Legal education in the United Kingdom

England, Wales and Northern Ireland

Qualifying law degrees

The term "qualifying law degree" refers to an undergraduate degree (generally a Bachelor of Laws degree or its equivalent) from a university that is accredited by the Inns of Court or the Law Society of England and Wales and in which a passing grade has been achieved in designated core modules of the degree. A qualifying law degree in the England and Wales consists of seven modules drawn from the following subject areas:

Public law (constitutional/administrative)
European Union law
Procedural Law (including law of evidence)
Criminal law
Law of obligations (contract, restitution, and tort)
Property law (real property)
Trusts and equity

{to add: information regarding Northern Ireland}

List of universities offering qualifying law degrees recognised in England, Wales and Northern Ireland

Anglia Ruskin University
University of Bedfordshire
University of Birmingham
University of Bolton
Bournemouth University
Bradford College
University of Brighton
University of Bristol
University of Buckingham
University of Cambridge
Cardiff University
UCE Birmingham
University of Central Lancashire
University of Chester
City University, London
Coventry University
De Montfort University
University of Derby
University of Dundee (Dundee, in Scotland, is the only university in the UK to offer students a choice of either English or Scots Law LL.B. degrees, though it does not offer the combined study of both English Law and Scots Law)
Durham University
University of East Anglia, Norwich
University of East London
Edge Hill University
University of Essex
University of Exeter
University of Glamorgan
University of Gloucestershire
University of Greenwich
University of Hertfordshire
University of Huddersfield
University of Hull
Keele University
University of Kent
Kingston University
Lancaster University
University of Leeds
Leeds Metropolitan University
University of Leicester
University of Lincoln
University of Liverpool
Liverpool John Moores University
University of London (Birkbeck, University of London, King's College London, the London School of Economics, Queen Mary, University of London, the School of Oriental and African Studies, University College London and External Programme. Note: some common law jurisdictions in the Commonwealth do not recognise graduates of the External Programme.)
London Metropolitan University
Manchester Metropolitan University
University of Manchester
Middlesex University
University of Northampton
Northumbria University *Northumbria offer an 'exempting degree' in which the LPC or BVC is combined with the qualifying law degree into a 4 year course
University of Nottingham
Nottingham Trent University
Open University (distance-learning LL.B. offered jointly with the College of Law)
Oxford Brookes University
University of Oxford
University of Plymouth
University of Portsmouth
Queen's University Belfast
University of Reading
Sheffield Hallam University
University of Sheffield
Southampton Solent University
University of Southampton
London South Bank University
Staffordshire University
University of Sunderland
University of Surrey
University of Sussex
University of Teesside
Thames Valley University
University of Ulster
University of Wales (Aberystwyth, Bangor, Swansea, Swansea College)
University of Warwick
University of Westminster
University of the West of England, Bristol
University of Wolverhampton
The College of Law

Becoming a lawyer

Upon completion of the degree, graduates are generally qualified to apply for membership of the bar or law society. The membership eligibility bestowed may be subject to completion of professional exams. A student must generally gain a further qualification at postgraduate level, for example the Legal Practice Course or Bar Vocational Course, to be able to practice in England and Wales.

Scotland

Scots law differs from that of England and other common law countries. When Scotland became part of United Kingdom in 1707, its legal system remained separate and this is still true today. Scots law is founded upon Roman or civil law, although today it has evolved into a hybrid or mixed system, using both civil and common law.

Initial qualification

Qualification to the profession is to the Law Society of Scotland for solicitors, or to the Faculty of Advocates for those wishing to practise as Advocates at the High Court of Justiciary or the Court of Session.

List of universities offering qualifying law degrees recognised in Scotland

Firstly, an LL.B. degree must be obtained from one of the following universities:

Diploma in Legal Practice

Following successful completion of the LL.B., graduates must undertake a one-year vocational Diploma in Legal Practice (Dip LP), taught at the Universities of Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Dundee, jointly by Glasgow & Strathclyde (at the Glasgow Graduate School of Law), or The Robert Gordon University.

Traineeships and devilling

Those who wish to qualify as a solicitor must then undertake a two-year traineeship with a law firm. Qualification as an Advocate (the Scottish equivalent of a barrister) requires a further nine-month unpaid traineeship (known as devilling) with an experienced Advocate.

Practising in other jurisdictions

Once qualified, Scots solicitors and advocates can practise in Scotland. If they wish to practise in the European Union they may do so provided that they satisfy the requirements of the relevant EU Directives. However, to practise elsewhere in the United Kingdom, they will be required to sit the relevant exams or to study further courses.

Alternatives to an (initial) law degree

There are also conversion courses available for non-law graduates, available as an alternative to the full-length LL.B. degree course. The two most common such courses in England and Wales are the Graduate Diploma in Law or GDL, and the Common Professional Examination, or CPE, both of which take one year to complete. Alternatively, a number of institutions are now offering two-year conversion courses, usually at a lower cost with a more distinguished qualification, such as a Masters degree.

Scots Law regulations usually require a full LL.B qualification. It is possible to complete an Honours degree in any subject, whether in Scotland, England, or indeed anywhere in the world, and subsequently undertake an accelerated two-year LL.B. for graduates degree in Scotland, and thus obtain a qualifying LL.B. qualification in Scotland. Universities offering these two-year conversion degrees include Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Glasgow. Details on converting can be found at: http://www.lawscot.org.uk/training/requalifying.aspx

Information about a non-degree-awarding entry route to qualification in Scotland can be found at: http://www.lawscot.org.uk/training/exams.aspx