Law

LLB Law

Mode: full-time

The School of Law officially came into being in August 2008, having for the six previous years been part of the Department of Accounting and Law. During that period it has developed an innovative portfolio of undergraduate law degrees which places a special emphasis on giving students the opportunity to gain practical experience of the legal system whilst studying for the degree. As part of their studies, students can be trained and gain experience as Citizens Advice Bureau volunteers, work as special constables with Hampshire Constabulary, and work with Portsmouth City Council’s Trading Standards. Placements are also possible. Students will also have the opportunity to take part in mooting and negotiation (key practical skills) in internal and external competitions and as part of the assessment in some units. Based in the Portsmouth Business School’s Richmond Building, the School of Law has state-of-the-art teaching facilities and staff with a wide variety of practical and academic experience of law.

Professional accreditation

This is recognised by the Bar Standards Board and Solicitors Regulatory Authority as a qualifying law degree, allowing students who pass the degree and the foundation of knowledge subjects the right to go straight on to the vocational courses that are required to be completed to become a barrister or solicitor.

Teaching and assessment
The School of Law is praised by its students for the level of student support offered by staff. All academic staff have regular office hours and are almost always able to offer ‘open door’ access – if we are in and not doing something else then we are happy to see students.

At the start of your degree you will be assigned a personal tutor who you will keep for the first two years of your studies. You will meet regularly with your personal tutor in timetabled sessions to discuss your progress and to help to resolve problems or questions that you may encounter along the way. In year three, your personal tutor will be your dissertation tutor.

Teaching is undertaken usually in the format of a one-hour seminar and one-hour lecture per week. Some courses will be different – they may be taught in the format of seminars alone or may involve online discussions using our Virtual Learning Environment, Victory.

Assessment is varied, with examinations forming an important, though not exclusive, part of the foundation of knowledge subjects. Other types of assessment include coursework essays, presentations and even participation in mock trials or written moot arguments.

Opportunities for mooting (a sort of mock trial) are given in both the Criminal Law and Law of Tort units, and help to develop the practical advocacy skills needed to be a lawyer. Role-playing also plays an important part of the Access to Justice and Law of Evidence units.