Intro

Our postgraduate qualifying law courses expand the knowledge of those working in the justice, social and consumer sectors, as well as supporting a move to a career as a barrister or solicitor.

Recognised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the bar Standards Board, this course enables graduates in non-law related studies to convert to a career in law.

Experienced lecturers will support you through this practice-led, skills-based course, integrating guest talks from local practitioners and judges.

Extracurricular activities, such as mooting, client interviewing and pro bono work, allow you to develop practical skills in legal research, problem-solving, critical analysis and communication.

Classes are taught in small groups of exclusively postgraduate law students by enthusiastic, expert lecturers who are committed to research and teaching excellence. You can take this course either full-time or part-time.

Key facts

Location Brighton: Moulsecoomb

Full-time 1 year
Part-time 2 years

This course is recognised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Bar Standards Board

Both part-time and full-time routes are eligible for the UK Government's postgraduate loan

Applying for this course – full-time
Full-time students apply through the Central Applications Board. Find out more in the entry criteria section further down this page

Applying for this course – part-time
Part-time students can apply direct to the university. See link below to apply

Join an online event

Apply online

Please review the entry requirements carefully and if you have any questions do get in touch with us.

Apply now for your place

Course content

Course structure

This course is taught full-time (two days a week)  or part-time (one day a week).

Teaching methods include lectures, seminars and workshops. You will be assessed through coursework and exams.

Students applying for this course should be aware that teaching starts second week in September with the module the Legal System, Method and Skills which will provide you with the knowledge and skills needed to embark on the remainder of your legal studies.

 Students talking in the front of a lecture room

Syllabus 

Contract Law
The rules relating to the formation, operation and termination of contracts, including the remedies available to the parties and the doctrine of privity of contract; an outline of the law of restitution.

Law of Torts
The foundations of tortious liability, including vicarious and joint liability and remedies in respect of torts; the principal torts (eg negligence, trespass, nuisance, defamation) and their constituent elements.

Public Law
Constitutional legal principles; the basic features and characteristics of the UK's constitution; civil liberties; administrative law, including judicial review.

Criminal Law
The general foundations of criminal liability and defences; the major criminal offences (eg homicide, non-fatal offences against the person, theft) and their constituent elements.

European Union Law
The constitutional framework of the EU; the implementation and enforcement of EU law (including the free movement of workers, competition law, consumer protection law); the relationship between EU law and national law.

Equity and Trusts
The relationship between equity and the common law; types of trust, the role of trustees and consequences of a breach of trust; nature and scope of equitable rights and equitable remedies.

Land Law
The foundation concepts of land law; the relationship between the common law and equitable rights; the scope, nature and effect of estates and interests in land; registered and unregistered conveyancing; co-ownership; the essentials of landlord and tenant.

Legal System, Method and Skills
Sources, personnel and structure of the English legal system; civil and criminal process; access to justice; the impact of the Human Rights Act 1998 on the English legal system.

Dissertation
The final project involves researching for and writing a 15,000-word dissertation on an area of law that you are particularly interested in.

Recent topics have included:

  • ancillary relief
  • assisted suicide
  • breach of duty in medical negligence
  • commercial surrogacy
  • domestic violence
  • European copyright in relation to online copyright protection
  • legal issues in biomedicine - human embryo research and gene therapy
  • repossession orders and
  • the duty of care owed to mentally ill prisoners.

Law books on a book shelf

Practical learning

Extracurricular activities such as mooting, client interviewing and pro-bono work allow you to develop practical skills in legal research, problem-solving, critical analysis and communication.

Our University of Brighton Innocence Programme provides you with the opportunity to investigate wrongful criminal convictions, referring them back to the Court of Appeal. Supervised by academics and working with practising lawyers, you provide pro bono assistance to prisoners who maintain their innocence and have exhausted their appeal rights. 

Through our Community Legal Outreach Collaboration initiative, you can also gain real experience and training from legal firms and HM Courts by volunteering as a legal companion, providing vital help and support to disadvantaged communities.

Law students holding law books

Law students have the opportunity to volunteer as a legal companion, receiving training from partner organisations from legal firms to charities.

Learning support 

Our supportive learning environment includes an induction programme and specialist diagnostic tools to assess your learning strengths and needs. You will also be assigned an academic supervisor to support you in your project work. We also provide free language and support services throughout for international students.

