Law with a Language

Law is an inherently international discipline in a world where commerce, human rights, and governance cross borders constantly. At the University of Sussex, the LLB Law with a Language gives you a thorough grounding in English law alongside the ability to communicate in a second language at a level appropriate to professional and academic life. Over three years of full-time study, the degree includes a foundation year, a sandwich year, a year abroad, and work placement opportunities, making it one of the most structurally comprehensive law programmes available.

Your choice of language spans Arabic, British Sign Language, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, and Spanish, and can be studied from beginner level depending on which language you select.

The law component covers the core areas of the English legal system, including contract, tort, criminal law, constitutional and administrative law, and equity, while also drawing you into international, European, and Canadian law perspectives that extend your legal thinking beyond the purely domestic. Studying law develops your capacity to analyse complex texts precisely, construct arguments from evidence and principle, and engage with contested questions about rights, obligations, and the proper scope of legal authority. Adding a language to this training multiplies your professional options considerably.

Language learning at degree level goes beyond grammar: you will engage with the culture, society, and institutions of the relevant language community in ways that enrich your understanding of how legal systems reflect their social contexts.

Graduates of law degrees with language components are well positioned for careers in soliciting, the Bar, international arbitration, and roles within multinational legal services. The combination is also valued in compliance, policy, diplomacy, international NGOs, and business roles where legal literacy and cross-cultural communication are both required. The sandwich year and work placement opportunities add professional experience that strengthens employment prospects considerably.

Some graduates go on to the Legal Practice Course or Bar Training Course; others pursue postgraduate study in comparative law, international law, or legal practice in the relevant language community.