Brunel Law School | llb course | llb degree

Brunel University was established just over 40 years ago and is based in Uxbridge, West London. At present, the University is undergoing a £250 million campus redevelopment programme. It will include a competition-standard athletics complex, a refurbished sport and fitness centre, an extended library building, a student facilities complex and 34 new Halls of Residence. A pretty massive project from what we can see.

Leading in research, Brunel’s research department is rated in the Top 10 in the UK. Brunel Law School is one of the university’s highest rated department, achieving the top ranking of 5A in the previous national research exercise.

For those of you planning on Law for the long run, Brunel Law School has also negotiated an arrangement with the College of Law to guarantee those who achieve a lower second class (2’2) and above a place on their LPC course programme.

Brunel Law School is situated in the Marie Jahoda building. This is the main contact point for lecturers and the administrators for llb course matters, coursework submission, etc. Although small, it provides a welcoming, friendly atmosphere where you are able to discuss any problems with tutors and lecturers alike.

Most lectures and seminars are held in the Lecture Centre, a sixties-built building, but very striking and modern inside. The lecture theatres are quite sizeable, and the other rooms are very good for seminars, all with computer facilities, microphones, etc.

Additionally, if you love sports then Brunel is the right place for you, with indoor sports facilities for athletics, climbing, squash, netball and a host of others. Outdoor sports facilities include tennis courts, grass pitches, athletics arena and many more. Other facilities on campus include Costcutter, a Pharmacy and HSBC bank.

Brunel places great importance to the quality of teaching and research; hence being ranked in the top ten in the UK for research and the Law School rated 5A. There are approximately 500 Undergraduates on the llb course at Brunel Law School current spread throughout the 3 and 4-year programmes.

Due to the popularity of the llb  course, Law lectures are usually held in the biggest lecture theatres on campus, mainly the Howell Building, with approximately 250 undergraduates in lectures. Seminar rooms are held in the Lecture centre, consisting of approximately 15-20 students per group.

In the first year there are 7 hours of lectures per week for four modules. Seminars are held every two weeks, one hour per module (four hours in total). Students are advised to spend approximately a minimum of 20 hours per week towards self study. Law requires a lot of independent reading and absorbing large amounts of information so the more hours contributed to self study the easier it is when it comes to exams.

Lecturers and seminar leaders are accessible during their office hours; students can book an appointment to meet their tutor/lecturers for any help they need relating to their course. Personal tutors can be contacted via email or phone. There are one to one tutor-pupil appointments arranged by the head of the year in order to supervise progress of students on the llb course.

Uxbridge is a quiet town, situated about a 40 minute tube ride from the centre of London. The university is situated 20 minutes from Uxbridge tube station. Chimes, The Pavilion and Uxbridge high street offer a wide range of retail shops and food/restaurants/coffee places. Students are also able to benefit from local amenities including the Odeon cinema at Chimes and an impressive shopping mall.

The famous club situated in Uxbridge, Liquid, is where students spend most of their nights out. The greatest advantage of studying in Uxbridge is that it is a very safe location, with regular patrols from the local police ensuring it’s never dangerous. Everything is nearby so students living on campus can easily access necessities.

In line with most other Universities, Brunel Law School charges £3,225 per year for the llb course. For those wishing to do the sandwich course, for years one and four the fees will be £3,225 and £2,020 for years two and three. Law text books, if bought new, cost approximately £35 per book. You will need to purchase at least one for every module unfortunately so costs can really mount up.

Despite this, books can be bought second hand from previous students or you can loan out textbooks from the Law library. Representatives from Blackstone’s sell books on campus for the first term in order to make it easier for new undergraduates to purchase their textbooks.

If you choose to live on campus your accommodation will cost you between £81.41 and £99.96 per week depending on whether you choose an en-suite or standard room. Local private housing is also available and is generally cheaper than Central London. If you wish to live on campus, a maintenance loan is advisable and can be up to £3000 per year.

According to household income you can also receive a maintenance grant. If you are eligible for a maintenance grant, Brunel offers additional support through bursaries; £1,000 for a full maintenance grant and £500 for partial maintenance grant. Monthly/weekly travel on your student oyster will cost approximately £85 per month from zones two to six. Uxbridge is in zone 6 so commuting can get quite expensive.

There is a great community atmosphere at Brunel so there is always something happening somewhere on campus, from film evenings to barbeques or even carnivals. There is also a wide selection of societies: sports, music, societies according to countries and other general interest topics. There is a fee to join a society, but it is usually only around £3 for the year, so very reasonable.

At Brunel there is a fantastic lecturer who organises mooting. She has even opened it up to first year students, who often do not have the chance to do something like this until the 2nd or 3rd year. Mooting workshops are provided and then practice mooting competitions. Brunel Law School has also competed at national level in mooting competitions, getting to the semi finals of the Weekly Law Reports Moot. There are also regular debates open to all students via the negotiating club.

As said earlier, with Uxbridge being in London you can benefit from the London nightlife, although travelling at night can be an issue as the tube trains to Uxbridge stop running quite early. In Uxbridge itself there is a nightclub, which hosts great student nights every Wednesday. If that's not enough, there are also a staggering amount of pubs to choose from locally, remember you're there to study though!

Brunel has both a placement and careers centre. The Job Shop in the placement and careers centre provides a service to help students find placements, training contracts, part time/vacation work and help with their application process. Help is provided to enhance CVs and interview skills before applications are made.

Law students benefit from experienced professionals working in the Placement and Career Centre. Throughout the year, the Centre organises workshops for law students in order to familiarise them with the legal profession. There is also a wealth of experience in providing careers advice from various academics within Brunel Law School itself.