Law LLB

Year of entry

2026 course information

Open Days 2026

Be the first to know when bookings open for our June 2026 Open Days.

UCAS code
M100
Start date
September 2027
Delivery type
On campus
Duration
3 Years (Full time)
Work placements
Optional
Study abroad
Optional
Typical A-level offer
AAA (specific subject requirements)
Typical Access to Leeds offer
ABB
Full entry requirements

Course overview

Two students studying in Liberty Building

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 and subject areas.

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

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. You also have the opportunity to spend a year studying abroad (subject to academic performance and available places) or alternatively you could spend a year in industry.

Top 20 in the UK for Law (Complete University Guide 2026), 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 courses. 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.

Accreditation

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 and modules

Year 1 covers many of the foundational topics in English law. Alongside these, the Legal Skills module equips you with the necessary skills and attributes to study law at undergraduate level, and 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 will build on your legal knowledge and skills, and examine the broader relationship between law, the legal system and wider society. Optional modules will allow you to focus on topics that suit your particular interests. 

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 will complete your study of law with compulsory and further 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 will 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.

Criminal Law (20 credits)

This 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 both a national and an international level.

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 course. 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 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 as a student, and within your 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; and emotional intelligence, including notions of failure/success and strategies for responding to ‘challenges’ such as failure and unexpected change.

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.

Land Law (20 credits)

This module will introduce you to the core concepts, principles, rules and aims of land law and you’ll learn to recognise the influence of political, economic and social contexts on its development. You’ll gain knowledge of key issues, such as the nature and effect of property rights, lawful protest, privacy and public access.

Law and Society (20 credits)

This module is designed to: introduce you to law and society (or socio-legal) approaches to the study of law; teach you to recognise the importance of social context to legal analysis; equip you with the skills required to undertake socio-legal analysis and research; and encourage you to reflect upon your own learning and positionality as a student.

EU Law (20 credits)

This module considers the history and structure of the EU, 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 module also focuses on substantive law and the provisions which form the basis of the internal market. It explores free movement of persons, of goods, and of services. It provides the 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.

Optional Modules

40 credits of optional modules (examples, which may vary year by year):

Company Law (20 credits)

This module explores the main features of company law in the United Kingdom. Company law governs the formation, management, and dissolution of companies, which are foundational to modern economic activity. By examining the legal responsibilities of companies, including directors’ duties, shareholder rights and remedies, and creditor protections, you will gain insight into how businesses balance profit motives with ethical and legal obligations. The module also addresses issues of accountability and corporate governance, which are increasingly important in today’s world where stakeholders expect companies to act responsibly in areas like sustainability and social impact. While the module focuses on UK company law, it will equip you with key legal concepts, principles and rules that shape corporate behaviour in a globalised economy and introduce you to similar legal and policy debates in other jurisdictions.

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)

This 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, including civil and political rights, socioeconomic rights and the rights of groups.

Family Law (20 credits)

This module examines the legal rules and broader social values and concepts that govern intimate and family relationships. Learning activities will enable you to identify and apply the relevant legal rules for a range of topics. These rules are largely statutory, so you will gain skills in employing statute law to relevant scenarios. The module also takes a socio-legal approach, and you will learn to examine and evaluate these rules in their historical, social, political, and demographic context.

International Law (20 credits)

International law analyses the contemporary global legal system and the challenges it faces, through its structures, legal norms, rules and institutions. This module examines this distinct legal system in relation to its history, authority, legitimacy, values and the enforcement of legal rules and norms. In particular, topics are considered in light of decolonising approaches. These raise fundamental questions about the many assumptions made and how international law must integrate and reflect diversity and equity in its institutions and legal system. The module begins by examining the nature and purpose of international law and then considers the sources of international law and the nature of statehood.

Policing (20 credits)

This module provides a critical survey of the introduction to policing in England and Wales. It considers the conceptual differences between ‘police’ and ‘policing’ and charts the development of policing from a historical perspective.

The module explores the nature of the modern police institution, including its development and contemporary social role and functions, as well as the formal establishment of policing systems in the nineteenth century. It examines key factors such as politics, police culture, and discretion, and analyses the relationships between the police and various social groups. It also debates the opportunities, challenges, and contestations in police governance and accountability.

