
• International Human Rights
• International Law
• International Sales Law & Arbitration
• Jurisprudence

See module descriptions.

Teaching and Learning

Expert teaching staff

Brunel Law School is research driven and had outstanding results in the 2008 RAE. Through their research, the School’s lecturers are constantly extending the frontiers of domestic and international legal scholarship. The members of the Criminal Justice teaching team undertake advanced research in a wide range of subjects, such as criminal law, criminal evidence and procedure, criminology, sentencing and punishment, youth justice, criminal law theory, international criminal law and comparative criminal justice, comparative counter-terrorism and human rights. Such expertise and research culture are reinforced by the existence of a very active research centre.

Over the years, the Criminal Justice Research Centre (CJRC) has proved itself a centre of excellence for research. Members of the CJRC are engaged in a range of research initiatives including publishing in and editing international journals, authoring books, presenting conference papers, chairing conference sessions, editing book collections, membership of external committees, and involvement in external bodies reviewing criminal justice policies. Naturally, the CJRC undertakes empirical and theoretical research in the fields of criminal justice practice and policy. Such research constantly feeds into teaching, as academic members of staff who are members of the CJRC undertake all teaching in the 'LLB Law with Criminal Justice'.

The following criminal justice experts teach in this specialist course:

• Dr Mohamed Elewa Badar
• Prof Ilias Bantekas
• Dr Claire Corbett
• Dr Susan Easton
• Dr Dimitrios Giannoulopoulos
• Dr Liat Levanon
• Prof Christine Piper
• Dr Craig Reeves
• Dr Manisuli Ssenyonjo

How will I be taught?

Lectures are formal presentations by staff which normally last two hours at level I and one hour at level III, covering general principles and explaining difficult concepts. Handouts giving references, further reading and summaries of points covered, are provided. Some lecturers use some very innovative IT tools for presentations. Lectures in some modules are audio recorded and made available as podcasts.

Seminars are smaller groups of a maximum 15 students, meeting for an hour to discuss practical scenarios and essay questions with a tutor. In each subject there are fortnightly seminars following up on lectures. Students have to prepare in advance and can provide their lecturers with written answers for the purposes of formative feedback. Seminars also allow students to engage with practical exercises such as mooting, debating, oral presentations, role-playing, case comments, writing legal briefs etc.

Personal tutor: at all levels students have a personal tutor who is available to discuss personal and academic problems. Students who go on placement will also be allocated a work placement tutor who will monitor their progress, visit them in their placement and provide further support if they need it.

Legal Skills: Brunel Law School offers exceptional opportunities for the development of legal skills. We are one of the few UK law schools with a dedicated skills tutor who runs weekly essay clinics, designed to meet the needs of law students in the areas of essay writing, critical thinking, analysis and examination, presentations and time management among other subjects. International students can take advantage of free in-sessional English language classes as well. In the first year students take the 'Legal Skills & Method' module, which introduces the indispensable legal skills that are required to successfully progress through the programme and succeed in the legal professions (eg legal reasoning and legal argumentation, legal writing as well as research, analysis and interpretation of sources of law), and which helps students acquire relevant career skills. Students taking this study module are introduced to generic skills in term I (eg how to write a bibliography, how to use electronic databases for legal research, how to write academically), then throughout term II they apply them in practice, in the context of moots, debating, role-playing, case comments etc, using examples from the level I foundation modules (Criminal Law, Public Law, Contract Law).

Private study is at the centre of learning in higher education. Students study specific materials (textbooks and monographs, academic articles, judgments, official reports etc) in advance of lectures and seminars.

Online provision: Lecture and seminar materials are made available through Blackboard learn, Brunel’s virtual learning environment. Module sections in Blackboard learn also give students access to podcasts (when available), online discussions, revision tests and links to other sources of interest. 

One-to-one expert supervision is provided to students undertaking the compulsory final year dissertation. Students in this specialist programme are guaranteed supervision of their final year dissertation by an academic member of staff who will be a specialist in criminal justice (subject to students attending the monthly seminars/ clinics).

