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UCL Faculty of Laws

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UCL Faculty of Laws
Established1826
DeanDame Hazel Genn DBE QC FBA
Students1096
Location
London, United Kingdom
WebsiteUCL Faculty of Laws

The UCL Faculty of Laws is one of the eight constituent faculties of University College London (UCL).[1] The Faculty was established in 1826 and was the first law school in England to admit students regardless of their religion, and the first to admit women on equal terms with men. It is one of the world’s premier law schools, renowned for the quality of its teaching and its cutting-edge legal research.[2][3][4]

The Faculty has a student body comprising over 450 undergraduates, 350 taught graduates and around 40 research (MPhil/PhD) students and offers a variety of undergraduate and graduate degrees.[5] It publishes a number of journals, including Current Legal Problems, Current Legal Issues, and the UCL Jurisprudence Review.

Notable alumni of the Faculty include Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (leader of the Indian independence movement and "Father of the Nation"), Chaim Herzog (President of Israel 1983–1993), Sir Ellis Clarke (President of Trinidad and Tobago 1976-1986), Lord Woolf (Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales 2000-2005), Lord Goldsmith QC (Attorney General for England and Wales 2001-2007) and Terry Davis (Secretary General of the Council of Europe 2004–2009).

The current Dean is Dame Hazel Genn.

History

The Faculty was established in 1826 and is one of the oldest law schools in England. It was the first law school in England to offer a systematic university education to men and women, irrespective of religious beliefs and social backgrounds. The Faculty’s first professor was the noted legal philosopher, John Austin (Professor of Jurisprudence). Andrew Amos, a successful barrister, became the first Professor of English Law (and later Professor of Medical Jurisprudence).

In November 2010 the Faculty launched the UCL Judicial Institute, the first specialist academic centre for research and teaching about the judiciary to be established in the UK.[6]

Building

The Faculty is based at Bentham House, Endsleigh Gardens, a few minutes’ walk from the main UCL campus. The facilities at Bentham House include teaching rooms, lecture halls, a courtroom for moots, a student lounge, a coffee bar and two computer cluster rooms.[5]

Academics

Research

University College London

The Faculty was placed joint first in the UK for the proportion of its research activity in the top two star categories (75% 4*/3*) in the latest Research Assessment Exercise.[3] It is home to a number of associated research centres and institutes:[7]

  • Centre for Commercial Law
  • Centre for Criminal Law
  • Centre for Empirical Legal Studies
  • Centre for Ethics & Law
  • Centre for International Courts & Tribunals
  • Centre for Law & Economics
  • Centre for Law and the Environment
  • Centre for Law and Governance in Europe
  • Institute of Brand and Innovation Law
  • Institute of Global Law
  • Institute for Human Rights
  • Jevons Institute for Competition Law and Economics
  • Judicial Institute

Teaching

Undergraduate

The Faculty receives an average of around 2,500 applications for approximately 140 undergraduate places each year.[8] The minimum entry requirements are three A grades at A-level and a high LNAT score.[9] All candidates to whom an offer is contemplated being made who are identified as requiring particular consideration are interviewed.[9] There are no places available through the UCAS clearing process.[8]

Graduate

The Faculty admits approximately 350 students to its graduate LLM course each year.[5] The one-year (full-time) and two-year (part-time) LLM are extremely competitive with students applying from over 100 countries.

The minimum entry requirements for the MPhil and PhD are a bachelor's degree with a first or high upper second honours together with an LLM with an average grade of 65% (ideally with evidence of first class ability).[10]

Publications

The Faculty publishes a number of journals, including Current Legal Problems, Current Legal Issues, and the UCL Jurisprudence Review.

Public lectures

The Faculty hosts a number of free public lectures each week (including the Current Legal Problems series) on a wide range of legal topics. These lectures are delivered by eminent academics from major universities around the world, senior members of the judiciary and leading legal practitioners.

