Program Overview

If you're interested in becoming a barrister or solicitor, or pursuing a career in commerce or government, our Law LLB degree will give you the foundation you need to be successful.

You will learn the core ‘foundations of legal knowledge’ required by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and Bar Standards Board in order to pass the academic stage of training and progress on to the vocational stage.

Future changes to the qualification routes for solicitors with the introduction by the Solicitors Regulation Authority of the new Solicitors Qualifying Exam (‘SQE’) mean that if you start a law degree course in the 2021/22 academic year or later, you would need to pass the SQE to qualify as a solicitor.

The degree's focus on practical (as well as theoretical) teaching means you can develop the analytical and critical skills essential for formulating legal arguments. You'll also have the opportunity to study a range of specialist subjects that are relevant to your own aspirations.

With a wide range of option modules - including work-based learning placements - and a diverse variety of assessment methods, such as simulated negotiation exercises and delivering presentations, you will learn through experiencing the law, not just through exams.

Previous students have undertaken placements in the local and wider London area, in private and sole practitioner solicitor firms, barristers' chambers, charities, and the Youth Justice Board.

Why St Mary's?
The St Mary’s Law degree is taught by leading academics in the field, and former solicitors and barristers, in an open and friendly environment, with emphasis given to supporting students as individuals.

We work hard to help you to develop your employability skills and this degree programme will allow you to experience: an employment tribunal; Supreme and County courts; Bank of England; and Lloyds of London, to name just a few.

Commercial awareness workshops give you the chance to develop awareness of topical issues. In addition, guest lecturers, which have in the past included a practitioner teaching a domestic violence workshop and a former prisoner running a workshop on aspects of Criminal Justice, feature regularly on the programme.

There are opportunities for you to sign up to observe at legal advice clinics in the borough of Richmond upon Thames. You may also have the opportunity to observe practitioners at a local Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) and at a pro-bono legal advice service for the local community. You may even be able to shadow a judge at a local court.

The degree programme is connected to the Centre for the Study of Modern Slavery and the Centre for Law and Culture. You're encouraged to attend public lectures and other suitable events as these opportunities will enable you to develop learning beyond your undergraduate studies, both in the context of further studies and career development.

About the Foundation Year:
Our four-year degree programmes (including a foundation year) provide an alternative route to undergraduate study at university if you do not have the grades to access higher education in the traditional way.