Throughout, the module engages with wider social, political, cultural, and economic developments that influence contemporary policing. It also enables you to draw on evidence to develop innovative solutions to emergent challenges in policing.

Employment Law (20 credits)

The world of work has transformed in recent decades, impacted by a multitude of factors including technological developments and discoveries, global health pandemics and changing social identities and attitudes, alongside other social, political and economic shifts. Meanwhile, the law has often struggled to keep up pace with these changes and their implications for the regulation of workplace relationships, resulting in greater precarity, inequalities and exploitation amongst many workers. This makes the study of employment law and policy in the context of modern forms of working a critical area of study if you are interested in issues of equality and social progress and the role of law in achieving these aims.

Social Sciences and Emergencies: Contexts, Theories and Approaches (20 credits)

This module will introduce you to the critical role of the social sciences in public understanding and experience of emergencies, such as environmental disasters, pandemics, epidemics, and large-scale social and political upheavals. It will provide you with the conceptual tools and methodological approaches to critically evaluate the response of the government, communities, state institutions and other sectors of society to emergencies and their aftermaths. It will also equip you with the skills to clearly and effectively communicate knowledge and information about these topics to an academic audience.

Year 3 compulsory modules

Law of Trusts (20 credits)

This module examines the English Law of Trusts. It provides you with an understanding of what a trust is, how it is created, what the trustee’s duties are and what remedies the beneficiary has for their breach. It also explores personal and proprietary claims against third parties.

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 programme, 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 gives you the 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.

Optional Modules

60 credits of optional modules (examples, which may vary year by year):

Health Care Law (20 credits)

This module takes an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the legal regulation of health care services and decision-making – including consent, mental capacity, and specific areas of health care law. You will consider a range of contemporary issues where health care and the law intersect, and how this affects both patients and health care professionals. The interdisciplinary and comparative approach that the module takes provides you with opportunities to engage with and analyse multiple perspectives on these issues, promoting a critical and reflective approach to the role of law in this socio-legal context.

Environmental Law (20 credits)

Environmental problems – a warming planet, growing rubbish piles, the destruction of habitats – are amongst the most complex faced by today’s societies. These problems also pose multiple challenges for legal control and regulation. Ecosystems are understood only subject to significant scientific uncertainty, whereas environmental impacts cross jurisdictional and disciplinary boundaries. How does the law respond to these challenges?

This module explores the struggle to tackle environmental problems through a variety of forms of environmental law, regulation and governance. Whether you are a committed environmentalist, a climate sceptic, or perhaps more in the middle, studying the use of law to tackle pressing social, economic and environmental challenges should be of universal appeal. We think critically about, and actively debate, what law can achieve (and what it can’t) in the face of complex global problems. Understanding the limitations of legal control also leads us to consider the role of a range of government and non-government actors – from corporations, to lawyers, to activists, and even ourselves as consumers and citizens – in seeking solutions to problems like air pollution, climate change, waste, and land use.

Penology (20 credits)

This module examines the use of custodial and community sentences in contemporary society. The aim of the module is to provide detailed knowledge and understanding of issues relating to imprisonment in England and Wales and various ways in which offenders are punished and/or supervised in the community.

Transnational and Comparative Criminology (20 credits)

This module focuses upon the challenges posed by the transnational dynamics of crime and crime control. It critically examines both specific crime phenomena that manifest transnational reach and global ambition, as well as those criminal justice policies and security ‘solutions’ that seek to address them. This includes focused analysis of specific transnational and criminal phenomena, including comparative perspectives.

Commercial Law: Domestic and International Sales (20 credits)

This module covers the sale of goods in relation to business-to-business transactions. The broader emphasis is on domestic commercial transactions, providing knowledge regarding domestic commercial contracts, including – among other relevant matters – the classification of goods, issues of passing property, risk, the use of retention of titles clauses, contractual terms, and remedies available for breach of commercial contracts. The module will also examine some basic aspects of international commercial sales under English law, exclusively, namely standard trade terms such as Cif and Fob, the role of the bill of lading, and payments methods in international transactions such as the letter of credit.

