LLB Law

Our LLB (Hons) degree gives you a rigorous academic legal education and a thorough grounding in legal, academic and clinical skills needed for you to pursue a career as a solicitor or barrister, as well as equipping you for employment in other areas if you choose not to go on to a professional qualification in law.

The programme is taught by a mix of academic experts and practitioner lawyers, who put real world clinical legal experience at the heart of the programme.

You’ll develop a critical grasp of the law and its political, social and economic contexts.

Our LLB programme is flexible in structure and has core first and second years including all seven law foundation subjects. This gives you the ability to switch to a more specialist LLB in the final year and tailor your study to a particular aspect of law by choosing options relating to criminal law, commercial law or social justice or choosing a range of options. By completing the foundation subjects early, this will also put you in a good position to obtain law work experience and placement opportunities and enhance your employability. It also allows you to take your time to decide on which aspect of law is right for you.

The Bradford LLB Law degree satisfies the new Bar Standards Board law degree requirements for aspiring barristers and provides an excellent grounding for aspiring solicitors who wish to go on to prepare for the Legal Practice Course (LPC) or the Solicitors’ Qualifying Exam (SQE) which is due to commence in September 2021.

Professional accreditation

The route to professional qualification as a Solicitor is in the process of changing. Students commencing their degrees prior to December 2021 can still complete the academic stage of training by completing a qualifying law degree (QLD), which the Bradford LLB degree is, and then pursuing the existing LPC route.

Subject to approval by the Legal Services Board, the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) will be introduced on 1 September 2021 by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the professional body governing training and qualification for solicitors (SRA).

This means someone who started studying before or in September 2021 (having accepted an offer on or before 31 August 2021) can continue to qualify through the existing LPC route, or choose to do the SQE following its introduction.

For students starting after December 2021, the route to qualification will be via the SQE alone. A degree is generally still required but a QLD will have no special status and students will have to qualify via the SQE.

Unlike the LPC, the SQE is a centrally assessed and is in two parts. For more information, please see the SRA website.

Regardless of the route to qualification, an undergraduate law degree is still important as it will cover the seven foundation subjects and legal skills, and help prepare you for the SQE, although it will no longer provide any exemptions from the academic stage of training.

Studying our LLB will mean you are prepared for part 1 of the SQE or to progress onto the Bar Practice Course (if you wish to qualify as a barrister - for more information see the Bar standards Board website).

Our law degree is also still a great foundation for careers in law, business and a huge range of careers.

This LLB Law programme and its pathways have been specifically designed to give you an all-around legal education while at the same time allowing you to specialise in a particular area of legal study.

Please note that for the 2021 entry, the module information is subject to change.

First year

Core

• Legal Relationships Sources and Institutions (LAW4001-D)
• Contract Law (LAW4002-C)
• Introduction to Legal Skills (LAW4009-B)
• Public Law (LAW4011-B)
• Law of Tort (LAW4012-B)
• Human Rights (LAW4008-B)

Second year

Core

• Criminal Law (LAW5003-B)
• Land Law (LAW5016-B)
• Equity and Trusts (LAW6002-B)
• EU and International Law (LAW5014-B)
• Clinical and Employability Skills in Context (LAW5013-B)

Option

• Law in the Community: Clinic Route (LAW5017-B)
• Law in the Community: Public Legal Education Route (LAW5018-B)

Final year

Core

• Law Dissertation (LAW6003-B) or Law Dissertation (extended) (LAW6026-D)

Option

• Law Clinic (LAW6027-B)
• Law and Internet
• Law Clinic (extended) (LAW6028-D)
• International Criminal Law (LAW6007-B)
• Crime and Society (LAW6009-B)
• Law of Evidence (LAW6010-B)
• Family Law (LAW6011-B)
• Immigration and Asylum Law (LAW6013-B)
• Law of Succession (LAW6014-B)
• Commercial Law (LAW6015-B)
• Company Law (LAW6016-B)
• Banking and Finance Law (LAW6019-B)
• Employment Law (LAW6025-B)
• Intellectual Property Law (LAW7008-B)

University Elective

Sandwich year

This 4-year programme offers you the opportunity to take up a placement year working in business in your third year.

Placements are real, paid jobs in a wide variety of organisations in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors and offer you a valuable opportunity to experience first-hand how business and management concepts are applied in practice, and to give you direct exposure to real issues in the workplace. It can also be done abroad.

The placement year is a vital part of your learning and will add significantly to your personal development, self-confidence, planning, communication and business acumen skills. Statistics show that students who have undertaken a placement year benefit from a better graduate job, higher graduate starting salary and a better degree outcome. In a competitive graduate market, valuable experience and employability skills gained from a year’s work placement will differentiate you from the thousands of other graduates seeking work.

Placements are not guaranteed, and students will have to invest considerable time and effort in their 2nd year in securing one, with the support of the dedicated Careers team.

