Law with French Law LLB

Course overview

This degree allows you to learn about how and why law is created and changed, and how it operates as a social institution. You’ll gain expertise in analysis, research, logical argument and more, as you develop an understanding of key topics within the legal sector. At the same time, you will develop your French language skills and, through a third year studying law at one of our partner institutions, learn about a legal system that is very different to that of England and Wales.

Through core and optional legal modules, you’ll examine the broader context of the law and its relationship with society. You might develop your interests in specialist legal areas including company law, employment law, human rights law, media law, environmental law and family law. You could also explore topics in criminal justice and criminology, such as policing or youth crime. 

Throughout the course you’ll gain diverse skills that will be valuable to you as a global citizen, as well as in your professional career – whether you choose to enter the legal profession or not.

The School has four world-leading research centres specialising in Business Law, Criminal Justice, Legal Education and Social Justice, with staff from those Centres teaching across a range of Undergraduate and Postgraduate programmes. You’ll have the opportunity to be taught by some of those staff, and will also have the opportunity to apply to explore the practical application of law through our award-winning Community Engagement (pro bono) opportunities.

If you want to qualify as a barrister, all our law courses satisfy the degree requirements set by the Bar Standards Board in England and Wales. You can visit the Bar Standards Board website for more information.

If you want to become a solicitor in England and Wales, you will need to complete the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) and have two years of full-time equivalent work experience. The Solicitors Regulation Authority website provides more details.

Although you no longer require a law degree or a diploma in order to qualify as a solicitor, a law degree will be particularly effective in allowing you to gain the knowledge and skills required for SQE1 (the first stage of the SQE, set by the SRA).

Course details

Year 1 covers many of the foundational topics in English law. Our legal skills module equips you to study law at undergraduate level, and a core language module will help you develop and enhance your French language skills. The Professions, Reflections, Identities, Motivations and Ethics (PRIME) module will give you the opportunity to reflect upon important issues such as your personal and professional goals, your identity and how to protect your wellbeing on a personal and professional level.

In the following year you’ll build on your legal knowledge and skills, and examine the broader relationship between law, the legal system and wider society. You will also start to learn about different legal systems and legal cultures, in preparation for your year abroad.

Year 3 is spent studying abroad at one of our partner institutions in France. You may also be able to spend year 3 studying abroad at one of our partner institutions in French speaking Canada (subject to availability at the time).

Your final year will give you the chance to apply your research skills to an independent project on a topic of your choice. At the same time you’ll complete your study of law with compulsory and optional modules to allow you to gain specialist knowledge.

Course structure

The list shown below represents typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our terms and conditions.

Year 1 compulsory modules

Contract Law (20 credits) - This module will introduce you to the underlying principles of Contract Law. By the end of this module, you’re expected to be able to demonstrate – with appropriate reference to case-law and statute – a basic understanding of the general principles governing the formation, modification, performance, discharge and enforcement of contracts under English law.

Constitutional and Administrative Law (20 credits) - This module will introduce you to the underlying principles and major sources of British Constitutional Law. In addition, you’ll learn about two fields of relevant public law: the law relating to police powers and public order, and the English law relating to judicial review.

Foundations of Law (20 credits) - This module is designed to equip you with the foundational knowledge necessary to study law at degree level, including the foundations of the English Legal System, legal theory, and legal ethics. The module will contextualise foundational legal principles within societal, political and economic contexts, encouraging you to develop as reflexive learners. This module will prepare you for the successful study of law as an academic discipline by developing you from a passive recipient of research materials and teaching content to a proactive, engaged, and reflexive participant able to discuss legal content whilst recognising the value of research and problem solving.

Legal Skills (20 credits) - This module will introduce you to the fundamental study and legal skills required to thrive on your degree. It offers basic teaching on these skills and provides directions for further development for you to pursue independently. This module aims to help you adapt to the learning, teaching and assessment demands of learning at university. It will also help you develop an independent, reflective and rigorous approach to your studies.

PRIME (Professions, Reflections, Identities, Motivations & Ethics (20 credits) - PRIME (Professions, Reflections, Identities, Motivations & Ethics) will provide you with space to learn about and explore strategies for, and approaches to, challenging issues you’re likely to encounter within your student life and future personal and working life. The module will include reflective practices; personal and professional values, ethics, identities and self-care (including how those relate to employability decisions); managing relationships on an individual and larger group basis, including through challenging conversations; emotional intelligence, including notions of failure/success and strategies for responding to ‘challenges’ such as failure and unexpected change.

