Exeter Law School | llb course | llb degree

The University of Exeter is a top UK University, ranked 10th out of more than 100 UK universities in the Times league table and we are in the list of the top one per cent of universities in the world according to The Times Higher Education World Rankings 2011/2012.

We have recently accepted an invitation to join the Russell Group. The Russell Group represents the leading research-intensive universities in the UK which are committed to maintaining the very best research, an outstanding teaching and learning experience and unrivalled links with business and the public sector.

The University combines world leading research with very high levels of student satisfaction. We are one of the UK’s most popular and successful universities with campuses in Exeter, Devon, and near Falmouth in Cornwall. The University also has Project Offices in Shanghai, Beijing and Bangalore.

Students and staff enjoy some of the finest campus environments in the UK. The South West counties of Devon and Cornwall boast an unrivalled mix of city life, countryside and coastline.

The Law School

The Law School at the University of Exeter is an ambitious, dynamic and friendly law school delivering a first class legal education, offering some of the most sought after law courses in the UK. Retaining strong links with our alumni, many of whom occupy senior positions in the legal field in the UK and overseas, we are able to offer excellent employment prospects.

Located in one of the most beautiful parts of the UK, we offer a cosmopolitan teaching environment attracting students, staff and visiting scholars from around the world. Our portfolio of degrees and extra-curricular activities, such as mooting, pro bono work, study tours and work placements, offer exceptional opportunities to gain invaluable legal experience both at home and abroad and promise to offer a unique experience both in, as well as out of, the classroom.

We have an outstanding reputation internationally for our research, with exciting prospects in human rights, international law, intellectual property, legal history and European law.

LLB Programmes

The LLB consists of a core first year, and then the programme becomes increasingly flexible in years two and three. You can choose modules from a diverse set of options and design a programme to suit your developing interests. You will have opportunities to see law from a variety of perspectives and to gain practical experience of law in action. You will also have the option to choose between a Work Experience or an Advocacy module, both of which will help you to develop your personal, legal and academic skills and enable you to articulate them. Students have worked in the Devon Law Centre, law courts and the chambers of London barristers.

After completing the first year of your LLB you can choose to transfer to the LLB with International Study programme, if you’re working to a 2:1 and you pass the necessary interview. This four-year programme provides you with the opportunity to spend your third year abroad in a law faculty in Australia, Singapore, Canada or the USA.

The LLB European (French) / Maîtrise en Droit (Master 1) offers an unrivalled opportunity to study the English and the French legal orders in their respective languages in order to obtain qualifying law degrees in the United Kingdom and in France. It will enable you to master two entirely different legal cultures and systems within an integrated curriculum and graduates of this degree are highly attractive to the major City law firms as well as to European and international organisations. You will spend your first three years in Exeter studying (in English) the necessary foundation subjects for the LLB. At the same time you will undertake modules in French law with lectures given and assessments taken in French. In your fourth year, you will study at the University of Rennes I and follow one of the Maîtrise en Droit programmes. On successful completion you will obtain the dual qualification of LLB (European) (University of Exeter) and Maîtrise (University of Rennes).

The LLB European (German) / Magister programme entails you spending your first three years in Exeter studying (in English) the necessary foundation subjects for the LLB. At the same time you will undertake modules in German law with lectures given and assessments taken in German. In your fourth year you will study at the University of the Saarlandes/Saarbrücken and follow the Magister programme. Upon completing this programme, not only will you be exempt from the academic stages of professional training in the UK, you will also have the necessary knowledge to pass the aptitude test which enables lawyers from EU Member States to practise law in Germany.

The LLB with European Study is a four-year programme which enables you to combine the LLB in English law with a year in a European law faculty (France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands or Romania). It differs from the LLB European Maîtrise/Magister in that you do not study the foreign legal system in Exeter before you go abroad, but are able to take a full range of options in English law. Additional language tuition is provided in the first two years to help you develop sufficient competence in your chosen language to follow the programme in the year abroad.

