Manchester Law School | llb course | llb degree

Law is one of Manchester’s flagship courses. Considering the excellent reputation of the university as a whole, this is a very strong endorsement for their legal department. Falling consistently amongst the top ten in university leagues tables and within the top 100 in the world, Manchester University is of the highest pedigree.

The school of law itself occupies two large floors of the Williamson building, with the law foyer displaying notices. This area is very easy to navigate with a clearly laid-out room format for seminars and meetings with personal tutors.

Although it’s situated across the road from the main library, the department has its own common room with an adjoining computer cluster and a miniature collection of law reports. The law common room is extremely comfortable and great for use in between seminars and lectures. This is also where you can find brochures on careers in law, the law society magazine, etc.

The library has two sections dedicated to law with law reports and journals easily marked. As with every subject, books are difficult to get hold of around exam time and essay deadlines. However, students find the online reservation system great when a deadline has to be met, especially as the online book section means you do not actually have to bother searching around the library.

Most students buy the main text books at bookshops and seek out second years who offer their first year books for sale at a cheaper price. First years are always given a tour of the library and a session will be held on how to understand case references in the library and on the law databases.

The University has various lecture theatres, with the Roscoe building located next to the Williamson building and the Crawford building about one hundred yards away. There are also lecture rooms on north campus, which means more use of the bus, yet they are so frequent that this does not cause a problem. The quality of the academic staff is very high, with a massive cross-section of research-intensive and practice-based lecturers.

Seminars usually contain 6 to 8 people, allowing students the opportunity to discuss and debate the issues raised in the lecture in a more intimate setting. There is a seminar every two weeks for each module.

The great thing about Manchester is that you can choose your seminar leader and the time and day of your seminar. Lectures contain at least 300 students depending on the yearly intake and including seminars there are around 13 hours of time in university per week. Additionally it is recommended that students do about 6 hours for each seminar and non-assessed coursework takes up a similar amount of time.

One of the best things about the University of Manchester is that it is located in between Fallowfield and the town centre. This ideallic spot is on a very busy bus route just down the road from Manchester Metropolitan University. With over 30,000 students in the city it is a very busy, vibrant place to be. If you opt to live in Fallowfield (the student village) the buses are extremely efficient.

In between the University and Fallowfield is the famous ‘curry mile’ and Victoria Park, located in Rusholme. Victoria Park and Fallowfield are two of the accommodation campuses and the City Campus is located past the main academic buildings on Oxford Road.

Fallowfield has its own social scene with various student bars, restaurants and supermarkets, making the University have the feel of both a city and campus. Everything in Fallowfield and Rusholme is within walking distance and as Fallowfield is about 20 minutes from the city centre a big night out is not far to walk at all.

Manchester is famous for its nightclubs and there is plenty to choose from, with the social life described by students to be as good as anywhere. In the centre is also a cinema complex with restaurants, bars and clubs in the ‘Printworks’.

The shopping in Manchester is among the best in the UK, with the Trafford Centre only a bus ride away and the Arndale centre with all of the typical high street stores. There is also a street of designer shops and the Northern Quarter (not far from the Arndale centre) which has vintage shops and nightclubs with more of an indie vibe.

Accommodation costs at the University are much the same as any other University and are perhaps cheaper than Durham and Nottingham and of course cheaper than the London Universities. Transport is very cheap and food prices will be the same as anywhere else.

The main issue for students as far as studies are concerned is books, which are very expensive. However, ideas have been raised amongst the upcoming law society committee for ways of reducing text book prices. The law society and other societies are cheap to join and many are free. Bars and clubs offer cheap admission on student nights.

The list of extra-curricular activities for law students at Manchester seems to be never ending. There is a debating society, offering the chance to contest on a non-law topic usually in front of lawyers from a top law firm. The mooting society also provides a brilliant experience in preparing law students for work at the Bar.

The Manchester University Law Society (MULS) offers more social events than any other academic society at the University. For first years there is also a society dedicated to informing you about careers in law and the magic circle law firms. Moreover, there are opportunities to get involved with pro bono work.

Sport is widely pursued here with sports grounds and a gym at the armitage centre (Fallowfield) and a swimming pool at the Aquatics centre (near the City Campus on Oxford Road). Also further up is the Sudgen centre with a gym. Various societies represent different sports from tennis to dodge ball. The law society also runs a law netball team and a law rugby team which are a great way to network with other universities.

Careers advice is widely accessible, whether it be from your personal tutor, programme director or from within the careers office itself. Aside from this, your university inbox will be forever filled with job opportunities and notices of events, such as information evenings run by law firms and barristers chambers concerning the applications process.

Direct help concerning the LPC and BVC is available through such information evenings as well as the brochures in the law common room. Also, as you progress into your second year you will be encouraged to network as much as possible through law society events and through the law fair where you will have face-to-face contact with representatives from top magic circle law firms and barristers chambers.