Study in the Department of Law

Why law at Kingston University?

We offer a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate law courses to cater for people at all stages in their career. Whether you are looking to qualify as a lawyer, study law alongside a related subject, or if you wish to study a particular area of law in depth.

Our reputation for high quality teaching is verified by government agencies and professional bodies. Many members of our teaching staff are active in professional legal practice or are legal scholars whose research puts them at the forefront of legal learning. Several members of the judiciary and leading legal practitioners are visiting professors and fellows. Our Academic Skills Centre helps students with and advises them on coursework.

Kingston law students can take advantage of our careers and employability services, improving their CVs and interviewing techniques and networking with leading law firms through our programme of research seminars which are open to external speakers and attendees.

Through our alumni, the prestigious recipients of our Royal Courts of Justice honorary doctorates, visiting professors and guest speaker events at our student Law Society, we have well-established links with many firms and individuals throughout the legal profession. Local and countrywide law firms and legal publishers sponsor our competitions, research and student prizes. Our Business Services bring the law department into professional contact with many other businesses and industries outside of law.

We offer huge opportunities to students to develop their practical legal skills and make them stand out in the job market. We encourage students to take part in in-house, national and international competitions in client interviewing, mediation and mooting. And we achieve a considerable amount of success in these competitions. Our Quest scheme gives special awards on graduation to students who take on extra activities and responsibilities during their degree programme to enhance their career opportunities.

Undergraduate courses

Our range of undergraduate courses are designed to give you the flexibility to study law regardless of you future career progressions within the field. Studying law gives you a broad range of academic skills so whether you are looking for a course that qualifies you as a lawyer, or if you wish to study law and transfer the skills into other career paths then we have courses to suit you.

Solicitors Regulation Authority and Bar Standards Board

Kingston Law LLB courses are recognised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and the Bar Standards Board (BSB) as a qualifying law degree. Students can progress to the vocational stage of their legal training once they have successfully completed the LLB.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority is the professional body that represents and regulates practising solicitors in England and Wales.

The Bar Standards Board is the professional governing body for barristers.

International Law with professional experience LLB (Hons)

Law with professional experience LLB (Hons)

Postgraduate courses

We offer a diverse range of postgraduate law courses, either at a general level or across numerous specialist areas of law such as dispute resolution and employment law. So whether you are already within the legal profession and looking to specialise, or outside the profession and wanting to gain a greater understanding of the legal aspects involved in a certain area then we have courses to achieve that.

General Law LLM

Law PhD (Doctor of Philosophy)

Academic support

Writing academic assignments can often be a daunting prospect, particularly if English is not your first language. The Law Academic Skills Centre can help you with structuring your assignments, referencing, plagiarism, grammar, punctuation and maths skills.

You can bring draft assignments to the drop-in desk in the Nightingale Centre (Learning Resource Centre) on the Kingston Hill campus, to get advice from tutors, writing experts and students from the Department of Law.

There is no need to book.

Academic advice

You can drop in to see an academic adviser at the ASC desk, between 10.00am and 5.00pm Monday to Thursday and from 11.00am to 3.00pm on Fridays. They will offer advice and guidance on what you can do to improve your written assignments, in particular, academic structure, presentation, grammar, punctuation, referencing and answering/unpacking the question.

If English is not your first language

You can get help with your English language skills on Tuesdays from 1.00pm to 3.00pm and Fridays from 11.00am to 1.00pm.

Research skills

You can drop in to the Nightingale Centre to get help and support from library staff with how to use databases, formulating search strategies and referencing.

Scholarships

Kingston University offers a range of postgraduate scholarships, including:

Find out more

Professional Internship Programme

To meet the demands of the modern workplace, the Department of Law is changing how it educates and trains its law students. From September 2016, all students have undertaken our new three year degrees geared to enhancing their careers and employability. The degrees will better prepare students for the world of work, combining academic learning, professional experience, management skills training and professional links.

Kingston University already has a high quality professional internship programme. However, from May 2017 we have increased the number of professional internships offered to law students and are looking for more organisations to take part in this innovative programme.

Your organisation will be in great company. We regularly receive excellent feedback from companies we work with and many go on to offer permanent positions to our students.

We are looking for internship organisations of all sizes, throughout the private, public and voluntary sectors. Whether you are a legal practice, a barrister in chambers or a legal department within a business, we believe you will benefit from becoming one of our professional internship providers. We also believe you can offer our students valuable legal experience, which will enable them to see the range and scope of modern professional practice.

Advantages for your organisation

By joining our professional internship programme you will:

Gain professionally skilled workers: Our students will be "work-ready" before they begin a professional internship. They will be trained in a range of skills including workplace professionalism, self-management, planning, organising, target-setting and working effectively in a team.

Gain workers who are prepared: Our students will be ready to apply their practical learning and critical understanding to the real world of work.

Gain workers who are enthusiastic: Our students will bring their skills, knowledge and enthusiasm to their professional internships and be eager to work in roles that complement their degrees.

Gain workers studying for professional qualifications: The new degrees remain qualifying law degrees recognised by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) and the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).

Gain workers from diverse backgrounds: Kingston University students come from a wide range of backgrounds and countries, fully reflecting the society in which your organisation operates.

Gain potential future employees: You will gain access to talented, experienced and trained potential employees. Professional internship providers have given graduate roles to an amazing 70 per cent of Kingston students who took professional internships (source: KU Talent).

Key features of our three year degrees

Qualifying law degrees recognised by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) and the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). After graduating students will be able to move to the vocational stage of legal training.

Professional experience - students have two opportunities to undertake a summer internship of up to nine weeks, giving practical experience. The internship may be in the UK or overseas.