The Graduate LLB allows non-law graduates to undertake a two year accelerated conversion programme which leads to a qualifying LLB law degree. We are able to offer an exciting portfolio of research-led teaching options for the second year of the Graduate LLB such as: Public International Law, Human Rights Law; Law and Literature; Law of Evidence; Medical Law and Bioethics.

The Law School is housed in the Amory Building in the attractive setting of the University’s Streatham Campus. The building includes the ‘Amory Law Wing’, a purpose built technology-rich learning space which provides a highly professional environment for students. The facilities include a custom-built Moot Court for simulated legal hearings and four large executive boardrooms designed to support group learning. The Moot Court and boardrooms are equipped with the latest technology, including high-spec video conferencing. The Amory Law Wing provides a professional atmosphere for students to work in virtual law firms, emphasising the connections between a rigorous academic education and the world of professional work.

The Lasok Law Library, located in the Forum, holds in excess of 40,000 volumes and is open 24 hours a day. In addition to United Kingdom, Commonwealth and some United States holdings, the collection is particularly strong in European Union, French and German law. We also offer access to Lexis, Westlaw and Eur-lex, and other online legal databases. You can choose from diverse study spaces to suit your specific learning needs, whether dedicated quiet study, group work, or social learning over a coffee.Extensive online services are available providing access to all official European databases, court reports and current official documents, and to a range of subscription databases, including LexisNexis, Westlaw and European Sources Online.

We are dedicated to providing an excellent legal education. You will learn through lectures, workshops and seminars, which are arranged around elements of legal research, problem analysis, teamwork, legal writing and reasoning, negotiating, advocacy and other personal and communication skills. You will also be expected to spend around 20 hours per week in private study.

Assessment methods are varied and reflect progression through the degrees, building on the knowledge and skills acquired in each year. For example, assessment may involve the presentation of an essay or an assignment, examination, oral presentation and dissertation. Exams are not simply tests of memory: they are designed to test your ability to argue persuasively and to apply the law correctly in a given situation.

Throughout the first year, students work in ‘virtual law firms’ mentored by a solicitor from a local law firm. Each virtual law firm has a particular case load to work through throughout the academic year (with cases on various aspects of subjects being studied in the first year). This will allow you to get a real sense of how law firms operate as well as developing your group work, research and time management skills.

Undeniably, Devon and Cornwall are great places to live: that’s why the world comes here on holiday. The University of Exeter has three beautiful campuses located in both Exeter and Cornwall. Our two Exeter campuses are Streatham and St. Luke's with the Cornwall Campus located in Penryn, Cornwall. Our campuses are among the finest in the UK. A recent £350 million investment programme has also created iconic new buildings like the Forum, state-of-the-art lecture theatres, research labs, library spaces and more than 2,500 on-campus student rooms.

For more information about the cost of our programmes and funding opportunities, please visit http://socialsciences.exeter.ac.uk/law/about/

At our campuses in Exeter, the Students’ Guild (Exeter’s Students’ Union) is central to student life and is recognized as one of the UK’s leading students’ unions. The Guild offers an unrivalled selection of societies, from sport to culture to community volunteering groups – 8,000 students take part in 165 societies. These societies cover a wide range of activities enabling our students to get fully involved with university life. Societies range from Archaeology, Jazz Orchestra and the Expedition Society to the Lit Soc, Photosoc, Ski Club and Welsh Societies.

Music, theatre and art are an important part of life at the University of Exeter and there are plenty of opportunities to see plays, films, musicals and concerts, ranging from pop to classical. The Streatham Campus has a new music building that supports further opportunities in all musical genres and makes the music experience at Exeter genuinely first class.

The Lemon Grove is the main live music venue and nightclub on the Streatham Campus in Exeter. It regularly plays host to well-known bands and some of the best nights out in Exeter. Last year saw Chase and Status, Black Veil Brides, We are Scientists, Foreign Beggars, Example, The King Blues, Miss Dynamite, Jaguar Skillz and Frank Turner play here. Every Saturday over 1,200 students descend on the Lemon Grove for the ‘Lemmy’ club night. Our student groups also put on regular events from RAG nights to Beats and Bass sessions.

