The School of Law is consistently ranked amongst the top Law Schools in the United Kingdom and it is among the leading centres for legal research and teaching in the world. Many of the academic staff in the School have very high international reputations in their fields and all of them are active scholars and teachers.
With a full-time academic staff of over 40 and a total student population of around 900, the School of Law is a dynamic place of research , teaching and learning. Our students and staff come from all over the United Kingdom and the world.
At the School of Law we have always valued excellence in teaching, allied to a strong research base. The School of Law was rated fourth nationally for research in the recent Research Assessment Exercise and has a grade of 'Excellent' for teaching (Quality Assurance Agency, 2005). The undergraduate courses we offer are rigorous and interesting, and they cover a diverse range of subjects. Teaching is primarily by lecture and tutorial class, but some modules are taught by discussion groups and seminars. The collection of law materials in the University library is excellent (the Law section of the Hallward Library has around 55,000 volumes) and we have quality computer and other information resources dedicated to Law students.
The LLB , the BA Law and (if appropriate optional modules are selected) the BA Law with French and French Law, BA Law with German and German Law or BA Law with Spanish and Spanish Law degrees are Qualifying Law Degrees allowing exemption from the whole of the Common Professional Examination (CPE)/Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) of the Law Society and the Bar. Graduates wishing to qualify as barristers or solicitors may proceed directly to the vocational stage of legal training – for solicitors, the Legal Practice Course, and for barristers, the Bar Professional Training Course. A number of institutions offering these courses guarantee a place for Nottingham graduates with at least a lower second class degree.
Students registered on the BA Law and LLB courses can apply, at the beginning of year two, to be transferred onto one of our four-year degree courses with the opportunity to spend one year abroad. It is a competitive process, but students that are successful can study in America, Australia, Canada, China, Europe, New Zealand or South East Asia.
Students registered on BA Law with French and French Law, BA Law with German and German Law and BA Law with Spanish and Spanish Law are, subject to satisfactory completion of years one and two, guaranteed a place at one of our partner universities during their third year of study.