Online learning tools and libraries also ensure academic journals, e-books, business articles and other resources are available to you 24/7, both for use at the university and at home.

You will also have access to our Careers Service, including CV checking, mock interviews and advice on setting up your own business. Read more on our careers service website.

Facilities
You will have access to online legal research services, such as Westlaw, Lawtel, LexisNexis Butterworths and HeinOnline. These online resources can be accessed on and off campus.

We also have an outstanding library which houses the tools of the lawyers' trade: primary sources of law such as statutes and cases, and secondary sources such as books, periodicals and journals.

Other student support services include the university's careers centre, welfare service, a counselling service, chaplaincy and childcare provision.

Magazines on a table

Student Law Society

The Student Law Society is a thriving community of over 150 law students. With support from the Students’ Union, it organises an exciting schedule of social and educational events.

Members have recently enjoyed visits to Lewes Crown Court, Brighton Magistrates Court and the Houses of Parliament. Social events have included paintballing, go-karting, surfing, a Christmas Ball at the Brighton Hilton Metropole, and a trip with law students from other universities to Amsterdam.

Through initiatives such as these, the society provides excellent opportunities for personal development and for networking with other students interested in a career in law.

Law students giving a group presentation

Staff profile

Claire-Michelle Smyth

Dr Claire-Michelle Smyth LLM, is your course leader. Claire-Michelle graduated with a PhD from Queens University Belfast where her research centred on social and economic rights and the European Convention on Human Rights.

Claire-Michelle’s main interests are in equity and trusts, and human rights law. She has published extensively in this area and regularly attends national and international conferences discussing her research.

Find out more about Claire.

Claire-Michelle Smyth profile picture

Careers

 

Career prospects

As this is a qualifying law course, you will be able to progress directly to the vocational stage of training: the Legal Practice Course if you want to become a solicitor or the Bar Professional Training Course if you want to become a barrister.

The good communication, problem-solving, analytical and research skills developed during your law degree are needed not only by the legal profession but also are relevant to many alternative careers. Graduates may seek careers in areas such as banking, insurance and Civil Service.

The Brighton Business School has strong links with the local legal profession and encourages you to complete vacation placements with solicitors’ firms, mini pupillages with barristers’ chambers and internships with other institutions.

Recent Law graduates have joined companies in roles such as:

  • Alpha Shindara Legal, Legal Secretary
  • Aston Bond, Solicitor
  • Bennett Griffin, Trainee Solicitor
  • Bernard Chill & Axtell Solicitors, Trainee Solicitor
  • Blake Morgan LLP, Litigation Paralegal
  • BlueBay Asset Management, Compliance Intern
  • Carmelite Chambers, Barrister
  • Financial Ombudsman Service, Adjudicator
  • Fox William, Trainee Solicitor
  • G2 Legal, Junior Consultant
  • Howlett Clarke, Legal Assistant
  • Mayo Wynne Baxter, Paralegal
  • Nationwide, Fraud Analyst
  • Turpin Miller, Solicitor

Other successful graduates can also pursue careers in occupations within the justice sector, the prosecution service, the police and social services.

Bar Standards Board logo

Solicitors Regulation Authority logo

Skills development

CLOCK Legal Companion Scheme

The university is part of the CLOCK Time for Justice scheme. Students volunteer in the Brighton Family and County courts and assist litigants in person by accompanying them into hearings; helping them to fill in court forms and signposting to our legal and charitable partners. As well as enabling you to gain unique court experience, you will develop essential skills through assisting clients on many issues and build on links with local law firms.

Negotiating

Negotiation is a key lawyer skill – many legal disputes do not end up in the courts, but instead are resolved by some form of negotiated agreement. Our negotiation programme is an opportunity to prepare for a negotiation, and to apply and practise your negotiation skills. The programme is sponsored by solicitors’ firms who judge the final competition and the top teams go on to represent the University of Brighton at the national negotiation competition sponsored by the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution.

Client interviewing

Our client interviewing skills programme enables students to develop the essential skill of interviewing clients, a key component of legal work. The programme culminates in an
internal competition, sponsored by a local law firm, and the winning students proceed to represent the university in the national Law Society competition.

In 2016 two of our Law with Business students, Fionnuala Richardson and Chloe Chatton, won the national competition and went on to represent England and Wales in the international competition, finishing third in the world.