We have links with a range of top law organisations in Bradford and the surrounding area. Additionally, the Faculty of Management and Law has an excellent network of organisations that offer placements, including:

• IBM
• Vauxhall
• NHS
• GE Money
• ARRIS (formerly Pace)
• Enterprise Rent A Car
• Cummins
• Peugeot

Through your placement, you can apply your knowledge in practice and have a real and positive impact on the business. Your experience will be monitored as part of your degree.

We find that students return from their placement year with their confidence and personal skills enhanced, and ready to implement their focused plan for the future.

Learning and assessment

The programme is delivered through a combination of interactive lectures, tutorials and workshops using state-of-the-art IT, group work and individual study.

Assessment largely involves a combination of coursework assessments and formal examinations held at the end of each semester.

The Law Clinic

Our law clinic gives students an opportunity to put theory into practice. As part of their degree, students work in our law clinic advising members of the public in conjunction with the Citizens Advice Bureau and CHAS@StVincent's.

Students are trained to interview and advise members of the public on any aspect of the law. Working as part of a team, students discuss the case and decide whether the client is in need of legal advice. Under the guidance of the Clinic Director, students then prepare advice for their clients.

Students also have the opportunity to receive formal training on immigration law, leading to the award of OISC (Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner) Level 1 and 2 qualifications through collaboration with CHAS@StVincent's. This gives students the opportunity to be involved in giving immigration advice whilst earning recognised qualifications.

Mooting

Our students have the opportunity to get involved in a range of internal and external mooting competitions.

Mooting complements students' legal education and is a great way to learn how to use the law to create persuasive legal arguments. Students have to analyse problems, research the law, prepare written submissions and present their arguments to a trained lawyer or judge.

The competition imitates the procedures followed in appeal courts and is a great chance for students to put their skills and knowledge into practice.

Study abroad

As a student at the University of Bradford Faculty of Management and Law, you'll have the opportunity to study abroad at one of our partner institutions around the world.

You can study abroad for one semester or a whole year.

This gives you international experience, exposure to a different culture and opportunities to network with students and academics at other leading business schools.

Study support

You'll be allocated a Personal Academic Tutor, who will provide you with personal guidance and support.

Module leaders and tutors are accessible, providing office hours and appointments in order to support your learning beyond class contact.

The use of a virtual learning environment as part of the programme further enhances the accessibility of your teaching team, enabling you to interact when you are off-campus.

The Effective Learning Service (ELS) is a dedicated facility within the Faculty of Management and Law, established to support our students to maximise their academic learning (e.g assignments and examinations), as well as help overseas students, adapt quickly to UK academic requirements.

The ELS provides a huge range of services, including various workshops run during term time, 1-1 consultations and vast printed and online resources to cater for every possible development area.

These are in addition to the wide range of student support that is offered by the University of Bradford at the City Campus.

Research

Many of your teaching staff are research active.

You will benefit from research-informed teaching and have the opportunity to develop and use practical research skills and gain an understanding of research methodologies.

Upon successful completion of the Bradford LLB Law degree, you are able to proceed to the Legal Practice Course (for aspiring solicitors) or the Bar Professional Training Course (for aspiring barristers).

Career support

The University is committed to helping students develop and enhance employability and this is an integral part of many programmes. Specialist support is available throughout the course from Career and Employability Services including help to find part-time work while studying, placements, vacation work and graduate vacancies. Students are encouraged to access this support at an early stage and to use the extensive resources on the Careers website.

Discussing options with specialist advisers helps to clarify plans by exploring options and refining skills of job-hunting. In most of our programmes, there is direct input by Career Development Advisers into the curriculum or through specially arranged workshops.

Career booster

During your time studying at the Faculty of Management and Law, you will have the opportunity to take part in our distinctive career booster programme throughout the duration of your course. The programme is designed to equip you with the necessary skills and graduate attributes to be job-ready when seeking employment with leading innovative organisations. The Career Booster Programme (PDF, 2.8 MB) offers you the opportunity to gain certificates in:

• The European Computer Driving License (ECDL) - the benchmark for digital literacy
• Sage 50 Accounting and Sage 50 Payroll - training that will allow you to develop leading accounting and payroll software skills
• Project Manager Professional certificates - giving you the edge when seeking to become a Certified Project Manager
• Big Data analysis and reporting skills - using Software and Services (SAS) that will lead to certification.

In addition, the programme will also include activities to promote teamwork, confidence, communication and many other skills sought by employers.

Developing a portfolio of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Certificates will demonstrate to employers that you are not only ambitious but also take responsibility for your own professional development.

Career prospects

Our LLB Law degree will enable you to proceed to the second stage of training to become a solicitor or barrister.

It is designed to give you the legal tools you will need for a career as a solicitor or barrister, as well as equipping you for employment in other areas if you choose not to go on to a professional qualification in law.

In any event, our LLB course is likely to increase your employability and employment prospects in a wide range of other professions, such as general management, legal executive positions, the probation service, the police, or teaching.