Nottingham Trent Law School | llb course | llb degree

Nottingham Law School has an international reputation for delivering excellence in legal education from undergraduate courses, (including courses with placement years) LPC, BVC, GDL, Masters and practitioner courses. The School is also one of the best performing departments at the University.

For undergraduates the University has a lot to offer, being in the top three for graduate employment rates out of all universities in England and Wales (HESA 2006-2007). The university itself is spread out over three campuses, one in the city centre, one in Clifton (about a 15 -20 minute bus ride away) and Brackenhurst, which is where agricultural courses take place.

On the city campus, where Law is taught, one of oldest buildings, “Newton/Arkwright” has just undergone a massive renovation and by 2010 the whole city campus will have been renovated.

Law courses and law students will be learning, studying and researching on the city campus, predominantly in the Chaucer Building. It is situated a matter of minutes away from the hub of the city and the Nottingham Trent Student’s Union.

The Boots Library facilities include over 531,000 books, 2,800 journals, 10,000+ E.Journals, 260 databases, silent study areas and various group study rooms. In addition, they support over 1,000 PC resource facilities for students and offers 24/7 computer access to enrolled students. The Law section of the Library consists of an entire floor, containing 14,996 books on the subject of law, as well as access to online and written journals, cases, articles and legal online recourses. A truly impressive set up.

Times Higher published a report placing NTU eighth amongst English institutions in a new teaching quality league table. Nottingham law school is undoubtedly one of the largest full service law schools in the UK. With over 100 full-time lecturers and 2,800 students, it really is a massive school.

As such, they are able to maintain very strong links with leading law firms, barristers’ chambers and the judiciary regionally, nationally and internationally, ensuring that Nottingham Law School's courses fully prepare you for modern legal practice.

An undergraduate year usually consists of around 300 students. Core subjects will usually have this many people in a lecture, whereas elective subjects can vary depending upon how popular the subject is. Seminars are usually no larger than 14-16 people to one tutor. As a first year you sit four year long modules with constant assessment and exams in May/June.

Law students, particularly first years, are likely to live on the city campus. The law school and Chaucer Building are situated two minutes from the tram stop which allows easy travel all over Nottingham and to the suburbs. The University and Nottingham City Transport also offer discounted travel for students.

The city campus is literally a five minute walk from Nottingham’s’ Old Market Square, renowned as the heart of the city. Surrounded by shops, two huge shopping centres are situated either side of the Square. Seeing as Nottingham is one of the top five shopping centres for the UK, this is hardly surprising.

The City Hall is also in the Square and plays hosts to a variety of events throughout the year, from live music, the Christmas German Market and special one-off events. Within a five minute walk from the university there are numerous bars, places to eat, Nottingham Theatre Royal and a concert venue, a multiplex cinema and plenty of night life. There is also a massive two storey shopping centre and the hub of Nottingham Trent University, the student union, is only two minutes walk away.

The University currently charges £3,225 per year (2009-2010) for undergraduates, in line with most other UK universities. Books can vary dependant on where you buy them from, but expect to pay between £150 and £300 a year. The Law department also run second hand book sales for students to sell their old books to other students.

There are always offers on in all three of the union bars, often with £ 1-a-drink nights and discounted entry prices all over the place. University accommodation ranges from £60-£65 per week (for older halls of residence out of the city) to £85 per week for halls of residence situated three minutes from the city university campus.

Nottingham has an excellent range of transport, from the very reliable and regular tram to the Nottingham City Centre buses. Everything is so close together that it is just as easy to walk within the city campus and the surrounding areas.

Nottingham Trent University plays host to the largest Welcome Week in the UK. The union offers a huge amount of things to get involved in, from Trent media (Radio and TV Stations and a magazine) to virtually every sport ever invented. We have over forty societies and even more sports clubs that you can get involved in, as well as a different social event every night of the week throughout the year.

The law society is called LEX and has won society of the year regularly over the last five years; it hosts social events and academic events such as meet and greets with leading law firms in the local area and beyond. Other events include, "If I had my time again" where students get the opportunity to speak with current LPC and BVC students to pick up handy tips and information, trips to the Inns of Court, Networking events, Guest Speakers and various other advisory sessions on careers.

As well as the yearly ball and boat cruise, LEX also has it’s own sports teams for Football and Netball. A year’s membership costs £10, providing you with discounts from the sponsors of LEX and ticket price for events.

One of the great things that you can benefit from here at NTU is the Legal Advice Clinic, aimed at providing a free initial advice and referral service to the local community. Law students, supervised by qualified lawyers, are available to offer advice and assistance on a wide range of legal problems, including but not limited to employment law, consumer issues, contracts, housing and welfare benefits.

On the LL.B there is the option to take a year out to complete a legal work placement. Nottingham Trent University is second out of all UK universities for the number of students taking year long legally related work placements. The Law department also offers an international summer school, for example a group of students recently attended a mooting summer school in Amsterdam.