Salford Law School | llb course | llb degree

This profile was written by a member of the law faculty at Salford

The University of Salford has a rich history stretching back to 1896, but if you thought Salford was all about flat caps, factory smog and Coronation Street – think again. The future looks bright. Not only is the BBC moving up to Salford Quays, they are also investing over £200 million into new facilities as part of a massive regeneration scheme for the city.

Salford is ranked in the top 10 in the UK for teaching and over 93% of their postgraduate students are in employment or go on to further study within six months of graduating. Just one and a half miles away from Manchester, the University of Salford is right on the doorstep of big-city diversity and fun.

Their alumni includes painter LS Lowry, comedian Peter Kay, actors Sir Ben Kingsley and Christopher Eccleston and former international rugby union player Ieuan Evans among many others. Improved results in the National Student Survey have helped the University of Salford move up five places in the Sunday Times University Guide. The improved place of 76th means that Salford is now the fourth ranked University in the North West.

Salford Law School opened the doors of the new £10m purpose-built facility to the first cohort of students in September 2007. We are a brand new school based at the heart of the University of Salford’s park and riverside based campus offering undergraduate, postgraduate and research level programmes.

Our first year as Salford Law School has seen us building on our key strengths of quality teaching, state-of-the-art facilities and outstanding student support. We pride ourselves on the fact that we are a smaller, more personal institution than other larger Law Schools and due to this we can focus a lot more care, attention and most importantly, time on Salford Law School students.

A particular feature of the new undergraduate programmes is the concentration on practical legal skills aimed at preparing students not only for the legal profession, but for the many different areas in which lawyers gain employment. The University's existing legal expertise in health, environmental law and health and safety have already played a part in earning a maximum 6* research rating.

They pride themselves on the fact that they are a smaller, more personal institution than other larger Law Schools, being able to provide a lot more care, attention and time.

They offer a brand new purpose built facility in the Lady Hale Building designed specifically to accommodate the needs of law students. The building opened officially in February 2008 by Baroness Brenda Hale and special guest Shami Chakrabarti, Director of Liberty. It boasts an on-site Law Society approved library, a mock court room with video facilities, a large open lecture theatre and teaching rooms equipped with the latest technology to support learning.

Their open-plan student social area contains comfortable sofa and pod style seating, a café style area with student pc’s, internet access and daily newspapers and refreshment facilities. The first floor houses a central reception area and staff offices. Staff are readily available to students and not hidden away in a maze of corridors or different buildings dotted all over campus.

The Law Library provides a large collection of student textbooks covering all the subjects taught on the degree programme. As well as textbooks, the Library stocks copies of law reports, government publications, career information, guides to studying and a wide range of legal journals. A variety of loan periods ensures that you will be able to access the materials you need.

Many items can be borrowed for up to a month, whilst others can be used within the library during opening hours or taken out of the University’s Key Resource Collection for short periods. If you want to work from home using library-use only materials from either the Law Library or the Clifford Whitworth Library, items can be photocopied. A wealth of legal information is also available via electronic sources. These can be accessed 24/7 from any computer with internet access whether on or off campus.

In addition to the large law collection, the Law Library has 180 study spaces in a range of zones for quiet and group study. There are 60 computers connected to the University network and 4 project rooms which can be used by small groups of students wishing to work together. To help develop your skills in legal research the Library has two dedicated training rooms where you can attend training courses on finding printed and electronic legal information. In the Clifford Whitworth Library there are an additional 220 networked computers and over 400 spaces for study. The building is fully Wi-Fi enabled.

Salford Law School currently has 19 members of staff. 13 academic and 6 administrative and clerical. Law degree programmes are demanding. Law students must be prepared to undertake a significant amount of reading and preparatory work, much of which, in common with all law degrees, needs to be done independently and outside of the formally timetabled 12 to 14 weekly teaching hours.

Studying law is not just about learning rules and cases; it is also concerned with learning the principles and policies that shape the law and the skills necessary to conduct research, analyse, evaluate and apply the law. We utilise a wide range of teaching methods, including seminars, lectures, practical workshops and Socratic style classes.

A central aim of our programmes is to develop you into ‘thinking like a lawyer’ with client counselling tasks and mooting being integrated features.
Experienced, friendly members of staff are available in the Salford Law School to give help and advice about any aspect of studying at Salford. Along with the excellent teaching and amenities it is the little things, such as knowing all of their students by name (reportedly) that seems to set them apart.

The location of Salford is both convenient and accessible. At less than a mile and a half (three kilometres) from Manchester city centre, Salford has excellent transport links into the city, with a railway station on campus and a regular bus service.

It's only a couple of minutes drive from the motorway network and less than twenty minutes from Manchester International Airport. With the University of Salford’s park and riverside campus so close to the city centre, you're right on the doorstep of big-city fun, diversity and countless opportunities.

Tuition fees at Salford are set according to your fee status, the type and level of study you choose and the course you select. As such, it is difficult to give an exact figure but expect it to be more reasonable than most other universities.

Visit http://www.isite.salford.ac.uk/money/fees/ for the most up to date fees and financial information.

The University of Salford is one of the top 10 coolest places to live and study in the UK, according to The Independent. Salford's proximity to Manchester city centre and its 'snowball of investment, culture and developing nightlife has secured its place alongside universities including Sheffield, Cardiff and Leeds.

The city's rich cultural and artistic heritage as well as the reasonable cost of a pint and accommodation at the University were also cited as contributing to its 'cool' status. Manchester and Salford boast a plethora of pubs, clubs, restaurants, cinemas, gig venues and shops.

University isn't just about learning. Your experience also depends on access to shops, restaurants and recreational facilities. The Tom Husband Leisure Centre is open seven days a week and boasts a gym, swimming pool, sauna and spa, squash courts, climbing wall, snooker room and a multi-use sports hall.

As for SU Bars, the University has many offering a full range of products including: beers, wines, soft drinks, fair-trade coffee plus hot and cold snacks. For entertainment there's the Pav nightclub, quizzes, big-screen sport, pool tables, gaming, quiz machines and a range of table-top games.

The Law Society has now been established for twelve months, and day by day becoming stronger. Last year the society’s aims and objectives were to provide a support network for students, and to get over the initial developmental stages. This year they aim to launch their website, newsletter and mooting team.

They have been forging strong links with the local profession. Kenworthys, the only barristers Chambers in Salford, are offering summer placements to students. A number of Manchester solicitors firms are offering mentoring, and the law school are now able to offer a year long placement to a select number of students between the 2nd and 3rd years of the LLB. Further careers advice is available at http://www.careers.salford.ac.uk/.