English Law & American Law

Course detail Description

King’s School of Law operates a joint LLB/JD degree programme with Columbia University in New York City, USA and Georgetown University, Washington D.C., USA.

Selection for transfer to this programme takes place after the completion of the first year of the Law LLB (M100). The first and second years follow the pattern of the Law LLB degree while the third and fourth years are spent studying at Columbia University or Georgetown University.

To qualify for Columbia University you must take Law of Property, Law of Tort and Law of Trusts. You will also need to take part in a moot (mock trial) while at King’s.

To qualify for Georgetown University you must take Law of Property, Law of Tort and Contract Law.

Further information about Columbia Law School and Georgetown Law Center can be found on their webpages, but please note that King’s applicants do not follow the standard JD admissions procedure.

Selection will be chiefly on the basis of academic performance during the first year at King’s. Columbia and Georgetown will review applications of nominated students for final approval. The programme is highly selective and is not open to American citizens or those who have spent significant time in the United States. Please note that this programme is limited to seven students per annum. Please also note that standard tuition fees are payable to Columbia and Georgetown for Years 3 and 4 of the programme.

Teaching at King's

We have a strong tradition of excellence in teaching, with consistently high student satisfaction ratings for Law in the National Student Survey. All required modules are taught through lectures, small group tutorials and seminars. These tutorials and seminars will give you the opportunity to apply the general legal principles you have learnt to specific problems, and allow you to engage with our academics and explore issues further in depth.

You will be assigned a personal tutor, who will provide academic and pastoral support during your studies. We attach great importance to maintaining good relations between staff and students and our Staff-Student Liaison Committee meets regularly to discuss how we can collectively enhance the student experience.

Assessment at King's

Assessment of required modules will typically consist of an examination supplemented by written coursework, such as a written essay, where applicable. Assessment in optional modules varies and may encompass, for example, examinations, essays, moots, or a negotiation exercise.

Regulating body

King’s College London is regulated by the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

This programme is further regulated by the:

• Law Benchmark Statement (2015)
• Criteria for degrees (University of London)
• Joint Statement of the Law Society and the General Council of the Bar (1999)
• H-level descriptors of the framework for higher education qualifications (2001)

Location

This course is primarily taught at the Strand and Waterloo campuses.

Please note that locations are determined by where each module is taught and may vary depending on the optional modules you select.

Years 3 and 4 are taught at Columbia University or Georgetown University.

Special notes

Students can engage in real client work through the School’s Legal Clinic established in April 2017. Students who spend their final year of their degree at King's can select the Student Law Clinic module, while students of all years can apply to volunteer with the clinic during the academic year or over the summer holiday. Supervised by the Clinic's in-house solicitor as well as solicitors from high street and corporate/commercial law firms (e.g. Duncan Lewis and Farrer), students learn transferable skills such as effective communication and teamwork and see the law in a practical context. Through the Clinic students can also engage with third sector partners such as the Personal Support Unit at the Royal Courts of Justice or participate in its Mediation project or public legal education activity).

We have many highly active student-run societies as well as King's award-winning students’ union, KCLSU, who organises a wide variety of social, sporting and cultural activities.

Both the King’s College London Law Society and Bar & Mooting Society organise a number of social and career-oriented functions such as: internal and external mooting competitions; skills workshops; mock interview sessions; lecture series with prestigious barristers and other legal practitioners; as well as the Inaugural Welcome Party at the start of the academic year and the Annual Black-Tie Dinner. The KCL Law Society supports students who wish to pursue careers as solicitors while the Bar & Mooting Society help students understand the path to qualification as a barrister.

The Pro Bono Society supports and promotes legally-related volunteer work and education to the community, and runs many exciting projects, including the Amicus Chapter, Human Rights Project, Junior Lawyers Against Poverty; Law Mentoring; and Legal Outreach. Involvement with the society is a great way to contribute to the community as well as looking great on your CV due to the skills gained in the process.

There are various other societies within the Law School which students can get involved in, such as Lawyers Without Borders, King’s Women in the Law, Intellectual Property and Information Law Society and Criminology Society.

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Structure

• Year 1
• Year 2
• Year 3
• Year 4

Year 1

The first year will be the standard LLB course stucture and modules as students will not be able to apply for this course until after the completion of year 1 LLB.

Each course is divided into modules. Each year you will normally take modules totalling 120 credits.

Required Modules

The following modules are required for this course:

• Legal Reasoning and Legal Services (non-credit bearing)

Optional Modules There are no optional modules for this course in Year 1

Year 2 Required Modules

You are required to take the following modules for this course:

Optional Modules

In addition you will take 30-credits from optional modules, which may typically include:

• Advanced Constitutional Law (30 credits)

• Anti-Discrimination Law (30 credits)

• Commercial Law (30 credits)

• Company Law (30 credits)

• Competition Law (30 credits)

• Consumer Protection: advising global businesses and their customers (30 credits)

• Criminology and Criminal Justice (30 credits)

• Criminal Law Theory (15 credits)

• Environmental Law (30 credits)

• Family Law (30 credits)

• Finance, Credit and Security (15 credits)

• Human Rights Law (30 credits)

• Intellectual Property Law (30 credits)

• Labour Law (30 credits)

• Law and Economics (30 credits)

• Law and Social Theory (30 credits)

• Law of Personal Taxation (30 credits)

• Medical Law (30 credits)

• Moral Philosophy (15 credits)

• Principles of Enterprise Governance (30 credits)

• Public International Law (30 credits)

• Russian Legal System (30 credits)

• Transnational Company Law (15 credits)

Year 3

In Year 3 you will study at Columbia University, New York, USA or Georgetown University, Washington D.C., USA. Details of the course structure will be communicated after students are accepted onto the programme and have commenced their studies.

Required Modules You will complete a range of modules from Columbia University or Georgetown University. Optional Modules

Year 4

In Year 4 you will study at Columbia University, New York, USA or Georgetown University, Washington D.C., USA. Details of the course structure will be communicated after students are accepted onto the programme and have commenced their studies.

Required Modules You will complete a range of modules from Columbia University or Georgetown University. Optional Modules