

Law

Law, or legal studies, comes into contact with almost every area of human life, touching upon issues relating to business, economics, politics, the environment, human rights, international relations and trade. It is telling that the first academic degrees developed were all related to law. As a law student, you can expect to learn how to tackle some of the most problematic – indeed, often seemingly irresolvable – conflicts and issues in modern society and morality. In providing a framework through which to examine and understand different societies and cultures, law degrees are a useful way to prepare not only for specific legal careers, but for a broad range of professional roles – and indeed, for life in general.
Digging deeper into subject interests can help you in a number of ways:
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Confirm whether this is (or isn't) something you would be interested in enough to want to study it at university either as the focus of your degree or a minor/elective
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Give you some inspiration to use when creating your questions and topics for IA's (coursework) and your Extended Essay
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Provide you with content for your university application writing in the future, enabling you to reflect on the things you've been doing to explore your interests in a way that is academically relevant to the course or institution you are applying for.
Useful Resources
How do I apply for a Law degree? | Blog | Website | This blog provides you with some useful information on applying for a Law degree. Some of the topics discussed include: the difference between law roles, what degree you need, subjects required for a law degree, employment prospects, and top UK universities for Law. | Click Here > | |
An Introduction to Roman Law, by Barry Nicholas & Ernest Metzger | Book | Roman Private Law claims the attention of the moden readers for two reasons. It is the most original product of the Roman mind. And it is the main source of the common stock of legal ideas which characterizes the 'Civil law' systems of the moden world and distinquishes them from the systems which derive from the English Common Law. This book sketches the history of Roman Private Law from the Twelve Tablets to modern times, and sets out the elements of the system. It does not attempt to summarize the whole law, but explains and evaluates its most characteristic and influential feature.
With a foreword, revised bibliography, and glossary of Latin terms by Ernest Metzger. | St. Clares Library L25 340 NIC | |
East West street : on the origins of genocide and crimes against humanity, by Philippe Sands | Book | When human rights lawyer Philippe Sands received an invitation to deliver a lecture in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, he began to uncover a series of extraordinary historical coincidences. It set him on a quest that would take him halfway around the world in an exploration of the origins of international law and the pursuit of his own secret family history, beginning and ending with the last day of the Nuremberg Trials. Part historical detective story, part family history, part legal thriller, Philippe Sands guides us between past and present as several interconnected stories unfold in parallel. | St. Clares Library L12 940.53 SAN | |
Eve was Framed: women and british justice, by Helena Kennedy | Book | Eve Was Framed offers an impassioned, personal critique of the British legal system and has become a classic text. Helena Kennedy focuses on the treatment of women in our courts - on the prejudices of judges, the misconceptions of jurors, the labyrinths of court procedures and the influence of the media. But the inequities she uncovers could apply equaly to any disadvantaged group - to those whose cases are subtly affected by race, class poverty or politics, or who are burdened, even before they appear in court, by misleading sterotypes. | St. Clares Library L25 342.41 KEN | |
Glanville Williams: learning the law, by A.T.H. Smith & G Williams | Book | This work contains all the beginner needs to know about the methodology of studying law. Ranging widely across legal skills, source materials, and methods of study and assessment, it introduces legal problems and describes how to tackle them. | St Clares Library L25 340 WIL | |
Great Debates in Criminal Law, by Jonathan Herring | Book | Great Debates in Law is an evolving series offering engaging and thoughtful introductions to the more advanced concepts, written by authors who are amongst the foremost thinkers in their field.They are designed to provide a cutting edge for students who are looking to gain additional insights with which to excel. The series looks to go beyond what is covered in the main textbooks, presenting the key tensions and questions underlying a subject, setting legal developments in their philosophical and cultural context and exploring the issues as matters of current debate. | St. Clares Library L25 345 HER | |
Is Eating People Wrong?: great legal cases and how they shaped the world, by Allan Hutchinson | Book | Great cases are those judicial decisions around which the common law develops.
This book explores eight exemplary cases from the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia that show the law as a living, breathing and down-the-street experience.
It explores the social circumstances in which the cases arose and the ordinary people whose stories influenced and shaped the law as well as the characters and institutions (lawyers, judges and courts) that did much of the heavy lifting.
By examining the consequences and fallout of these decisions, the book depicts the common law as an experimental, dynamic, messy, productive, tantalizing and bottom-up process, thereby revealing the diverse and uncoordinated attempts by the courts to adapt the law to changing conditions and shifting demands.
Great cases are one way to glimpse the workings of the common law as an untidy but stimulating exercise in human judgment and social accomplishment. | St. Clares Library L25 340 HUT | |
On Liberty, by S Chakrabarti | Book | 'On Liberty' is the story of today's threats to our freedoms and a highly personal, impassioned plea in defence of fundamental rights, from Shami Chakrabarti, the director of the advocacy group Liberty. On 11 September 2001, our world changed. The West's response to 9/11 has morphed into a period of exception. Governments have decided that the rule of law and human rights are often too costly. In 'On Liberty', Shami Chakrabarti - who joined Liberty, the UK's leading civil rights organisation, on 10 September 2001 - explores why our fundamental rights and freedoms are indispensable. She shows, too, the unprecedented pressures those rights are under today. Drawing on her own work in high-profile campaigns, from privacy laws to anti-terror legislation, Chakrabarti shows the threats to our democratic institutions and why our rights are paramount in upholding democracy. | St. Clares Library L25 323.44 CHA | |
Public Law, by Adam Tomkins | Book | Written in the well-established tradition of the Clarendon Law Series, Public Law offers a stimulating re-interpretation of the central themes and problems of English constitutional law. It offers full consideration of the historical development of public law. This book is an introduction that will be especially appealing to the enquiring student who is looking to reflect critically on the assumptions underpinning the standard presentation of the subject.