A full professional readiness programme to ensure students make the most of their professional internship - over 150 hours of relevant skills training in addition to full academic content. This makes sure students are 'work ready' before going on a professional internship.

FAQs

What are the new law degree courses?

The new law degrees offered since September 2016 are:

These remain qualifying law degrees, recognised by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) and the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). If students aim to become barristers or solicitors, then once they graduate they may progress to the vocational stage of their legal training.

What is different about the new degree programme?

Kingston University's new degree courses combine:

Professional experience - two opportunities to undertake a summer internship of up to nine weeks. The internship may be in the UK or overseas.
A Professional Readiness Programme
Additional modules on mediation and managing change, ensuring that students have an increased understanding of current practice and issues in the legal environment.

This is alongside their qualifying law degree and all in just three years.

Why has Kingston University decided to update its courses?

At Kingston University, we believe there is a real need for degree courses that properly meet the demands of professional organisations and prepare students fully to enter the world of work. Employers have often stated their need for graduates who have skills that are not only academic but also practical. We believe our new law degree courses will meet that need, and are committed to giving our students the best possible start to their careers by incorporating a professional internship and professional readiness training into the three year degrees.

What kinds of organisations provide professional internships to your students?

Organisations that have provided our students with professional internships are legal service providers of a variety of sizes, from global law firms to small high street solicitors, as well as organisations in the private and the public sector. Kingston University has a wealth of contacts, and excellent relationships with a wide range of professional internship providers such as Rose and Rose Legal, GT Stewart, Joseph Hill Criminal Defence Specialists and the Civil Aviation Authority's legal department.

What advantages will I gain from giving one of your students a professional internship?

By agreeing to become a professional internship provider, you will benefit from a hard-working, energetic student who has been prepared both academically and practically for the workplace, is keen to learn and put their skills into practice. Students will have an active interest in your company's area of work, and will have knowledge gained from our courses that are up-to-date and reflect the latest changes in professional organisations. Our students are from a variety of backgrounds and countries, offering a range of perspectives that reflect the society in which many companies operate.

How will I know that students are ready to take a professional internship with my organisation?

Through our Professional Readiness Programme, we ensure students are ready for their professional internships. The programme consists of a wide range of skills training, meeting the practical needs of the workplace. This skills learning begins as soon as students start their degree. Students must attend and pass assessments on this Professional Readiness Programme to be allowed to take a professional internship.

What skills can I expect a professional internship student to have?

The skills taught by our Professional Readiness Programme include:

Self-management, planning and organising including the setting and checking of targets, project management and problem solving and asking for help and using it.
Selling and negotiation including understanding both parties' needs and objectives, creating dialogues and consultative selling.
Time and learning management including prioritising and setting goals.
Professional workplace communication and etiquette including good email practice, appropriate social media and mobile use, ethics of business, handling a variety of workplace situations and cultural differences.
Literacy, numeracy and communication including writing reports and presentations, effective public speaking, creating and using spreadsheets and Microsoft Office skills.
Networking including meetings at a conference, effective use of social media and constructive team work.

There will also be:

Specific skills for legal practitioners, such as case management and analysis and practice management.

How do I know the students will be suitable for my organisation?

Internship providers will be able to log in to our system and advertise their internship opportunities directly to the students via our vacancy board. Both students and professional internship providers will be able to match the skills required by the professional internship and the nature of the work to the skills and suitability of the student.

You can have as much or as little to do with the selection process as suits you. Students can send their applications directly to you or Kingston University can shortlist a selection of the most suitable candidates for interview. As a professional internship provider, you will always have the final say on the students chosen.

What types of careers are your law students interested in once they graduate?

You will find our law students to be hard working, focused and ambitious. They have chosen their degrees because they realise the career advantages they will gain from this more intensive programme.

Many of our law graduates go on to train as solicitors or barristers. Some have secured training contracts in 'Magic Circle' firms, as well as funding for both bar school and pupillage.

Others have achieved positions such as financial consultants, company secretaries, insolvency practitioners, university professors and legal assistants.

The skills and knowledge our students will gain are not only relevant to a legal career, but also suitable as a foundation for other areas, such as business, industry and public administration.

If you would like to find out more or to register your interest please complete our enquiry form.

Work experience

If you choose to study as a law undergraduate at Kingston University, you will be given the opportunity to take on legal and non-legal internships as well as placements throughout your degree.

As a law student, work experience is considered to be a 'must have' among employers. It is a crucial part of your degree, running alongside your academic study. Work experience is beneficial because:

It gives you the chance to build your networking skills and make the contacts you might need in the future.
It allows you to put the theory you've learned in the classroom to practical use.
It shows employers your capabilities and that you are motivated to develop a career in law.
It allows you to gain an understanding of the legal profession and gives you a glimpse of your potential future career.
In the case of a 12-month placement, you will be awarded with an additional certificate reflecting your placement experience.

You will not be negotiating the minefield of securing work experience alone: we will be with you every step of the way. We provide guidance and advice for application forms, competency and psychometric tests, assessment centres and interviews, including conducting mock interviews.

Our dedicated placement team will let you know of the latest placement and internship opportunities and check your CVs and cover letters. We can help you find work experience through our network of contacts with employers or through our workshops, job fairs, and networking and speed interviewing events.

Study abroad

If you choose to study as an undergraduate at Kingston University, you will be given the opportunity to study abroad among a large choice of destinations at one of our partner institutions in Europe as well as in the United States, New Zealand, Barbados, South Korea, Canada and Australia throughout your degree.

Kingston law students have been engaged in study exchange programmes for nearly two decades. Law students may benefit from two types of exchange programmes: studying in a European university as part of the Erasmus programme or in a non-EU English speaking country.