Law LLB(Hons)

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Course structure

In your first year you'll share modules with the other law degrees before taking more specialised options in your second year.

You can choose to take a paid placement year at the end of your second year before coming back to complete your final year studies, which gives you essential experience and improves your employability and skills.

In your final year you have a range of options to choose from to help widen your knowledge while focusing on some key subjects of your choice.

Making sure that what you learn with us is relevant, up to date and what employers are looking for is our priority, so courses are reviewed and enhanced on an ongoing basis. If you apply to us, you’ll be told about any new developments through Student View.

Year 1

Our law degrees share the same first year modules, introducing you to the different aspects of law, such as legal research skills and courtroom procedures.

Modules

Core modules

• Law of Torts

  This module will provide you with a detailed knowledge of a number of torts including common law negligence, breach of statutory duty, protection against interference with the person, protection of property interests, protection of reputation and remedies associated with these torts. Where relevant, reference will be made to policy issues and human rights principles – both of which impact on the development of a number of torts.

• Public Law

  Public law is a subject of great topical interest, which is in a constant process of evolution and cannot be fully understood without reference to the UK’s political history and its social and cultural development.

  This module will provide you with a good understanding of constitutional legal principles, the major features of the UK’s constitution, civil rights, judicial review and an awareness of significant changes and developments in the subject.

• Legal Systems, Skills and Methods

  This key module is the foundation for all the other law modules and introduces two essential areas: (a) the way legal institutions in the UK operate and how the law is made; and (b) the legal skills lawyers need including clear communication skills, legal writing and referencing, oral presentation, problem-solving and analytical thinking. The knowledge and skills acquired in this module are essential to all other areas of academic development. 

• Contract Law

  This module covers the formation, content, viability and discharge of contracts and remedies available for breach of contract. You will explore the concepts and legal principles in a political, social and economic context, and develop an understanding of the relationship of statutory and European Union sources of law with the common law.

• Law, Society and Ethics

  This module introduces the essentials of legal ethics and the fundamentals of the legal profession. You will develop an appreciation of legal ethics to law and society, and its implications, and explore the role of the legal profession in supporting democracy and protecting justice and the rule of law.

Options*

• Human Rights Law

  This module will provide you with an in depth knowledge of contemporary issues in human rights law with a particular focus on social justice and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. You'll examine key national, regional and international human rights documents and contemporary human rights issues.

• Criminal Justice and Theory

  This module introduces the main institutions and agencies constituting the criminal justice system in England and Wales. You will also explore some of the key debates and theories in relation to crime, justice and punishment. You will develop an understanding of the history and development of criminology as a discrete discipline, and how this fits within the wider study of law and justice.

• Business Project for Lawyers

  In this module you will apply business and project management skills to deliver a practical and applied business project. You'll create a business plan, a project plan and a marketing plan that includes a digital presence, demonstrating a clear understanding of market dynamics, financial structures and HRM employment strategies. You will develop quantitative, research, project, team working and professional business skills.

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Year 2 

From your second year, through the module choices you make, you can either continue along a broad law degree route or specialise and graduate with a degree in Law with Business or Law with Criminology.

The mooting module will help develop your advocacy skills in a mock courtroom and you may also have the opportunity to take part in national mooting competitions. Gain experience by taking advantage of work shadowing opportunities, which could include judges and law firm partners.

Modules

• The Art of Advocacy
• Criminal Law
• European Union Law
• Law of Organisations
• Alternative Dispute Resolution

Options*

• Environmental Law, Sustainability and Justice
• Animal Welfare and the Law
• Human Rights and Business
• Media and Sports Law
• Canadian Constitutional Law
• Clinical and Legal Ethics

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Placement year

The year's paid work placement is a part of the course highly valued by employers. It gives you the chance to apply your learning to real-life situations and challenges, to meet and network with potential employers, and gain real work experience before you graduate.

On your placement, you will complete a project for the business you are working at. This contributes to your degree, replacing your dissertation, and, depending on the topic you choose, could provide valuable insight for your placement employer.

Our dedicated placements and employability team will support you throughout Read more about our placement years.

Nowadays you can’t just have a first-class degree, you’ve got to have extra … The opportunity to spend a whole year is incredible and every law firm I’ve had work experience with since has been really impressed by it.

Final year

In your final year, core modules further deepen your knowledge and understanding. You will also be able to tailor the course to the subjects you are most interested in through option modules.

