Law Conversion LLM

How this course is delivered

We've made some changes to the way our courses are taught to keep everyone safe, connected and involved in university life.

At the moment, students have a blend of on-campus and digitally enabled remote learning that provides lots of opportunities to interact and engage with lecturers and other students.

Course structure

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

International requirements and visas

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

Visas and immigration advice

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.

Course fees

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.

Local area

Campus where this course is taught

Accommodation

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