Swansea Law School | Swansea llb course | llb degree

Swansea University has possibly one of the best locations for students, being the closest University in the world to the sea, even beating California. This unrivalled location provides stunning beaches and parks all within easy reach. The University was once home to the Vivian family in the 19th century, who owned the main copper manufacturing plant in the area.

They donated their home and surrounding land to become Swansea University. Swansea University was voted the best student experience in the U.K by the 2005 Times Higher Education Supplement Award.

Swansea is a research lead University and 92% of its academic staff are actively engaged in research. This includes the law department, whose research is aimed at having a beneficial impact on the wider community. The University is constantly expanding and there are many exciting developments being discussed for the future, including the construction of a second campus and new student village.

The University’s School of Law occupies the same building as the School of Business. There is a dedicated reception which handles enquiries and seminar rooms within the building for fortnightly seminar groups.

Swansea also has its own law library within the main University library. It houses all the books, journals and articles that will be required on the degree course. The main library has over 400 computers and there is wireless internet available throughout the entire campus if you wish to bring a laptop to the University.

There are approximately 33 lecturers in the School of Law at Swansea. On average there are around 200 students in lectures, while seminar groups are substantially smaller, having around 10 students. This enables you to actively participate in debates and allows you to bring up any issues you are having difficulty with.

There are around 16 hours of lectures each week, with an additional hour for each topic in seminars fortnightly. On top of this, students are expected to study and read independently outside of lectures. Every student is assigned a personal tutor who they can meet for support or to answer any queries they might have.

Swansea University is situated in a stunning location. The beautiful Gower coastline is easily accessible by bus with some of the best beaches in Britain. Literally across the road from the University lies Swansea beach, which during term time becomes a haven for students seeking a break from the pressures of study.

The University’s location provides students with the opportunity to sample many different activities, such as cycling, surfing, windsurfing and sailing amongst other things.

Swansea is a campus University and accommodation is provided in Hendrefoilan Student Village. A bus service runs from the student village to the University very frequently. There are all the things one could expect from a large vibrant city in Swansea, where it’s nightlife, the cinema, theatres or sport.

Law involves a lot of reading outside lectures and so you will need to buy textbooks to accompany your subjects. This can be an expensive exercise, costing around £300, although the Law Society does hold an annual second hand book sale at the start of term, where you can normally buy second hand books at a big discount.

Accommodation costs obviously vary, but the student village normally provides the cheapest rent, although the cost of a bus pass to the University, must be factored into the price (£275).

Internet and utilities are included in the accommodation costs, but unless you decide on living in a part catered residence, providing you with one meal a day, you will need to budget money for food shopping each week. There is a Tesco next to the bus station, a Sainsbury’s by the marina and the discount supermarket Lidl in Parc Tawe.

Wind Street is a great area for socialising with something to suit all tastes, including walkabout, revolution, varsity and reflex. While on the Kingsway there is a Jumpin Jaks, dance venue Escape and the largest Oceana in the U.K. Monkey bar houses alternative music such as hip hop, salsa and reggae and Sin City hosts weekly alternative music gigs.

Swansea has over 100 societies ranging from the debating to cheerleading. The University will even help you set up your own society if you can find over 20 members. After exams the University holds its annual summer ball, the perfect opportunity for students to dress up and let their hair down after the stress of exams.

The Law Society organises local trips to the Magistrates and Crown Courts. It also organises dinners in the Inns of Court in London, which are good networking events. As networking is so important in law, the society also holds an annual networking dinner with Barristers and Solicitors from all over the U.K. The Law Society also holds regular socials in Wind Street to encourage students to get to know other students in their society and on their course.

The Society’s Mistress and Master of the Moots organise regular internal and external moots. Based in the School of Law, there is a moot court, providing the perfect place to perfect your advocacy skills. The Law School also offers a pro bono law clinic. This is a free legal advice service run by students under solicitor supervision.

There isn't a specialized law careers centre, however, the University careers centre offers free CV clinics, job and placement opportunities vacancies listing service, careers advice with experienced advisors. Personal tutors are always ready to give career advice to students.

At the start of every year, there are lectures that offer information on the legal profession, how to write a covering letter, what a good CV consists of, how to get a training contract or a pupilage and other pertinent questions a law student would ask.

Swansea Law School and John Collins and Partners (JCP) also have a year placement scheme, allowing students who have completed their second year to work at JCP for a year as a paralegal, allowing them to gain legal experience and bolster their chances of employment post-degree. There are also work experience schemes available in the second year, involving the Swansea Crown Prosecution Service, HM Courts Service, Witness Service and Iscoed Chambers to name a few.