French Language Awareness and Skills (20 credits) - This first-year French language module focuses on the essential elements of French grammar, written and spoken competence at post A level (CEFR B1+) backing up lectures and weekly language classes. In addition to the weekly written language seminars, you’ll spend one hour a week in a small group class with a native speaker lecteur/lectrice. These classes aim to improve aural and oral skills through exercises such as listening practice, debates, presentations and discussions.

Year 2 compulsory modules

Torts (20 credits) -This module will introduce you to the underlying principles, mechanisms, and objectives of the Law of Torts. You’ll gain knowledge of the key issues, legal principles, case-law, and statutory provisions relating to several key torts, including the Tort of Negligence. You’ll also learn to recognise the influence of public policy on the development and content of the law in this area.

Law and Society (20 credits) - This module is designed to introduce you to a law and society (or socio-legal) approach to the study of law, to teach you to recognise the importance of social context to legal analysis, and to equip you with the skills required to undertake socio-legal analysis and research.

French Language in Contexts (20 credits) - This core module will introduce you to the study of style and register in written and spoken French. A major difference between English and French is the way in which spoken French diverges from written French and how the distinction between informal and formal usage is much greater in French than it is in English. The aim is, therefore, to develop awareness and understanding of how language is affected by variation in register and by linguistic choices in vocabulary and grammar.

As well as extending your mastery of the core grammatical areas of French, you will be seeking to acquire the means to express yourself with sensitivity to the social context, through – amongst other exercises – the regular practice of translation. The module is based on fortnightly grammar lectures and two hourly seminars per week: one written language seminar and a travaux pratiques class with a lecteur/lectrice designed to improve your oral skills through presentations, debates and role-play.

Criminal Law (20 credits) - This compulsory module will introduce you to core criminal law concepts and to the criminal justice system within which the criminal law is applied. This module will provide you with the opportunity to learn about key criminal law principles, cases and legislation, and to recognise the different political and cultural contexts in which criminal law operates at national and international level.

European Legal Systems (20 credits) - This module will introduce you to the private law systems of three major European countries: France, Germany and Spain. 

Optional Modules

You will choose 20 credits of optional modules from a range of related topics, typically including:

Company Law (20 credits) - This module focuses on the legal nature of the company as a business organisation, the law relating to corporate finance, the relations between the company and third parties, the distribution of power within a company, the duties of directors and other managers and the associated enforcement mechanisms, and the key principles of corporate insolvency law.

Youth Crime and Justice (20 credits) - This module explores the nature and extent of youth crime and the sources of our knowledge about youth offending and its prevention. It considers social and legal constructions of youth as well as children and young people as victims. It provides an analysis of the youth justice system in England and Wales and contemporary youth justice debates.

Competition Law (20 credits) - Competition laws are adopted in over 100 jurisdictions around the world, and affect the day-to-day business of all significant businesses globally. This module is designed to provide a sound understanding of both the substantive and procedural rules of competition law, as well as the underlying basic economic concepts of competition. It focuses on the main principles of competition law and investigates the means by which competition laws tackle such problems as cartels and abuses of monopolies. The module will help to place the UK competition regime within its European and international contexts.

International Human Rights Law (20 credits) - The module examines the evolution, mechanisms and grounds of international human rights protection. It examines international human rights law as an important branch of international law; the mechanisms, bodies and procedures introduced by the United Nations and other international and regional organisations; and a significant number of substantive human rights.

The module is divided into two parts. The first part provides an introduction to the structure of the international system of human rights protection through law, the difference between human rights law and other areas of international law, and general matters of enforcement machinery. In the second part, the module will address the law in relation to particular rights, covering civil and political rights and economic, social and cultural rights

Family Law (20 credits) - This module examines the legal rules and concepts regulating intimate or domestic relationships between adults. The social context in which the law operates will be stressed, in particular the relationship between the law and the changing social structure of the family.

In this module we look at the legal rules, concepts and values which govern and regulate intimate or domestic relationships between adults. In broad terms the syllabus covers the formation of family relationships through marriage, civil partnerships and cohabitation. It also considers how family law can protect victims of domestic abuse, the basis for divorce and dissolution of civil partnerships and what happens in relation to disputes over money and property on the breakdown of marriage or civil partnership.

