Law

Law is the system of rules, principles and institutions through which societies regulate behaviour, resolve disputes and give effect to rights and obligations. As an academic discipline it combines technical legal analysis with broader engagement with the philosophical, social and historical dimensions of the legal order. As a vocational preparation it develops the precise analytical and communication skills that professional legal practice demands.

For those who do not pursue a legal career, the capabilities a law degree develops are valued very widely across public life and business.

The University of Reading offers this three-year full-time LLB, covering the foundational subjects of English law including contract, tort, criminal law, constitutional and administrative law, property law and equity and trusts, alongside legal research methods and the broader contextual and comparative perspectives on law that a university degree in the subject should provide. Reading's law school has particular strengths in areas including commercial law, human rights and socio-legal studies, and the curriculum reflects these alongside the core legal content. You will develop the ability to read and analyse legal materials with precision, to construct and evaluate legal arguments and to apply rules and principles to complex factual situations.

Writing and oral communication are developed throughout the degree.

Law trains a distinctive analytical precision, the capacity to reason from rules and principles to conclusions in situations where the rules are often unclear and the facts are disputed. These are capabilities that prove valuable far beyond legal practice itself.

Graduates who wish to practise in England and Wales proceed through the Solicitors Qualifying Examination or the Bar Practice Course depending on their chosen path. Others move into business, the civil service, finance, compliance, journalism, public affairs and the wide range of careers where the analytical foundations of legal training are recognised and valued. Postgraduate study in law or related fields is also available for those wishing to develop specialist expertise.