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 (e.g. social networking sites). You’ll consider the extent to which these media laws uphold fundamental human rights, specifically Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights (freedom of expression) and Article 8 (family and private life).

Gender and the Law (20 credits)

This module takes an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the legal regulation of gender – including trans embodiment, intersex embodiment and historical and contemporary perspectives on gender roles. You’ll consider a range of contemporary issues where gender and the law intersect, and how this interacts with other systems such as health and culture. The interdisciplinary and comparative approach that the module takes provides you with opportunities to engage with and analyse multiple perspectives on these issues, promoting a critical and reflective approach to the role of law in this socio-legal context.

Crime, Law and Social Change: Crime and Criminal Justices in Historical Perspective (20 credits)

This module explores the history of crime and criminal justice. It examines both the development of key criminal justice institutions such as policing and the penal system, as well as changing historical patterns in offending including the decline of violence in modern societies. These two broad areas will be consistently analysed with reference to the wider historical context. You will, therefore, examine the social, political, moral and economic factors which shape crime, our understandings of crime and our attempts to deal it with through the criminal justice system.

Cyberlaw: Law and the Regulation of the Information Society (20 credits)

This module examines the impact of the internet, AI, and cyberspace on the development of the contemporary 'information society'. It provides detailed knowledge and understanding of the role technology plays in shaping the creation, distribution, and regulation of information on a global scale. It also discusses the challenges posed by state jurisdiction in a digital world without borders and conducts an evaluation of current policy and regulatory issues. It looks at the dynamic relationship between technology, society, and governance in the context of networked technologies, analysing how these elements influence modern regulatory practices.

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.

Criminal Evidence (20 credits)

This module introduces you to the core principles of criminal evidence and the legal frameworks within which evidentiary rules are applied in criminal trials. You’ll explore key evidentiary concepts, cases and legislation, including confession evidence, hearsay, character and sexual behaviour evidence, and the treatment of vulnerable witnesses and suspects. The module also examines contemporary issues such as digital and identification evidence and improperly obtained evidence. You will have the opportunity to develop practical legal skills through workshops focused on case analysis and written advocacy, and to engage with the real-world application of evidentiary rules through guest input from criminal justice professionals.

Social Sciences and Emergencies: Case Studies & Critical Analysis (20 credits)

This module investigates emergencies from the perspectives of the social sciences. You’ll utilise real-world cases to analyse the societal implications of various emergencies. The module prioritises critical thinking and provides you with the skills to assess the role of the social sciences in shaping knowledge of emergencies and formulating strategies for managing their impact on communities, institutions and individuals. Module key themes and concepts are drawn from sociology, social policy, politics, law, criminal justice and education.

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.

While we aim to teach you to ‘think like a lawyer’ on this course, we also help you develop transferable skills so you can use the law elsewhere. Our teaching methods include lectures, workshops and seminars, supplemented by our online platform Minerva and the Virtual Learning Environment.

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.

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

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

Access to HE Diploma

Complete 60 credits with 45 credits at level 3, including 30 at Distinction and 15 at Merit or higher.

BTEC

BTECs considered with 2 A Level subjects from list A.

Cambridge Pre-U

D3, D3, D3.

International Baccalaureate

35 overall (6,6,5 higher).

Irish Leaving Certificate (higher Level)

H2, H2, H2, H2, H2, H2.

Scottish Highers / Advanced Highers

AA in Advanced Highers and AABBB in Highers, or A in Advanced Highers and AAABB in Highers or AAAAAA in Highers.

T-Levels

We will consider T-levels in appropriate subjects as they become available. In all cases applicants should have GCSE English at 4 or above.

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.

If you live in a neighbourhood where there is low participation in higher education, we may be able to give priority to your application.

Find out more about Access to Leeds and contextual admissions.

Typical Access to Leeds offer:

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.

BA Social Science (foundation year)

BA Social Science is a foundation year course for students who don’t meet the standard admissions requirements for an undergraduate degree.