Rankings

The Faculty is regarded by some as "the best law faculty in the UK".[11] In 2009 the Independent University Guide ranked the quality of teaching at the Faculty joint first in the UK alongside the University of Oxford.[12] During a recent peer-review assessment conducted by The Sunday Times, the Faculty recorded perfect scores for teaching and research quality, confirming its reputation as one of UCL’s most outstanding departments.[2]

In 2009, the Faculty enjoyed a 100% graduate employment rate, compared to 99.7% at the University of Oxford, 98% at the University of Cambridge and 97% at the London School of Economics.[12] Many graduates go on to pursue legal careers at 'Magic Circle' law firms and leading barristers’ chambers.[12]

UCL Law Society

The majority of students become members of the UCL Law Society upon matriculation. The Law Society is led by the President and 15 other officers who are (apart from the First Year Representative) elected in March towards the end of the academic year. The Law Society organises a wide range of events for members including competitions in mooting, debating, negotiation and client interviewing. There is also a strong focus on career development with regular events with leading barristers’ chambers and law firms.

Academic staff

Ronald Dworkin

The Faculty has 55 full-time academic staff, including 29 professors, many visiting professors and distinguished judicial and other visiting academic staff. The current list of professors include:

  • Eric Barendt - Professor of Media Law
  • Robert Chambers - Professor of Property Law
  • Professor Ian Dennis - Professor of English Law
  • Alison Diduck - Professor of Law
  • Ronald Dworkin - Bentham Professor of Jurisprudence
  • Joerg Fedtke - Professor of Comparative Law
  • Ian Fletcher - Professor of International Commercial Law
  • Michael Freeman - Professor of English Law
  • Dame Hazel Genn DBE QC - Professor of Empirical Legal Studies
  • Stephen Guest - Professor of Legal Philosophy
  • Jeffrey Jowell QC - Research Professor of Public Law
  • Valentine Korah - Emeritus Professor of Competition Law
  • Sir Hugh Laddie QC - late Professor of Intellectual Property Law
  • Maria Lee - Professor of Law
  • Andrew Lewis - Professor of Comparative Legal History
  • John Lowry - Professor of Law
  • Richard Macrory CBE - Professor of Environmental Law
  • Riz Mokal - Professor of Law and Legal Theory
  • Hiroshi Oda - Professor of Japanese Law
  • Dawn Oliver - Professor of Constitutional Law
  • James Penner - Professor of Property Law
  • Pascoe Pleasence - Professor of Empirical Legal Studies
  • Philip Rawlings - Professor of Law
  • Rick Rawlings - Professor of Public Law
  • Catherine Redgwell - Professor of International Law
  • Philippe Sands QC - Professor of Law
  • Philip Schofield - Professor of History of Legal and Political Thought
  • Joanne Scott - Professor of European Law
  • Robert Stevens - Professor of Commercial Law
  • Robert Sullivan - Professor of Law
  • Tim Swanson - Professor of Law and Economics
  • William Twining - Emeritus Quain Professor of Jurisprudence
  • Lord Woolf - former Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales

Visiting Professors

Notable alumni

Sir Alfred Wills

Judiciary

Other

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

See also

References

  1. ^ "The Academic Units of UCL". UCL Academic Services. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
  2. ^ a b McCall, Alastair (19 September 2008). "Double first for Oxford". London: Times Online. Retrieved 24 August 2010. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link) CS1 maint: year (link)
  3. ^ a b "RAE 2008: law results". London: The Guardian. 18 December 2008. Retrieved 24 August 2010. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link) CS1 maint: year (link)
  4. ^ Paton, Graeme (9 October 2009). "Oxford beaten by UCL in league table". London: The Telegraph. Retrieved 24 August 2010. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link) CS1 maint: year (link)
  5. ^ a b c "About UCL Laws". UCL Faculty of Laws. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
  6. ^ "UCL launches institute to teach students about workings of the judicial system". Legal Week. 15 November 2010. Retrieved 15 November 2010.
  7. ^ "UCL Laws Research: Areas of Expertise". UCL Faculty of Laws. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
  8. ^ a b "Frequently Asked Questions". UCL Faculty of Laws. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
  9. ^ a b "UCL Laws Undergraduate Programmes". UCL Faculty of Laws. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
  10. ^ "UCL Laws Research Degree Programmes". UCL Faculty of Laws. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
  11. ^ Blair, Alexandra (26 May 2005). "The tests to select the best". London: The Times. Retrieved 24 August 2010. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link) CS1 maint: year (link)
  12. ^ a b c Battersby, Matilda (30 July 2010). "Law". London: The Independent. Retrieved 24 August 2010. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link) CS1 maint: year (link)
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