Broadly, the approach taken is socio-legal in that you will consider the law within a broader historical, social and political context. You will also develop specific technical skills, particularly in handling statutory material as most of family law is grounded in statute.

Employment Law (20 credits) - What is the difference between being a worker or an employee? What are the pros and cons of flexible work contracts? As the nature and conditions of work change in response to globalisation and other social, political and economic shifts, legislators and policy-makers seek to adapt and respond – giving rise to many interesting social and legal issues and tensions.

This module considers how employment law shapes and is shaped by such issues and tensions. It is designed to explore contemporary work and industrial relations through a series of case studies – concerning parental leave, the 'gig economy' and questions relating to work/life balance, among others – which affect the rights and responsibilities of people at work. You’ll also be expected to engage with academic literature concerning work, rights and responsibilities developed in other disciplines within the social sciences in accordance with the module’s law-in-context approach.

Year 3 compulsory modules

Study Abroad: Law with French (120 credits) - You will spend a year studying law at a University in France.

You may also be able to spend Year 3 studying abroad at one of our partner institutions in French-speaking Canada (subject to availability at the time).

Year 4 compulsory modules

Law of Trusts (20 credits) - The objectives of this module are to develop a knowledge of the Law of Trusts in England and Wales and to tackle the complex terminology of the subject and investigate the principles lying behind the more detailed provisions and rules, as derived from both statute and case law. In this module you’ll develop problem-solving skills by the application of general principles to factual situations.

EU Law (20 credits) -  This module considers the history and structure of the EU and the development of EU law and the role that law has played in the process of integration, by means of doctrinal development by the Court of Justice of the European Union. Particular attention is given to the constitutionalisation of the EU through case law, Treaty reforms and other mechanisms. The course also focuses on substantive law and the provisions which form the basis of the internal market: Free Movement of Persons, of Goods and of Services plus an introduction to competition law. The module provides opportunity to study the constitutional and institutional structures of the EU, the way in which EU law impacts upon national law, and law-making in the internal market.

Final Year Project (40 credits) - You’ll design and undertake an extended independent project in an area or topic relevant to Law. You’ll use knowledge and skills gained in earlier years of your course, create new knowledge and understanding, and develop new research and employability skills yourself. On completion, you'll communicate the outcomes or outputs of your project in different ways to relevant audiences. It will be the pinnacle of your degree programme, the culminating experience which brings everything you’ve learnt together. It's an opportunity to apply your learning to a real-world problem and, in so doing, bring reflection, focus and purpose to the whole of your degree experience.

Land Law (20 credits) - This module will introduce you to the core concepts, principles, rules and aims of land law. You’ll gain knowledge of key issues relating to land law, such as the nature and effect of property rights. They will learn to recognise the influence of political, economic and social contexts on the development of land law.

Optional modules

You will choose 20 credits of optional modules from a range of related topics, typically including:

Privacy and Media Law (20 credits) - This module will provide you with an understanding of some of the key laws that regulate the media. The module will cover laws regulating both traditional media (in particular the press) and new digital media (eg social networking sites). You’ll consider the extent to which these media laws uphold fundamental human rights, in particular the Art 10 free expression right and the Art 8 privacy right.

Gender and the Law (20 credits) - This research-led module takes different areas of law as the object of study and seeks to examine how gender, sex and sexuality are understood in those contexts. This will involve reading cases and statutory materials.

However, this is not a traditional law module. It is not only concerned with cases and statutes. A basic assumption of the approach to the law in this module is that the law is not a social practice that is isolated from the rest of culture. That culture is given form and meaning within the law. At the same time, the law itself is a representation of the world that has very distinctive and idiosyncratic characteristics. As such the law makes a distinctive contribution to the social order. This module seeks to examine both these aspects of the law as a cultural practice.

Cyberlaw: Law and the Regulation of the Information Society (20 credits) - The internet and networked technologies have changed the nature of our world as we experience it. So much so, that we are becoming an 'information society' in which the creation, manipulation distribution and exchange of information in its various forms has become a significant social, economic, political, cultural and legal activity.

