| Programme details | |
|---|---|
| Degree: | Bachelor of Laws (LLB) |
| Disciplines: |
Legal Studies
Bachelor of Laws (LLB) |
| Duration: | 48 months |
| Study modes: | full-time |
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Law is an exciting, dynamic subject. Law regulates every aspect of social life: from the contracts that we make when we buy products to the laws that determine when people can be jailed for committing criminal offences, and through to significant political decisions, such as constitutional reforms on marriage or abortion. As a law student, you learn what these laws are, how they work and how they change. You learn the skills of a lawyer: how to research the law, how to make legal arguments, how to use the law to protect and serve your clients.
The law degree will appeal to you if you are interested in society and how it works, how we regulate the relationships between people. Given the wide range of legal modules, the degree attracts students with a broad range of interests. Those interested in politics are attracted to subjects such as constitutional law. Those interested in business are attracted to subjects as company law and commercial law. Those concerned about injustice, whether at an international or national level, will be attracted to subjects such as international human rights, environmental law, and public interest law. In truth, most students have overlapping interests.
Trinity’s School of Law, is Ireland’s oldest and most internationally renowned law school. It is the highest ranked Law School in Ireland in both the QS and THE world rankings. We have produced some of the most prolific lawyers of the modern era in Ireland. Our strong network of alumni in Ireland abroad comprises leading lawyers, judges, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Chief Justices, Presidents of Ireland, policy-makers and public representatives.
Trinity College Dublin’s LL.B. degrees prepare students not only for life as ‘lawyers’, but also enables them to enter many career fields such as business, journalism, accountancy, banking, insurance, politics, foreign affairs and public policy, both in Ireland and abroad. The skills learned through studying law are useful in all walks of life. A law degree teaches students to think logically and analytically. It also equips students with the ability to carry out research, to apply relevant information to problems, to use language precisely, carefully and objectively. Law degrees and professional qualifications
No law degree entitles a person to practise law as a solicitor or barrister. If you wish to go on to obtain a professional qualification, the governing bodies for the profession require that you study certain modules in your primary law degree. Each of our five undergraduate degree programmes is designed to ensure you have the opportunity to take these required modules. Our programmes also offer additional modules currently required for entry into the UK professional bodies.
All students considering a career as a lawyer should consult the relevant professional body of their preferred jurisdiction to ensure they satisfy all entry requirements.
Law at Trinity College Dublin is a four-year honors degree programme. In the first and second years of the programme, we ensure that there is an appropriate balance between the academic and practical aspects of law. In the third and fourth years, you will take modules at a more advanced level. The sophister years allow you to tailor your studies to develop specialised areas of interest, e.g. employment law or medical law and ethics. In your final year of study, you will complete a piece of independent research referred to as the ‘Capstone Project’. This allows you to apply and enhance the research skills that you have developed in the previous three years of the programme. Being part of a research group with other students, you will work independently and collaboratively to explore in-depth a topical issue.
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The Law School has long recognised the value of practical, skills-based training. Clinical legal education (CLE) offers students a valuable opportunity to learn more deeply about the law by gaining practical legal experience. Offered in the final year, 35-40 students undertake a placement in a legal practice setting in a partner organisation in the private, public or not-for-profit sectors. Students also attend a lawyering class in which they develop their understanding of professional legal skills and legal ethics. We are privileged to have many of the leading legal practice settings in the State, in each of the private, public and not-for-profit sectors, among our partner organisations which offer placements. The lawyering class complements the placement by enabling students to identify and develop the skills, values and knowledge which is necessary for making the transition from the academic study of law to its application in a real world setting.
Assessment in law degrees is by a combination of coursework and semester examinations. As a reflection of the different teaching practices, a diverse range of assessment methods is used, including case notes, essays, mock trials, reflective journals, mock parliaments, contribution to web-discussion boards, response papers and research dissertations. Students are advised at the beginning of the teaching semester about the assessment methods in each module.
Third year students may apply to study abroad in a prestigious European university with the EU funded Erasmus programme. We also have links with leading universities in North America, Australia, Hong Kong and China which you may choose to apply to spend a semester or year in. These programmes are highly successful and are an extremely popular amongst our students each year. Participating students find that they are hugely enjoyable, academically and culturally rewarding, and a valuable asset to prospective employers. Further information on the year abroad programme, and a list of partner universities, can be found at: www.tcd.ie/law/programmes/undergraduate/year-abroad
If you are considering studying for a Law degree at Trinity but want to be sure, you are most welcome to attend first and/or second year Law lectures. If you would like to avail of this opportunity, please contact us by email to arrange a visit and meet with an academic advisor or current student.