If you feel you missed out on education and want to realise your potential, this course will give you a firm grounding in the social sciences and prepare you for one of our social science degree courses.

The course lasts four years. Your first-year acts as a ‘Level 0’ foundation year, which gives you the skills for studying social sciences at undergraduate level. It’ll also introduce you to key ideas in sociology, politics, crime, education and law.

You’ll need to pass this year to progress onto one of our three-year undergraduate degree courses in a related subject. These include BA Childhood Studies, BA Sociology, BA Social Policy, Sociology and Crime, BA Politics, LLB Law, BA Social Work, BA Criminal Justice and Criminology and many others.

Find out more about BA Social Science.

International

We accept a range of international equivalent qualifications. For specific detail on grades required for this course contact the School of Law Undergraduate Admissions Team.

International foundation year

International students who do not meet the academic requirements for undergraduate study may be able to study a foundation year. Find out more about International Foundation Year programmes.

If you are applying from an alternative foundation year provider, please contact our admissions team to find out if your qualification is suitable for entry to this course.

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: £10,050

International: To be confirmed

The amount of tuition fees you pay is based on whether you are classified as a home (UK) or international student. Find out how we assess your fee status.   

Tuition fees for UK students 
Tuition fees for UK undergraduate students starting in 2026/27 are £9,790 and £10,050 for students starting in 2027/28.  

Subsequent years 
The UK government sets the maximum tuition fee caps that universities can charge UK students. This means your tuition fee in future academic years will reflect any changes set by the government.   

From 2028/29 onwards, tuition fees are likely to increase annually, at least in line with inflation, and may rise further if the government increases the fee cap.   

Tuition fees for international students 
The international fee applies for each year of full-time study and will remain the same for the duration of your course.    

Read more about tuition fees.

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.

Additional cost information

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.

Scholarships are also available to help fund your degree. Find out more and check your eligibility below:

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 2026

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.

Top 10 most targeted for 10+ years

by the UK's leading employers

The Graduate Market 2026, High Fliers Research

Careers support

At Leeds, we help you to prepare for your future from day one. We have a wide range of careers resources — including our award-winning Employability Team who are in contact with many employers around the country and advertise placements and jobs. They are also on hand to provide guidance and support, ensuring you are prepared to take your next steps after graduation and get you where you want to be.

  • Employability events — we run a full range of events including careers fairs in specialist areas and across broader industries — all with employers who are actively recruiting for roles.
  • MyCareer system — on your course and after you graduate, you’ll have access to a dedicated careers portal where you can book appointments with our team, get information on careers and see job vacancies and upcoming events.
  • Qualified careers consultants — gain guidance, support and information to help you choose a career path. You’ll have access to 1-2-1 meetings and events to learn how to find employers to target, write your CV and cover letter, research before interviews and brush up on your interview skills.
  • Opportunities at Leeds — there are plenty of exciting opportunities offered by our Leeds University Union, including volunteering and over 300 clubs and societies to get involved in.

The School of Law has dedicated employability officers to support you with your career planning during your time with us. Find out more on the school’s Career Support website.

Study abroad and work placements

Study abroad

On this course you have the opportunity to apply to spend time abroad, usually as an extra academic year. We have over 300 University partners worldwide and popular destinations for our students include Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Africa and Latin America. 

Find out more at the Study Abroad website.

Work placements

This programme gives you the opportunity to undertake an industrial placement year as part of the course.

It’s important to note, work placements are not guaranteed. The job market is competitive – and there may be competition for the placement you want. You’ll have to apply the same way you would for any job post, with your CV and, if successful, attend an interview with the organisation.

Our Employability Team will help you every step of the way. They run a number of placement sessions to discuss opportunities and support you with CV writing and interview preparations. Plus, they’ll be there to answer any questions you may have and offer guidance throughout the process, too.

Benefits of a work placement year:

  • 100+ organisations to choose from, both in the UK and overseas
  • Build industry contacts within your chosen field
  • Our close industry links mean you’ll be in direct contact with potential employers
  • Advance your experience and skills by putting the course teachings into practice
  • Gain invaluable insight into working as a professional in this industry
  • Improve your employability

Find out more about Industrial placements.