This module will examine the emerging trends that signify the formation of the information society and also its relationship with law, technology, and public policy. This module will cover UK and European Union law along with a variety of international regulatory perspectives that seek to harmonise law. The module will analyse the many legal and regulatory challenges that the information society generates for society, particularly with regard to privacy, the creation of products, the media.

Particular focus will be upon whether these challenges can be best resolved by law or some other means, for example, technology, education or simple market forces. The aim of the module is to make you aware of the legal and regulatory policy issues which are intimately connected with the information society.

Disability Law (20 credits) - Law has a key role to play in constructing a society in which disabled people (who make up approximately 15% of the UK's population) are able to live, flourish and contribute on an equal basis with others. This innovative module adopts a socio-legal approach. It will introduce you to theoretical perspectives (particularly those which have political significance such as the social model of disability). It aims to encourage you to reflect critically on law's potential to be 'enabling' - in the sense of facilitating full inclusion and equality for people who have (or have labels of) physical, sensory, cognitive, emotional or other 'impairments'. Integral to this is sensitivity to law's potential to be 'disabling' – in the sense of generating barriers to inclusion.

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) provides important underpinnings for the module, but the focus of the module is law in the UK (particularly England and Wales). Selected elements of this law will be considered and critiqued in light of the CRPD, the social model of disability and other theoretical perspectives. Analysis and debate will be enriched by the participation throughout the module of people who work in disabled people's organisations and human rights organisations focusing on disability.

Evidence (20 credits) - This module aims to introduce key rules of evidence in the context of their rationale, their historical development, and modern criminal justice policy. It explores the connection between the rules of evidence and the nature of the common law adversarial trial and aims to promote critical awareness of the balance between the interests of the state and the individual.

Learning and teaching

This is a demanding course that’s geared towards self-motivated, independent learners. Independent study (including research and preparatory reading) is a large part of the course, and you’ll be aided by our excellent library resources.

We will help you develop transferable skills so you can use the law which can be used within the legal professions and elsewhere. Our teaching methods include lectures, workshops and seminars, supplemented by our online platform Minerva and the Virtual Learning Environment. 

During your year abroad, you will be studying law alongside local students in French. Your French language modules in years 1 and 2 will support you in attaining the required linguistic standard.

On this course, you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers through to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.

Assessment

This course is designed to provide you with an inclusive and authentic, course-level package of assessment and feedback activities that will effectively scaffold learning and cultivate the knowledge and skills that you need to fulfil your aspirations for yourself and for your community. We prioritise assessment for learning by investing in practice (formative) assessment activities and providing individual feedback to help you to develop your knowledge, understanding and skills in readiness for your end of module (summative) assessments.

Each module is assessed separately, and assessments are designed to align with the programme’s learning outcomes, providing a comprehensive and authentic evaluation of your skills and knowledge. Written assignments play a central role, but you will also encounter other assessment methods, designed to foster the development of a broad spectrum of skills and capabilities. Across your assessments you will have opportunities to demonstrate your ability to conduct independent research, critically analyse information, and articulate complex ideas.

At the culmination of your studies, you will carry out a final year project. This significant piece of independent work will provide an opportunity for you to showcase your ability to synthesise information, critically evaluate contemporary debates and/or real world problems, and articulate your findings and recommendations comprehensively.

Entry requirements

A-level: AAA including French.

Two of your A-levels must be in traditional academic subjects. Please see our accepted subjects document to check your subjects.

If your choice of A-level subjects has been constrained by factors outside your control (such as if your school or college did not offer certain subjects), please contact the Undergraduate Admissions Office to discuss your application.

Alternative offers will not be made for applicants taking the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) alongside A-levels.

GCSE: We expect applicants to have a substantial number of GCSE passes at a high standard. Applicants from countries where English is not the first language will also need a grade 5/6 (B) in GCSE English language, or another appropriate English language qualification, see below.

Alternative qualification

Read more about UK and Republic of Ireland accepted qualifications or contact the School’s Undergraduate Admissions Team.

Alternative entry

We’re committed to identifying the best possible applicants, regardless of personal circumstances or background.

Access to Leeds is a contextual admissions scheme which accepts applications from individuals who might be from low income households, in the first generation of their immediate family to apply to higher education, or have had their studies disrupted.

Find out more about Access to Leeds and contextual admissions.