University of Brighton Innocence Programme

Our University of Brighton Innocence Programme offers the opportunity to advise and investigate issues of potential wrongful criminal convictions. Students participate in real-life casework supervised by academics and working with practising lawyers, providing pro bono assistance to prisoners who maintain their innocence and have exhausted their appeal rights.

Work-related experience

Our dedicated Placements and Employability team provide a huge portfolio of employers offering business-related placement opportunities. They support all students find a placement.

They offer several services to improve your employability including CV and cover letter reviews, mock assessment centres, fast-track interviews and interview practice sessions.

They will also support you throughout your placement and act as referees if you are offered a permanent role, or wish to continue to a masters degree. The university will assist you in the application to visas if required.

JobTeaser

We are one of the first UK universities to use JobTeaser, a new online placements system presenting placement options in the UK and Europe. It gathers together all the job opportunities, events and resources you need to help you with your professional development.

Work placement student standing next to the IBM sign

Placement and recruitment events

Placement fairs are held twice a year involving companies from well-known names such as Sainsbury’s, Marks & Spencer, Enterprise-Rent-a-Car and IBM, through to smaller and more local businesses.

Our regular Employability Weeks offer activities designed to enhance your employability, including LinkedIn workshops, sessions on working abroad, advice from the university’s volunteering service and support from the Careers team.

Careers advice

Our careers service provides help and advice from the very start of your studies, on subjects including careers counselling sessions, CV checking, mock interviews and advice on setting up your own business. 

Mentoring – Momentum is our award-winning mentoring scheme. It pairs students with professionals who wish to share their experience. Students and their mentors meet regularly to exchange ideas. The scheme helps students to develop new skills and enhance their career prospects.

Students at Placement Fair

Starting your own business

Beepurple is the university’s entrepreneurship support network. They offer free support for any student or graduate with their business ideas, freelance plan or social enterprise project.

Beepurple run events throughout the academic year, designed to equip you with skills that will improve your employability and help you grow a successful business.

By taking part in beepurple activities, you will meet like-minded people, hear how other recent graduates have set up their own businesses and gain key enterprise skills that will help you stand out from the crowd.

Beepurple logo

Solicitors Qualifying Exam

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has announced it will be introducing the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE). The earliest date for introduction is September 2020.

The SRA will be providing information and guidance about how to qualify in the new system so keep checking the SRA website.

At the moment, to become a solicitor you need to complete a qualifying law degree (or another degree followed by a Law Common Professional Examination/Postgraduate Diploma in Law) moving on to do the Legal Practice Course (LPC), and then a two-year period of recognised training, usually called a training contract.

The new proposal is that the SQE will consist of two parts; part one assessing legal knowledge, research and writing and the second part testing practical skills gained after completing a recognised period of training.

The SRA have confirmed that the SQE will not be in place until 2020 and have proposed that students who begin a qualifying law degree before 2020 will be able to use the old route to qualification.

We’re reviewing the curriculum of our qualifying law courses and will make changes as necessary to provide an integrated approach to preparing students for the SQE.

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Entry criteria

Entry requirements

The entry requirements listed here are our typical offer for this course if you wish to begin studying with us in 2020. They should be used as a general guide. 

Degree and experience
Students applying for this course must fall into one of the following two categories:

  • You must have obtained a good honours degree awarded by a recognised UK or Republic of Ireland institution (at least 2:2 standard if you want to qualify as a barrister).
  • Applicants with non-standard UK degrees or qualifications obtained overseas may need to obtain a Certificate of Academic Standing. Prospective barristers should obtain the certificate from the Bar Standards Board.

English language requirements
IELTS 6.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each element. Find out more about the other English qualifications that we accept.

International students whose language skills do not match the IELTS scores set out here should consider applying for this course through the Extended Masters programme at the university's Language Institute.

International requirements and visas

International requirements by country
Country name
Albania
Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belgium
Bermuda
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burma (Myanmar)
Cameroon
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ecuador
Egypt
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Guyana
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kosovo
Kuwait
Latvia
Lebanon
Liechtenstein
Libya
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malaysia
Malawi
Malta
Mexico
Moldova
Montenegro
Morocco
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nigeria
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palestinian National Authority
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russian Federation
Saudi Arabia
Serbia
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sri Lanka
Syria
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tanzania
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

Visit our language centre

For English language preparation courses.

