Law LLB

Overview

About the course

This course will not only help you transform your interest in law into a lifelong passion and a potential career – it will also enable you to gain invaluable experience in the industry.

There are various options for undergraduate study - the 'LLB Law' (three years full-time), the 'LLB Law with Professional Placement' (four years sandwich) as well as the specialist 'LLB Law with Criminal Justice' and 'LLB Law with International Arbitration and Commercial Law' courses, both of which can also be studied either three years full-time or as a four-year sandwich placement degree.

The Brunel LLB law degree features compulsory modules satisfying the requirements of the Law Society and the Bar Council. Final year students can tailor their degree by specialising in areas of law they wish to explore and gain a deeper understanding of.

Industry experience

Students on the 'LLB Law with Professional Placement' will spend up to a year working in the industry - an experience that may count towards the period of professional training required by the Law Society for solicitors' training.

We are one of the few UK law schools that offer this opportunity as a part of the degree programme. Students work closely throughout their time at Brunel Law School with the award winning 'Professional Development Centre' (PDC).

Brunel Law School invests heavily in supporting students in the development of their professional and business skills, and in partnership with the PDC, provides all LLB Law 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.

Aims

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

Students are encouraged to get involved in activities that will develop their social and professional skills by joining the mooting, debating and the Pro Bono centre, and by participating in international study visits and professional development short courses.

Our Brunel Law Reading Group and Brunel Law Film societies, much enjoyed by our students, are fantastic ways to explore facets of law in a different context. These extra-curricular opportunities will challenge you to take a fresh and contemporary view of law and think outside the box when faced with new concepts.

We will encourage you to cultivate the skills required to succeed in 21^st century legal practices by giving you opportunities to participate in conferences, seminars and workshops hosted by one of eight research groups.

Course Content

The LLB consists of both compulsory and optional modules, a typical selection can be found below. Modules can vary from year to year, but these offer a good idea of what we teach.

Typical Modules

Level 1
Compulsory

• Criminal Law
• Contract Law
• The Criminal Justice System
• The Civil Justice System
• Legal Skills and Methods
• Public Law in Context

Level 2
Compulsory

• Tort
• Law of the European Union
• Land Law
• Trusts

Level 3
Compulsory

• Dissertation

Optional

• Jurisprudence
• Taxation of Income
• Sentencing and Penology
• Competition Law
• Family Law
• Evidence
• Children and the Law
• Intellectual Property Law
• International Human Rights
• Banking Law
• Company Law
• Consumer Law
• Employment Law
• International Law
• International Sales Law and Arbitration

Read more about the structure of undergraduate degrees at Brunel and what you will learn on the course.

Employability

91 per cent of our graduates are in employment or further study. While most students choose law with a view to progress into the legal profession, some opt to study it 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.

The LLB Law programme at Brunel offers a unique module in first year, called ‘Legal Skills and Methods’, which provides the foundation for students to start building their employability and legal skills in preparation for finding employment in law, building CVs, and developing confidence in our students when they enter the workplace.

Regular career events for law students are offered by the University's award-wining 'Professional Development Centre' (PDC) and the School avidly supports the professional development of our students by offering an innovative range of skills-based experience such as mooting and debating, pro bono legal assistance, and in-court volunteering. 

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.

Work Placements

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

Most placements are with firms of solicitors or barristers' chambers, in 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 part of your work experience against the solicitors' two year traineeship requirement.

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

Entry Criteria 2018/19

• GCE A-level BBB (all subjects considered excluding General Studies).

• BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma D*D*D in Business or Public Services.

• BTEC Level 3 Diploma DD in Business or Public Services subject with an A-Level at grade B.

• BTEC Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma D in Applied Law, Business or Public Services subject, with A-Levels grade BB.

• International Baccalaureate Diploma 30 points.

• Access to Higher Education Diploma Complete and pass Access to Law course with 45 credits at Level 3 Distinction.

A minimum of five GCSEs are required, including GCSE English grade C or grade 4. GCSE Mathematics grade C or grade 4 is also normally required.

Please check our Admissions pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants as well as our full GCSE requirements and accepted equivalencies in place of GCSEs.

Entry criteria are subject to review and change each academic year.

International and EU Entry Requirements

Teaching and Assessment

Teaching

Expert teaching staff

Although Brunel Law School is research driven and was ranked 14^th in the UK for REF Intensity in Law in the most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF2014), students are at the heart of everything we do.

Through their research, your lecturers are constantly extending the frontiers of domestic and international legal scholarship and you will be the first to benefit from their work. They address contemporary issues such as prisoner's rights, child-to-parent abuse, EU-refugee migration issues, human rights in anti-terrorism legislation, consumer's rights, international trade and intellectual property and much more.

How will I be taught?

Lectures are formal presentations by staff which last an hour, covering general principles and explaining difficult concepts. Handouts, giving references, further reading and summaries of points covered, are usually provided.

Seminars are smaller groups of 15 students meeting for an hour to discuss particular problems and topics with a tutor. In each subject there is usually a fortnightly seminar for which you are expected to prepare in advance.

Private study is much more important at university than in sixth form or college. Learning to use your time to the best effect is an important part of your university career.

One-to-one supervision will be available for your final year dissertation. In addition, at all levels you will have a tutor who is available to discuss personal and academic problems. If you go on placement, you will also be allocated a work placement tutor who will monitor your progress and provide further support if you need it.

Legal Skills: Brunel Law School offers exceptional opportunities for the development of legal skills. At Level 1 students take the 'Legal Skills and Method' study block, which:

• Introduces them to fundamental legal skills essential for 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).
• Helps them acquire relevant career skills.
• Introduces them to generic skills in term I (e.g. how to write a bibliography, how to use electronic databases for legal research, how to write academically), which they then apply throughout practice in term II. This is achieved 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).

Learning by participating in extra-curricular activities: Our Union of Brunel Students is one of the best in the country (National Students Survey 2014), offering many activities to keep students engaged. The student law society is very 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

Modules are assessed by various combinations of coursework and/or examinations. In the final year you are also required to write a dissertation.

Special Features

• The degree gives you full exemption from Part 1 of the Professional Examinations for the Law Society and Bar Council
• Law at Brunel is ranked 8th in London (The Complete University Guide, 2018)
• The Law School’s Research Centres offer a forum for the Brunel Law School community to enhance and promote their work through seminars, workshops and collaborative projects, and to develop and strengthen external links and networks in the legal sphere. This is a qualifying law degree which provides training in the seven foundations of legal knowledge (specified by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Bar Standards Board). The degree is one of the requirements needed to practise law.
• There is ongoing support from the University’s award winning 'Professional Development Centre' (PDC) through a series of workshops, mock interviews, CV preparation, and career development support throughout the programme. The PDC also helps students find part-time and voluntary work.
• The School offers students the opportunity to participate in a wide range of extra-curricular and professional development activities.
• The School has excellent links with a wide range of criminal and civil law practitioners, experienced solicitors and barristers. It benefits from a close working relationship with dynamic law firms and the Inns of Court.
• Writing and legal research skills are embedded in the Brunel curriculum, especially the Legal Skills and Method module at Level 1.

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 per cent) and we have excellent links within the 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 'Professional Development Centre' (PDC)and Academic Skills acknowledged as amongst the best in the country, and who ensure that students are prepared for a legal career.

Brunel Law School is one of the few UK law schools offering a dedicated skills tutor who runs workshops designed to help students with 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.