Learning by participating in extra-curricular activities: We believe that education should not only include developing competency in a subject, but opportunities to create a well-rounded life and cultivate interests that will last a lifetime. Brunel’s Student Union is one of the best in the country (National Students Survey 2011-12), offering many activities to keep students engaged. The student law society is extremely active, organising study visits, career events, student mentoring, debating, sports and other social gatherings. They are also heavily involved in the extra-curricular activities organised by the School such as mooting.

Assessment

We expect students not just to convince themselves that they have understood legal principles, but also to be able to convince their fellow students, their teachers and, perhaps most importantly, their potential employers.

At Levels 1 and 2, all foundation courses are assessed by essay and examination. Legal Skills & Method at level I is a novel study block assessed by the successful completion of certain tasks, such as writing a bibliography, a case comment, a CV, and by active participation in seminars and related extra-curricular activities.

At Level 3, all modules are assessed by essay and examination. International Sales Law & Arbitration and the dissertation are the only exceptions. The former is partly assessed on the basis of participation in an international moot.

Essays are designed to help students learn and practise skills in legal analysis and expression.

Employability

84% of our LLB Law graduates are in employment or further study. While most students study law with a view to progress into the legal profession, some students opt to study law as a first degree as a foundation for careers in the corporate world, government or international relations-related professions. Graduates can take advantage of the professional exemptions available with a Brunel Law Degree, and train to become barristers or solicitors.

Regular career events for law students are offered by the University's award-wining Placement and Careers Service (PCC) and the School avidly supports the professional development of our students, for example by offering weekly career clinics in collaboration with the PCC. The Legal Skills & Method study block at level 1 introduces students to fundamental career skills, such as writing a CV and performing well in interviews. The Legal Professionals Master Class (short course) gives students the chance to further enhancement such skills.

Careers

Opportunities for law graduates arise in a wide range of activities. You may take advantage of your professional exemptions and train to become a barrister or solicitor, but your degree could take you into careers other than law, including mediation, consultancy, industry, commerce, public administration, the social services, management and humanitarian aid.

Placements

Students opting for the four-year Thick Sandwich degree will have the opportunity to carry out professional law placements. This will provide them with highly valued experience which allows them to sample different types of Law work before making a long-term career decision.

Most placements are with firms of solicitors, in the courts and the Crown Prosecution Service, and in the legal departments of commercial organisations, government departments and local councils.

The four-year route can also reduce the time required to become a solicitor after graduation, since the Law Society may credit your work experience against the solicitors' two year traineeship requirement.

The sandwich course also gives you valuable contacts for securing traineeships.

Fees for 2013/14 entry

UK/EU students: £9,000 full-time; £6,750 part-time ; £1,000 placement year

International students: £12,000 full-time

We are introducing over 700 scholarships for 2013, meaning that one in five applicants who join Brunel next year will receive financial support from the University. See our fees and funding page for full details

Fees quoted are per annum and are subject to an annual increase.

Entry Requirements for 2013 Entry

• GCE A-level Typical offer AAB, excluding General Studies. Applicants who have already achieved at least ABB at A-level and have Personal Statements showing a strong interest in the course and transferable skills will also be considered. Please check our Admissions pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants within this range.
  
• Irish Leaving Certificate AAABB.
• Scottish Advanced Highers AAB.
• Advanced Diploma Progression Diploma Grade A in Society, Health and Development or Business, Administration and Finance, plus an A-level at Grade B in a relevant subject for Additional and Specialist Learning (Extended Project Qualification in a relevant subject preferred).
• BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma D*D*D* in Business or Public Services.
• IBDP 35 points.
• Access to Law Complete and pass Access to Law course with 45 credits at Level 3 Distinction and 15 credits at level 2.
  

For all of the above, 5 GCSEs or equivalent at Grade C or above are also required, to include English and Maths (please note that these must have been gained by the time you submit your UCAS application).

English Language Requirements

Brunel also offers our own BrunELT English Test and accept a range of other language courses. We also have a range of Pre-sessional English language courses, for students who do not meet these requirements, or who wish to improve their English.