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Bristol is the capital of the south-west region of England. It is a cultural, vibrant city, and is a perfect fusion of old and new, making it a genuinely inspiring place to study.

The University of Bristol is recognised as one of the top universities in the UK: in the Times Good University Guide 2010 it was ranked 10^th out of 114. The School of Law was ranked 12^th out of 91. It has over 22,000 students, over 7,000 of which are postgraduates. The university received its Royal Charter in 1909, making it one of the six so-called “red brick” universities. It is one of the twenty universities in the Russell Group.

The School of Law is situated in the impressive Wills Memorial Building at the top of Park Street. The building is one of the tallest in Bristol, and is visible from all over the city (along with the Cabot Tower, it’s a useful landmark if you get lost!) The Wills Memorial Building comprises the Great Hall (where graduations take place at various points during the year), the Wills Memorial Library and several seminar and lecture rooms.

The Wills Memorial Library is the main library resource for LLM students. It is fully stocked with journals, law reports, government publications etc, as you would expect from a top university. There are three computer areas (one next to the main desk, and two in separate rooms off the library) and sockets for laptops also. The UoB-Roam wireless network means that browsing the internet on your laptop in the library is fast and effortless (provided you have wireless, of course).

The Arts and Social Sciences library is situated on Tyndall Avenue, five to ten minutes’ walk away from the Wills Memorial Building. It has recently been renovated and is useful for some of the more obscure sources you may be directed to (on the “further reading” list, for example). In addition, it has a cafe, which is a good place to go if you aren’t looking to study in silence (there are, of course, silent areas to be found elsewhere in the library). The 24-hour computer rooms are situated next to the Arts and Social Sciences Library and are useful if you have a looming deadline and need access to the high-speed UoB-Roam service.

Sports enthusiasts should be directed to the Sports Centre on Tyndall Avenue (next to the Arts and Social Sciences Library) which features a fitness suite and running track as well as indoor courts for 5-a-side football, badminton, volleyball, basketball, table tennis and netball. The Coombe Dingle tennis centre features numerous indoor and outdoor tennis courts, along with football, rugby and cricket facilities.

The School of Law offers nine LLM programmes: Commercial Law, European Legal Studies, Human Rights Law, International Law, Labour Law and Corporate Governance, Law and Globalisation, Maritime Law, Public Law, Public Law and General Legal Studies.

Students are required to choose four units among a wide list of legal subjects. To be more specific, the School of Law offers 43 specialist units and 7 foundation Law units which may vary from year to year depending on students’ demands and staff availability. Students who already have a common law background are required to choose four of the foundation Law units.

On the other hand, students without such a background are recommended to choose three of the specialist units and one foundation Law unit to contribute to their understanding. Most units are taught through fortnightly small group seminars supplemented by weekly lectures.

Assessment patterns vary from course to course; only coursework, only written exams in May/June or a combination of the previous two. Although the LLM is quite demanding the remarkably skilled academic staff is always eager to help and support students.

The city is ideal for students; not too small, not too big. It offers a wide range of choices for all tastes in walking distance from the University precinct. Moreover, Bristol is situated near Bath, Wells and Cardiff which are ideal destinations for day trips. Additionally, the Downs is a large green open space in walking distance from the centre of the city where students like going for picnics, playing softball or just relax.

Law School is situated in the centre of the city on one of the main shopping streets with shops, supermarkets, restaurants, coffee-tea houses and the picturesque harbourside which is a 5-minute walk from the university.

It is worth mentioning that most of the halls for postgraduates (e.g. Dean’s Court, Chantry Court) are in walking distance from the Law School and thus students do not have to spend time and money to go to the University.

Fees for the Bristol LLM in 2009/10 are £4,200 for UK or EU students, and £11,450 for international students. A one-year sports pass costs £160 (this gives free access to most sports facilities such as 5-a-side football, and subsidised access to exercise classes, tennis and so on).

Students will be required to purchase at least one textbook for each module (usually costing between £25 and £40) and possibly (depending on the nature of the module) a statute or document book (costing around £15).

The postgraduate halls of residence are Deans Court (£98 per week in 2009/10, all inclusive), Chantry Court (£84.40 for a standard, non-ensuite, all inclusive) and Woodland Court (£102). Students may be able to obtain cheaper rents by renting from a private landlord.

Bristol is a top drawer entertainment venue – the famous Hippodrome and Old Vic theatres, and the recently renovated Colston Hall are all well worth a visit. If you’d rather go to a gig than a play, the o2 Academy is the place to go for more mainstream acts, whereas Thekla is a great place to go for those with more left-field tastes. The city centre has a wide range of clubs, bars and pubs, as you would expect from a major city. The most notable areas are Whiteladies Road, Park Street, the Waterfront and the Old City.

There are also many social events organised by the various societies which you can join at the Societies Fayre at the start of the year. LLM students are also entitled to a one-year Law Club membership – this costs just £15 and gives students discounts on various Law Club-organised events. The University of Bristol Law Clinic (a joint collaboration with local law firm Burges Salmon whereby students give legal advice to local citizens), as well as giving students opportunities to hone their legal research and client interviewing skills, also provides numerous social events, heavily subsidised by Burges Salmon.

The many events you can take part in during your stay include the Bristol Balloon Fiesta (August), the Harbourside Festival (July) and the Bristol Half Marathon (September).

The University of Bristol Careers Service produces an annual booklet ‘A Guide to Career Planning’ which contains countless resources, contacts and ideas for planning your career. It also hosts careers talks – some of these will be general, such as ideas for students who “haven’t got a clue” as to their future career, practice interview and advice on CVs, covering letters and applications, or more law specific such as “Non-legal careers for law students”. It also hosts employer presentations, whereby law firms come in and do a presentation on the company. These are often hosted in the impressive Marriott Royal Hotel on College Green, and give students the opportunity to talk with the firm’s representatives, be they senior partners or trainee solicitors.

In addition, the Careers Service website has an online booking system where you can reserve your place at events and receive e-mail reminders the day before. The website also has a postgraduate section – LLM students may be especially interested in the Postgraduate Taught Masters Students subsection, which gives advice on making applications, gaining experience and further study options.