The University has a very lively music scene and provides the venues for many gigs as well as hosting classical concerts by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra who perform throughout the year at the Streatham Campus. Distinguished chamber groups and soloists also visit regularly. There are also plenty of opportunities to join ensembles, attend concerts, recitals and lectures, and continue instrumental and vocal tuition as well as learn how to conduct.

The Streatham Campus is home to the Exeter Northcott Theatre, the city’s professional repertory theatre. The theatre also hosts touring companies and amateur productions including ones from the University’s Footlights, Exeter Theatre Company and the Gilbert and Sullivan Society.

For many students, sport is a defining factor in their overall student experience while at Exeter. Success in sport at the University of Exeter continues each year, both in competition, where we finished 8th in the British Universities and Colleges Sports (BUCS) rankings 2010/11, and in recreational sport with increasing numbers of individuals and teams enjoying the facilities across our campuses.

Our teams compete for national titles in numerous competitions including cricket, golf, hockey, netball, rowing, rugby union, sailing, squash, surfing and tennis. The University has invested in the region of £12 million in the last few years to create our superb sports facilities, and they are now amongst the best in the UK and include a £2.25 million indoor cricket centre on the Streatham Campus. A further £8.1 million in developments to the Sports Park will include creation of a new fitness suite, renewal of pitches, covering of courts and a new pavilion for outdoor sport, with work due for completion before September 2013. Whatever your level of sporting ability you’ll have every chance to take part in sport at Exeter, and membership of the Sports Park is currently at nearly 6,500.

The student-run Bracton Law Society is one of the most active and high profile student societies at the University. The society hosts numerous events during the year ranging from the prestigious Winter Law Ball, to presentation evenings and topical lectures. Trips to the Inns of Court ensure that both aspiring barristers and solicitors have plenty of opportunity to find out more about what a career in the law involves whilst developing important networking skills. Alongside this the Society hosts weekly socials and has three active sports teams: football, netball and rounders.

Exeter is one of a leading group of universities targeted by major recruiters. Despite the tough economic times, we have improved our employment record year-on-year: more than 90 per cent of students get a job or further study place within six months of graduating. The University enjoys superb links with hundreds of international, national and regional companies and organisations, with many of them specifically targeting Exeter graduates.

We are in the top 20 of Higher Education Institutions that were targeted by the largest number of top employers in 2010/11 (The Graduate Market in 2011, High Fliers Research) and have been placed in the World’s Top 100 Universities for employer satisfaction (QS World University rankings 2011/12). You’ll have access to around 700 graduate employers who advertise vacancies at the University and you’ll have the opportunity to take part in mock interviews and presentations with employers and meet them face-to-face at our careers fairs.

There are many ways to add value to your CV and job applications while you’re a student at Exeter, from management training to business placements, one of the UK’s largest student volunteering programmes and pre-teacher training, to a world-wide network of study abroad opportunities and careers advice from our own successful alumni. We also boost your career chances through skills training in areas like assertiveness, enterprise, commercial awareness, communication and leadership: we are the only university in the UK to offer this to all of our undergraduates.

We run over 900 employment focused events a year, ranging from employer presentations and mock interviews to careers fairs.  This comprehensive programme includes at least four annual Careers Fairs which are attended by around 200 companies, individual guidance interviews, psychometric testing, employer presentations, skills events and guidance on preparing your CV and making applications. There are general events and fairs covering specialist areas such as Law as well as the Virtual Careers Fair that gives you access to a wider range of graduate opportunities online. Work experience, internships and volunteering opportunities are also available to help you gain practical experience and make your CV stand out from the crowd.

Law students will be able to develop their employability skills at an early stage through undertaking the innovative Advocacy and/or Work Experience options in the second term. You can also enhance your skills through taking part in mooting exercises, careers sessions and undertaking work placements or volunteering for the new Community Legal Helpdesk.