Business and Law

Business and law is a combination that acknowledges the deep interdependence of commercial activity and legal frameworks. Every business decision, from forming a company and hiring staff to entering contracts and managing disputes, takes place within a legal context. And every legal practitioner who advises business clients needs to understand what their clients are actually trying to achieve commercially.

Studying the two together produces graduates who can navigate both worlds with genuine competence.

At the University of Edinburgh this four-year full-time programme is taught under Scots law, which differs in significant ways from English law and provides a distinctive legal education that is fully recognised for professional qualification purposes. You will study the core areas of law, including contract, delict, property, and public law, alongside business and management content covering strategy, finance, accounting, organisational behaviour, and entrepreneurship. A year abroad is built into the programme, giving you an international perspective on both business and legal systems.

Edinburgh is an outstanding location for this combination, with a thriving commercial sector, Scotland's legal and financial institutions close at hand, and a university with strong research activity in both law and business.

Graduates go on to careers in law, with routes into the Scottish and English legal professions, as well as careers in financial services, corporate governance, risk and compliance, management consultancy, public policy, and international business. The combination of legal and commercial knowledge is particularly valuable in roles that sit at the interface between business and regulation, and in organisations that need people who understand both the commercial context and the legal constraints they operate within. Many graduates continue to postgraduate study or professional training in law or business.