Law

Overview

Law at Cambridge

Although our course is primarily concerned with English law, there are opportunities to study other legal systems, including civil (Roman) law, EU law, and international law. You can also study theoretical and sociological aspects of law such as jurisprudence or parts of criminology.

Facilities and resources

The present Faculty teaching staff has expertise across nearly every aspect of English law and its history, as well as European Union law, international law, civil law, legal philosophy and criminology.

The Faculty building houses lecture theatres, seminar rooms and a moot court, as well as the comprehensive Squire Law Library, offering over 180,000 volumes and excellent computing facilities.

The Faculty and University Law Society organise numerous activities including formal meetings, informal barristers' and solicitors' evenings, social events, lectures and moots (debates about hypothetical legal cases).

Vocational training

A Law degree alone is not a qualification for practice but 'qualifying law graduates' (who've passed the seven 'foundation' subjects) may proceed directly to the vocational training courses preparing them for the final professional examinations. The seven foundation subjects are: Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, Law of Tort, Law of Contract, Land Law, Law of Trusts (Equity), and Law of the European Union.

Erasmus Scheme

The Faculty has exchange agreements with universities in France, the Netherlands, Germany and Spain. About 20 undergraduates can spend their third year abroad studying the law of one of these European countries. See the Faculty website for details.

Changing course

If you wish to combine law with another subject it's best to discuss this with your preferred College before submitting your application.

Students who wish to combine law with another subject usually study law after that subject rather than before. It's desirable to study law for two years wherever possible, since it's not possible to pass all seven 'foundation' subjects at Cambridge in less than two years.

If your first subject has a two-year Part I, you need to consider the implications – especially the financial implications – of four years as an undergraduate.

After Cambridge

Most Law undergraduates intend to practise law as barristers or solicitors and our graduates are prominent in both branches of the legal profession, in the judiciary and in academic life.

Others seek careers in administration, management, politics or finance and find employment within the legal departments of the Civil Service, local government, industrial and commercial firms, banks, and international organisations.