Typical Access to Leeds offer:

• ABB at A level including French. Applicants must also meet the University’s GCSE matriculation standard and pass the Access to Leeds module.

• For alternative qualification offers please contact the admissions team.

If you do not have the formal qualifications for immediate entry to one of our degrees, we offer a foundation year for UK students who meet specific widening participation criteria. Learn more about the BA Social Science (foundation year).

Alternative Entry Scheme for Mature Students

If you are a mature applicant (over 21) and you don’t have the required A Levels or GCSE English and maths qualifications, you can complete our Alternative Entry Scheme (subject to meeting the eligibility criteria for the scheme). As part of this, you may be asked to take tests in English and maths and to write an essay.

Contact the Lifelong Learning Centre for more information. lifelonglearning@leeds.ac.uk

Pathways to Law

Pathways to Law provides opportunities for students from state schools in England who are interested in a career in law and who will be the first generation of their family to go to university. It offers support to students from under-represented backgrounds throughout years 12 and 13 and into university. Find out more about Pathways to Law.

International

We accept a range of international equivalent qualifications. For information contact the School of Law Undergraduate Admissions Team.

• View the Canadian equivalents to GCSE and A-levels.
• View the Indian equivalents to GCSE and A-levels.

English language requirements

IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in any component. For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications.

Improve your English
If you're an international student and you don't meet the English language requirements for this programme, you may be able to study our undergraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.

Fees

UK: To be confirmed

International: To be confirmed

Tuition fees for UK undergraduate students starting in 2025/26
The fee for UK undergraduate students is decided by the Government and may vary if policy changes. The fee may increase in future years of your course in line with inflation, and as permitted by law.

Tuition fees for UK undergraduate students starting in 2025/26 will be £9,535.

The tuition fee for the following programmes with an integrated foundation year is £5,760 for the foundation year, and £9,535 for subsequent years of study:
•    Business Studies with Foundation Year BSC
•    Arts and Humanities with Foundation Year BA
•    Interdisciplinary Studies with Preparation for Higher Education BA
•    Social Science (foundation year) BA
 

Tuition fees for international undergraduate students starting in 2025/26
Tuition fees for international students for 2025/26 are available on individual course pages.
 

Tuition fees for a study abroad or work placement year
If you take a study abroad or work placement year, you’ll pay a reduced tuition fee during this period. For more information, see Study abroad and work placement tuition fees and loans.

Read more about paying fees and charges.

There may be additional costs related to your course or programme of study, or related to being a student at the University of Leeds. Read more on our living costs and budgeting page.

Scholarships and financial support

If you have the talent and drive, we want you to be able to study with us, whatever your financial circumstances. There is help for students in the form of loans and non-repayable grants from the University and from the government. Find out more in our Undergraduate funding overview.

Applying

Apply to this course through UCAS. Check the deadline for applications on the UCAS website.

Read our admissions guidance for common queries, information on how we will process your application, and advice on personal statements.

International students apply through UCAS in the same way as UK students. Our network of international representatives can help you with your application. If you’re unsure about the application process, contact the admissions team for help.

Read about visas, immigration and other information in International students. We recommend that international students apply as early as possible to ensure that they have time to apply for their visa.

Admissions policy

University of Leeds Admissions Policy 2025

This course is taught by

School of Law

Contact us

School of Law Admissions Team

Email: uglaw@leeds.ac.uk
Telephone:

Career opportunities

Law graduates may consider several professional and academic pathways, including outside of the legal professions.

Our graduates have secured careers in multi-national firms, as well as larger, medium-sized and high street firms; in-house legal teams; and Chambers across the UK and internationally.

Alternatively, you can go into a completely different professional area, and our employability officers will be able to support you with doing so. Our law graduates have pursued careers in business, government services, education, the third sector, the advice sector, finance sectors, and the civil service, amongst others, reflecting the degree’s highly transferable nature.

Careers support

We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.

The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more about Careers support.

Study abroad and work placements

You will spend your third year studying law in a French-speaking law school, either in France or French-speaking Canada.

As well as enabling you to learn some aspects of the local law and legal system, this opportunity allows you to experience legal diversity, become fluent in French and experience life in another country.

Please note: the opportunity to study in French speaking Canada is subject to availability at the time. On occasion, circumstances outside of the control of the University may require us to adapt our provision.