Departmental website: lse.ac.uk/law
Number of graduate students (full-time equivalent)
Taught: 316
Research: 27
Number of faculty (full-time equivalent): 66
REF: 85 per cent of the Department's research was rated world-leading or internationally excellent
Location: New Academic Building
About the Department
Since the foundation of LSE, the study of law has been an integral part of the School's mission. The Department’s special place in a school of social sciences has given its legal courses a distinctive, interdisciplinary character. As a Department, we are committed to the view that an understanding of law can be achieved only by examining it in its social, economic and policy context.
The Department has played a major role in policy debates and policy-making and in the education of lawyers and law teachers from around the world. It enjoys a uniquely cosmopolitan student body, and has deeply influenced legal education in most common law countries.
Closely linked to this innovative approach has been the exploration of new fields of study. Many important subjects were first taught and examined systematically from an academic perspective at the School. These include banking law, taxation law, civil litigation, company law, labour law, family law, aspects of welfare law, and studies of the legal system and the legal profession. These subjects, and many others, have since become central to the concerns of lawyers and researchers.
MPhil/PhD Law
MPhil/PhD Socio-Legal Theory
Visiting Research Students
The Department are keen to encourage the development of research in law and socio-legal studies and invite applications for research in areas of staff interest and expertise. The LSE PhD has always been of high quality and many outstanding PhD theses have been published.
The Department will assist you by providing research training through LSE's research methods courses run by the Department of Methodology, and at departmental level, through the Law Department research seminars. These consist of presentations concentrating on the methodological problems of legal and socio-legal research, by members of staff, visiting speakers and research students. You are expected to attend the seminars and give presentations on your work. Some students are given the opportunity to teach undergraduates. Research students are also invited to the fortnightly staff seminars.
The main resources for research students are the LSE Library, Library of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, other University of London college libraries and the University Library. There are also dedicated research student study areas for MPhil/PhD students to use.
Taught programmes
We also take part in a number of interdisciplinary programmes including: