About the Law School

The University of Aberdeen has a long tradition of teaching law: it was over five hundred years ago that Bishop William Elphinstone first established a faculty of law at King's College.

Today the School of Law admits about 225 full time law students from all over the UK, but predominantly from Scotland, to the first year of the LLB degree - which, it should be noted, is based on Scots law, not English law. Some of these students are well-qualified mature applicants who have completed the University's Access to Degree Studies programme. Each year undergraduate numbers are swelled by over 40 law students from the Universities of Grenoble, Lyon, Clermont-Ferrand, Brussels, Freiburg, Marburg, Regensburg, Aarhus, Helsinki, Maastricht, Strasbourg, Reims, Leuven, Seville and Bilbao. In addition to the Law School's 800 undergraduates, some 100 students enrol for one of the taught LLM programmes, and about 60 for the research LLM and the PhD; these students visit from countries such as Canada, China, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Libya, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, South Africa, Sudan, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, and Zimbabwe. A further 140 well-qualified students are admitted to the Diploma In Professional Legal Practice (DPLP), ensuring a truly international atmosphere.

There are about 40 full-time equivalent members of the academic staff who, in addition to carrying out legal research, teach a wide range of law courses, from traditional studies such as Criminal Law and Property Law to newer ones such as Environmental Law, Intellectual Property and Alternative Dispute Resolution. The Law School has a long tradition of legal research and writing and, within its staff, has a substantial number of scholars with international reputations.

Postgraduate research is regarded as an important contribution to the intellectual life of the Law School. We encourage applications from able lawyers, from the UK and abroad, who wish to deepen their knowledge of law either out of pure academic interest, or in order to specialise in a particular field of law in which they hope to make or further their careers.

To cater for students who wish to combine the study of law with languages, the Law School currently offers the designated degrees of Law with French, German, Gaelic and Spanish. The degrees of Law and French Law, Law and German Law, Law and Spanish Law, and Law and Belgian Law allow a small number of students to study for a year in European law schools located in Grenoble, Lyon, Clermont Ferrand, Strasbourg, Reims, Regensburg, Freiburg, Margburg, Brussels, Seville, and Bilbao. Law and European Legal Studies permits students to spend a year studying law in English in Aarhus, Helsinki, Bilbao and Maastricht. For those who wish to use the LLB as a springboard for careers in business and commerce, the degrees of LLB with options in Economics, Accounting, or Management Studies, should prove attractive. As part of the LLB degree itself students may if they wish study subjects offered in other degree programmes and count them towards the LLB. Up to one-third of a law student's curriculum could comprise non-law courses.

The Law School maintains close links with the legal profession, many of whose members teach part-time in the University. Being a large city, Aberdeen has its own District and Sheriff Courts and is home to a sitting of the High Court of Justiciary most weeks of the year.

The Law School is located in the attractive surroundings of Old Aberdeen in the Taylor Building. The building also houses the Law Library (see a panorama) and is a convenient walk from halls of residence, sports and recreational facilities, the main lecture rooms, and the central area of Aberdeen.

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