Law with German Legal Studies

Law with German legal studies is a demanding and distinctive programme that prepares you for qualified practice in both the Scots legal system and, in combination with your German studies, the German legal system. Scots law is a mixed legal system, drawing on both the civil law tradition that Germany also shares and the common law tradition of England, which makes the comparative study of German law particularly illuminating. You will develop a thorough grounding in Scots private law, public law, and criminal law alongside serious engagement with German legal doctrine, the German language at a legal level, and the wider European civil law tradition from which German law emerges.

At the University of Glasgow, this four-year programme is taught within one of Scotland's leading law schools, with a strong research tradition in both comparative law and German legal scholarship. You will study the core subjects required for admission to the Law Society of Scotland and the Faculty of Advocates, while simultaneously developing the German language skills and legal knowledge that would support a career involving German law or practice in Germany. The programme rewards students who are genuinely interested in law as an intellectual discipline as well as a professional qualification and who are curious about how different legal systems approach the same fundamental questions of justice, liability, and rights.

Graduates may qualify to practise as solicitors in Scotland through the Law Society of Scotland's qualification route, and the German legal studies component opens possibilities for practice or further study in Germany, Switzerland, or Austria. International law firms and legal practices with offices across multiple jurisdictions value lawyers with comparative expertise. Careers in law, legal consultancy, the civil service, European institutions, international commerce, and academia are all open to graduates of this combination.

Many graduates pursue further legal study or vocational training immediately after graduation.