Law

Questions of analysis and interpretation, logical reasoning, ethical judgement, political liberty and social control: Law at Cambridge allows undergraduates to see law in its historical and social contexts, and to examine its general principles and techniques.

Law at Cambridge

Although our course (referred to elsewhere as LLB) 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 more than 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).

Additional course costs

There are no compulsory additional course costs for Law. However, most students prefer to purchase their own copy of a relevant statute book (c£17 each) for around 10 of their total 15 papers across the whole course (depending on papers chosen). If you have any queries about resources/materials, please contact the Faculty.

Vocational training

Currently, a Law degree alone isn’t a qualification for practice but ‘qualifying law graduates’ (who’ve passed the seven ‘foundation’ subjects) may proceed directly to vocational courses that lead to professional examinations. The foundation subjects are Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, Law of Tort, Law of Contract, Land Law, Law of Trusts (Equity), and Law of the EU. Please note that professional bodies are reviewing the requirements for qualifying as a solicitor or barrister.

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 about the Erasmus+ Scheme.

After Cambridge

Our graduates go on to qualify as barristers and solicitors and find employment within the legal departments of the Civil Service, local government, industrial and commercial firms, banks, and international organisations. Others stay in academia or seek careers in administration, management, politics or finance.

For each subject, you attend lectures given by teaching members of the Faculty. The typical number of lecture hours for each paper is 36 per year, mostly timetabled for the first two terms of each year, which equates to about 10-12 hours of lectures a week. You normally have a fortnightly College supervision in each subject as well.

With the exception of the Legal Skills and Methodology paper, for which you submit an extended essay, each paper is assessed by a written examination at the end of the year. In the third year, you have the option of substituting one paper for a dissertation.

Year 1 (Part IA)

In Year 1, all students take the same papers:

• Criminal Law
• Constitutional Law
• Civil Law
• Law of Tort
• Legal Skills and Methodology – a half paper providing training in legal methodology and research

Year 2 (Part IB)

In your second year, you choose five papers from a wide range of options. Most students take Contract Law and Land Law. Other options are:

• Family Law
• International Law
• Administrative Law
• Criminal Procedure and Evidence
• Legal History
• Civil Law II
• Criminology, Sentencing and the Penal System
• Comparative Law

Year 3 (Part II)

In the third year, you select and study five papers from an even more extensive range.

Most students take Equity and European Union Law but you can develop your interests in, for instance:

• commercial law
• public law subjects
• labour law
• more theoretical aspects of law, such as jurisprudence

You can take certain half papers as well. In recent years, papers available have included:

• Landlord and Tenant Law
• European Human Rights Law
• Personal Information Law
• Law and Development
• Banking Law

You can also participate in a seminar course, submitting a dissertation in place of one paper. Seminar courses vary each year but in the past have included Family in Society, Women and the Law, Law and Ethics of Medicine, Public Law, and Select Issues in International Law.

• All applicants to the University of Cambridge must submit an application to UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) by the relevant deadline.
• The Attestat o (polnom) Srednem Obshchem Obrazovanii (Certificate of Secondary Education) is not considered to be suitable preparation for a competitive application to the University of Cambridge. We strongly recommend that you undertake further study if you wish to apply for an undergraduate degree. Examples of the qualifications that would be considered suitable for admission to Cambridge are A Levels, the International Baccalaureate (IB), five or more Advanced Placement (AP) courses, or possibly the first year of an undergraduate degree at a university outside the UK. We recommend that you contact the College that you wish to apply to directly for further advice and guidance.
• IELTS – normally a minimum overall grade of 7.5, usually with 7.0 or above in each element.
• Cambridge English: Advanced – grade A or B.
• Cambridge English: Proficiency – grade A, B or C.

Admission assessment

All applicants for Law are required to take a written assessment at interview, if interviewed.

Assessment format

• Cambridge Law Test (essay version; 60 minutes)

 Law Admissions Assessment Specification

You do not need to register or be registered in advance for the assessment at interview – the Colleges provide details of arrangements in the letters inviting applicants to interview.

Please note that your performance in the assessment at interview will not be considered in isolation, but will be taken into account alongside the other elements of your application.

In addition to the at-interview assessment, applicants who are invited to interview are required to take a College-set written assessment at interview at the following Colleges (see individual College websites for details): Churchill

• Cambridge Commonwealth, European and International Trust

Your living expenses may be higher than for a Home student (eg if you stay in Cambridge/the UK during vacations). The minimum resources needed in Cambridge for the year (excluding tuition and College fees) are estimated to be approximately £10,080 in 2017-18 and £10,310 in 2018-19, depending on lifestyle (you should allow for increases in future years).