Learn more about why we study law, and examples of the legal, social and political questions addressed by our academics.
Why study law?
An LLB from the LSE provides an excellent platform to launch a legal career. But it involves much more than that. The study of law is also the study of a social science.
Law is the endeavour of human beings to govern our personal, social, economic and political relationships through the use of rules. To study law is to study the nature of those relationships.
To know whether or not the LLB is for you, ask yourself these questions:
Are you interested in any of the following?
Government, politics, business, finance, property, international relations, war, international trade, families, reproduction, healthcase, media, environment, human rights, crime, punishment, war crimes ...
The list could go on and on. Almost every aspect of society is subject to law. An interest in what people do with and to each other is a great advantage for the successful study of law.
Are you interested in making rigorous arguments and counter-arguments?
The legal judgments and academic commentaries you will have to read are mostly made up of arguments. Arguments about what the law is; arguments about how it should be applied; arguments about what the law ought to be; arguments about why the law is as it is; arguments about these arguments!
Making compelling logical arguments and counter-arguments is central to the study of law.
Do you have an appetite and capacity for reading?
Like the practice of law, the undergraduate study of law requires a willingness to read ... and read ... and then to read some more. Not only does it require a willingness to read and absorb large amounts of text but also, when necessary, to be able to read particular passages very carefully and to think in detail about the possible meanings and ambiguities in them.
If your answer to these questions is yes, then an LLB may be for you.
Questions of Law
At LSE Law Students learn that law in not a body of knowledge stored in libraries, but a presence all around us, constantly evident in our social, civil and business interactions.
LSE students benefit from being immersed in an environment where academics not only have extraordinary levels of knowledge ot impart, but also, through their world-leading research, actively contribute to shaping the development of the law, and exploring how the law can provide solutions to issues of contemporary significance.
If you would like to engage with some of the pressing legal problems of our time, then LSE is the place for you. The sections below provide just a few examples of the work of LSE Law's academics.
The referendum vote to leave the EU raises significant constitutional questions for the United Kingdom. What effect does the vote have on Scotland and Northern Ireland, which voted to remain? What effect will the Article 50 litigation have on the constitution? LSE lawyers have been active participants in these debates following the referendum. Jo Murkens who teaches the Public Law course has advised parliament on the implications for the UK constitution.
Dr Chaloka Beyani researches international law and human rights, he is UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons, a member of the UK's Advisory Group on Human Rights, and was a member of the Committee of Experts responsible for drafting the 2010 Constitution of Kenya.
Learn about these issues and more on the Public International Law course.
Learn about this issue and more on the Law of Business Associations course.
This course is taught by Dr Eva Micheler and Professor David Kershaw, who are members of the LSE Law and Financial Markets Project. Dr Micheler writes widely on corporate and comparative law and her work has been cited by the UK Supreme Court and by the Austrian Oberster Gerichtshof. She has advised the UK Department of Business, Innovation and Skills on questions relatin to intermediated shareholdings and recently published research on how the technology underlying Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies could be used to connect securities investors and issuers. Professor Kershaw researches corporate law, takeover regulation and accounting regulation, including a focus on the effects of managerial insulation on firm performance. He has just published a new book entitled Principles of Takeover Regulation, and along with Professor Julia Black recently gave evidence before the Parliamentary Committee on Banking Standards.
Professor Emily Jackson researches medical law and ethics, and writes on such issues as the law relating to assisted suicide and euthanasia. She is the author of Medlical Law: Text, Cases and Materials, a Judicial Appointments Commissioner and a Member of the BMA's Medical Ethics Committee. Learn about this issue and more on Professor Jackson's Medical Law course.
Professor Jeremy Horder researches regulatory criminal law and is the co-author of Principles of Criminal Law. Before joining LSE Law, he was a Law Commissioner for England and Wales. Professor Jill Peay researches the use of the criminal law and punishment against people who are mentally ill. She is author of Mental Health and Crime and is a member of the Ministry of Defence Research Ethics Committee. Dr Peter Ramsay writes about the expanding scope of the criminal law. He is the author of The Insecurity State. Learn more about these questions on the Criminal Law course and Sentencing and Treatment of Offenders.
Professor Andrew Murray researches the regulation of cyberspace and the protection and promotion of human rights in the digital environment. He is the author of Information Technology Law and a member of the management board of Creative Commons, England and Wales, and of the Advisory Committee of the UNESCO Study on Freedom of Expression and Media Development.