Visit our International College

For degree preparation courses.

Visas and immigration advice

Applying for a student visa

Check out our step-by-step guidance.

How to apply 

Applying for the full-time course

You should apply for the full-time course through the Central Applications Board. For details, see www.lawcabs.ac.uk. Note that the Central Applications Board refer to this course as the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL). If you have any queries regarding applications for the full-time course, please call 01273 642162 or contact the Central Applications Board at applications@lawcabs.ac.uk.

Students chatting around a table

Fees

Course fees

UK/Europe (full-time)9,429 GBP

International (full-time)13,986 GBP


Scholarships, bursaries and loans

We offer a range of scholarships for postgraduate students. Bursaries and loans may also be available to you.

Find out more about postgraduate fees and funding.

Our LLM Law Conversion course, full-time and part-time, is eligible for the Government’s Postgraduate Master’s Loan Scheme.

What's included

You may have to pay additional costs during your studies. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. A summary of the costs that you may be expected to pay, and what is included, while studying a course in Brighton Business School are listed here.

  • Students who choose to take an optional placement will have travel and living expenses. The cost of this depends on where and how long your placement is.
  • Some courses include optional field trips for which the school pays – you may incur minimal costs such as for food and drink and should budget up to £15.
  • You will be required to buy textbooks and should budget up to £150.

You can chat with our enquiries team through the Stay in touch panel at the end of this page if you require further information. Or check our finance pages for advice about funding and scholarships, as well as more information about fees and advice on international and island fee-paying status.

Info

The fees listed here are for the academic year 2018–19.

Location

Local area

About Brighton

The city of Brighton & Hove is a forward-thinking place which leads the way in the arts, technology, sustainability and creativity. You'll find living here plays a key role in your learning experience.

Brighton is a leading centre for creative media technology, recently named the startup capital of the UK.

The city is home to a national 5G testbed and over 1,000 tech businesses. The digital sector is worth over £1bn a year to the local economy - as much as tourism.

All of our full-time undergraduate courses involve work-based learning - this could be through placements, live briefs and guest lectures. Many of these opportunities are provided by local businesses and organisations.

It's only 50 minutes by train from Brighton to central London and less than 40 minutes to Eastbourne. There are also daily direct trains to Bristol, Bedford, Cambridge, Gatwick Airport, Portsmouth and Southampton.

Map showing distance to London from Brighton
Brighton Beach sunset

Campus where this course is taught

Moulsecoomb campus

Two miles north of Brighton seafront, Moulsecoomb is our largest campus. Subjects taught here include architecture, business, computing, construction, engineering, geography, product design, law and pharmacy.

On campus you will find professional-standard facilities including a flight simulator, trading room, design and digital media suites and specialist research laboratories, alongside the library, student centre, a nursery, fitness facilities and Students’ Union. There are excellent public transport links.

The Big Build
A major transformation of our Moulsecoomb campus began in summer 2018. By the time the Big Build is complete, there’ll be new halls of residence, academic building, and Students’ Union and fitness facilities – all created with sustainability, inclusivity and community in mind.

As the development grows it will provide many exciting learning opportunities for our students, ranging from live projects, placements and internships with the companies involved to guest lectures and site visits. Find out more...

The Big Build

Accommodation

Brighton: Moulsecoomb

All eligible students applying for 2020 are guaranteed an offer of university halls of residence.

Halls of residence
We have halls of residence across Brighton in the city centre, Moulsecoomb, Varley Park and Falmer.

  • You'll be prioritised for accommodation in the halls that are linked to your teaching base, subject to availability.
  • Moulsecoomb campus is linked to Varley Park and Moulsecoomb Place halls
    • Varley Park offers a mix of room and catering options. Varley Park is around two miles from Moulsecoomb campus and four miles from the city centre. Public transport in the city is excellent, and there’s a shuttle bus between our Brighton campuses during term time.
    • Moulsecoomb Place halls are all catered and are located right on campus.

Want to live independently or in a university-managed house? We can help – find out more about unihomes and unilets or private renting.

Modern accommodation at nearby Varley Halls

Modern accommodation at nearby Varley Halls

Relaxing in halls near the campus

Relaxing in halls near the campus

Students eating at the Hub

Students eating at the Hub

Maps

Moulsecoomb campus map

Stay in touch

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Brighton Business School
01273 642162
business@brighton.ac.uk

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