Law Senior Status LLB(Hons): What our students say

"Students who have a previous degree and wish to study law, normally opt for the Graduate Diploma in Law or the Postgraduate Diploma. However, I wanted to study law in more detail, in order to gain a better perspective and not merely an overview of the subject. The Senior Status LLB degree is fast paced and exceedingly interesting. The lectures are taught with regular students. However, tutorials where the most interesting aspects of law are discussed are predominately taught with only Senior Status students which allows greater in-depth discussions to take place.

Kingston University has a growing academic reputation. It is also recognised nationally for having a strong legal skills base. While undoubtedly law is one of the few subjects that you really do read at university, there is also a very strong social side too. The Law Society and other societies arrange a host of events, such as visits to the various Inns of Court, pub crawls and the Law Ball. There is a variety of cafes at Kingston Hill, and a bar, which we frequently attend after an equity lecture (Sigh). Throughout the year there are various competitions where you can enhance and refine your skills (client interviewing, negotiation, mooting and to name just a few!).

The lectures might seem daunting at first, but when you begin reading the material it all quickly falls into place. If there is something that you don't understand the lecturers are approachable both in tutorials and in their office hours, and they will strive for you to grasp the concept. As law students the library will become a second home. Luckily it has all the materials that you will need (from books, printed law reports, journals and access to law students' academic version of Wikipedia: LexisNexis and Westlaw!).

After I graduate, I wish to become a solicitor and then eventually to lecture law. To this extent I have been looking at both the Legal Practice course and areas in which to study a PhD, either immediately after graduating or after a few years post-qualifying as a solicitor."

General Law School thoughts

Over the last seven months I have had the privilege to study law at the Kingston Law School. Being from the United States, Florida to be exact, and transitioning to studying law in the United Kingdom was definitely a difficult concept for my mind to adjust to. However, with the clear direction from Kingston Law School staff members I have been able to comfortably adjust to this new environment while grasping a better understanding of UK and European Union law. I chose to study law in the UK because I wanted to have the ability to work in multiple countries at a firm that has global presence. The LLB Senior Status programme was one of the most rigorous programmes I could find within the UK. Kingston just happened to be a school that had some of the most profound teaching staff who I wanted to learn under. As human beings we need to remember that "learning is the key to evolution, and the world will either evolve with you or evolve without you – so never be afraid of a challenge to learning." Kingston Law School is unlike any other school I have ever been a part of, mainly because of the staff and their ability to be both personable and encouraging; they are personable in the sense that you could walk up to any staff member and ask questions that boggle your mind or even attend an office hour for extra help. The Law School staff encourage students by telling you to shoot for the stars and by not just feeding you with the answers: instead they give you the ability to conduct most of the research on your own, to present the findings later, of course. I have no doubt in my mind that the education I am obtaining from Kingston Law School will guide me to becoming a contributor within both the British and American legal communities.

LLB Senior Status programme

The LLB Senior Status programme is an accelerated programme; meaning that you only take core classes over a two-year period. The programme was designed for students who are degree holders. I proudly serve as this year's course representative for the programme, where I constantly strive for excellence in assuring that the LLB Senior Status students are represented and so that their views and thoughts are heard and later developed. Students come from all over the globe to study law at Kingston, though most think that the Senior Status programme is just one of the great benefits of the University. One of the most amazing things I love about the Law School is that nearly all of the lecturers are either published or on their way to being published in their respective areas of law. That fact raises the bar for me because when you're in a community of scholars who dedicate their lives to education it fuels you and that fuel encourages you to be the best.

Location/Learning Resources Centre (LRC)

Kingston University is a very diverse university; I can safely say that I have gained friends from all around the globe: Iran, Brazil, Mexico, Iraq, Nigeria, France and many others (global learning at its best). The location of the Law School is in a safe and enjoyable area. I always find myself day dreaming on the drive into the Kingston Hill campus because of its sheer beauty; the trees and the modern architecture are a great starting point for anyone. Also, the law library in the Learning Resources Centre (LRC) is equipped with everything you need so that you can prove your point and do so with the facts from the greats, for example AV Dicey and his three principles on the concept of the UK constitution and others. The LRC is open 24 hours a day from Sunday to Thursday. This resource gives you all the time you need to become the best you could possibly be.