There’s also the opportunity to gain qualifying work experience by working in our pro bono legal clinic.

Modules

• Equity and Trusts
• Land Law

Options*

One from:

• Legal Research Project
• Law Dissertation
• Justice and Practice – Community Legal Clinic
• Placement Project

Two or three from:

• Family Law and Family Justice
• The Innocence Programme
• Criminal Evidence
• Commercial Law
• Healthcare Law and Ethics
• International Law and Socio-economic Development
• Comparative Law and International Justice
• Civil Litigation
• Criminal Litigation
• Domestic and Sexual Abuse
• Employment Law
• Intellectual Property Law

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Law societies 

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.

Student Mooting Society

The Mooting Society has a fast-growing membership of over 120 students. The society provides workshops, guest speakers, socials, trips and competitions to help build members' confidence and adversarial skills that are increasingly essential in any career path in the legal sector.

The objective of the mooting competitions is to develop the research and advocacy skills of future practitioners. Students argue both sides of a fictitious legal case in a courtroom setting in front of a panel of judges.

Course leaders

Dr Jack Thompson

Jack is a Principal Lecturer in Law and course leader on our LLB Law and LLB Law with Business degrees. 

Jack is the joint module leader of Law of Torts, and leads the Healthcare Law and Ethics module. 

Jack has an LLB (Hons) in Law from the University of Westminster and an LLM in Legal Aspects of Medical Practice from Cardiff University. He has a PhD in Reproductive Medicine and Jurisprudence from the University of Westminster. 

He's also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and has a PGCert in Higher Education from the University of Westminster. 

Jack's research is concerned with the role of rights and autonomy within bioethics. He's recently published research on the theory of rights, law and morality, and sexual ethics. His research interests include jurisprudence, Law of Tort, medical law, and mental health law. 

Find out more about Jack. 

Jo Smith

Jo is a senior lecturer and course Leader on our Law with Criminology degree. She also provides support for the Law LLB course.

She leads our Criminal Law and Family Law modules and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Institute, with a PGCert in Higher Education from the University of Surrey. 

Jo completed her PhD looking at feminist women's experiences of online misogyny at the University of Surrey in 2019. She has subsequently published several book chapters on her PhD, looking at bystander experiences of online misogyny, activist responses to online abuse, and policing hate.

She's presented her research at a number of national and international conferences, and contributed to Law Commission reviews of online abuse and hate crime. Her current research projects look at domestic and sexual violence, and LGBTQI+ life experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jo's a qualified solicitor and has worked in criminal law since 2008, with experience in family law and civil liberties law too.

She's worked as a legal advisor for Rights of Women since 2014, and has also been involved in activism and campaigning around women's rights, domestic and sexual abuse, and LGBTQI+ rights. Jo is a board member of Stop Hate UK, of the British Society of Criminology, and a member of the Policing Institute for the Eastern Region, ARU steering committee for a project on gender diversity in the justice system.

Jo's always happy to talk about her experiences in law, and uses her practical experience to shape her teaching.

Read more about Jo.

Top reasons to study at Brighton Law School

• Practice-led learning – build applied legal skills and gain work experience in our pro-bono legal clinic.
• Subject streams – led by our legal experts, you can develop your understanding of Human Rights Law, Criminal Law and Practice, Commercial Law, and Legal Practice.
• Employability – we prepare you for practice through academic, professional and public engagement, plus classroom, assessment and extracurricular activities.
• Customisable degree – a variety of option modules means you can customise your studies to your interests and career aspirations.
• Collaboration between staff and students – our passionate teaching team works with our students and the legal profession to ensure that our degrees are tailored to what works for students and for employers.

Course fees

If you choose to take the professional placement (sandwich) year offered on this course you will pay a reduced fee during this year. Our fee for the professional placement year is £1,410 for UK students and £2,180 for international students. This fee may be subject to small increases, in line with inflation.

The fees listed here are for the first year of full-time study if you start your course in the academic year 2023–24.

You will pay fees for each year of your course. Some fees may increase each year.

UK undergraduate and some postgraduate fees are regulated by the UK government and increases will not be more than the maximum amount allowed. Course fees that are not regulated may increase each year by up to 5% or RPI (whichever is higher).

If you are studying part-time your fee will usually be calculated based on the number of modules that you take.

Find out more

• Fees, bursaries, scholarships and government funding info for UK and international undergraduate and postgraduate students
• Student finance and budgeting while studying
• About the university’s fees by checking our student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

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