Written throughout in an engaging and accessible style, Public Law examines the issues of power and accountability that are central to constitutional and administrative law. Among the topics considered are the unwritten nature of the constitution, the changing relationship between the law and the politics of the constitution, the separation of powers, the enduring influence of the crown, the role and functions of Parliament, questions of responsible government, and the law of judicial review and human rights. | St. Clares Library L25 342.42 TOM | |
The Rule of Law, by Tom Bingham | Book | In this brilliant short book, Britain's former senior law lord, and one of the world's most acute legal minds, examines what the idea actually means. He makes clear that the rule of law is not an arid legal doctrine but is the foundation of a fair and just society, is a guarantee of responsible government, is an important contribution to economic growth and offers the best means yet devised for securing peace and co-operation. He briefly examines the historical origins of the rule, and then advances eight conditions which capture its essence as understood in western democracies today. He also discusses the strains imposed on the rule of law by the threat and experience of international terrorism.
The book will be influential in many different fields and should become a key text for anyone interested in politics, society and the state of our world. | St. Clares Library L25 340 BIN | |
Understanding Law, by John Adams & Roger Brownswood | Book | This introduction to the law in general provides a better understanding of this academic discipline and aims to develop a critical view of the institutions, processes and materials which comprise the English legal system. | St. Clares Library L25 349.42 ADA | |
ProEd | Course | Future Lawyer Summer Programme (use code StClares2022 for a 20% discount) | Click Here > | |
Young Lawyer Programmes | Event | Conference | Gain an immersive experience of Law alongside top professionals. Choose below either our Young Lawyer Weekend or our Young Lawyer Summer Experience. | Click Here > | |
Summer Schools in Europe | Events | The most complete directory of summer courses in Europe. It includes courses for high school, undergraduate and graduate students, so ensure you read the descriptions to find options right for you. | Click Here > | |
Research from the University of Bristol | Journal Articles | Website | Explore cutting edge research from the different faculties and departments from the University of Bristol, including free access to their published journal articles. | Click Here > | |
Coursera | Online Course | Coursera is an online platform for distance learning. They have a range of free courses delivered by universities. Search in this section to find courses of interest to you, often these are courses you can follow at your own pace. | Click Here > | |
EdX | Online Course | The X Series courses on the EdX platform are free online courses delivered by universities and aimed at helping you explore areas of interest. | Click Here > | |
FutureLearn | Online Course | FutureLearn is a free online platform where universities from around the globe host FREE online courses you can undertake in your areas of interest. Browse courses by categories or use the search bar to find courses relevant to your interests | Click Here > | |
ProEd | Online Course | Online Future Lawyer Programme (use code StClares2022 for a 20% discount) | Click Here > | |
The LawCareres.Net Podcast | Podcast | These podcasts feature interviews with recruiters, students, trainees, partners, publishers and more, touching on topics such as networking, psychometric testing and interviews. | Click Here > | |
Oxford Martin School: Public Lectures and Seminars | Podcast | Recorded Lecture | Public Lectures and Seminars from the Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford. The Oxford Martin School brings together the best minds from different fields to tackle the most pressing issues of the 21st century. | Click Here > | |
Oxford Transitional Justice Research Seminars | Podcast | Recorded Lecture | Oxford Transitional Justice Research (OTJR) is an inter-disciplinary network of more than 100 Oxford staff and students working broadly on issues of transition in societies recovering from mass conflict and/or repressive rule. OTJR is dedicated to producing high-quality scholarship that connects intimately to practical and policy questions in transitional justice, focusing on the following themes: Prosecutions, Truth Commissions, Local and traditional practices, Compensation and reparations, Theoretical and philosophical debates in transitional justice, Institutional reform and Archives of tribunal and other transitional justice materials. The OTJR seminar programme is held weekly and reflects these aims. | Click Here > | |
Public International Law | Podcast | Recorded Lecture | Lectures on international law issues by eminent scholars, practitioners and judges of national and international courts. The lecture series is brought to you by the Public International Law Discussion Group, part of the Law Faculty of the University of Oxford, and is supported by the British Branch of the International Law Association and Oxford University Press. | Click Here > | |
University of Southampton Podcast Library | Podcast | Recorded Lecture | A library of the Lifelong Learning Talks and Study Days from the University of Southampton. They cover a wide range of topics but are organised by topic and easy to browse. | Click Here > | |
Springpod Subject Spotlights | Recorded Lecture | On demand mini-lectures from top UK universities across a range of degree subject areas | Click Here > | |
LawCareers.Net YouTube Channel | Video | Watch the recordings of webinars on careers in law, including "Meet the Lawyer" interviews and advice on different pathways into the field of law. | Click Here > | |
The Continuing Windrush Scandal | Talk from March 2021 | Video | Talk by journalist and author Amelia Gentleman three years on from the government apology for the Windrush scandal, yet justice remains elusive for so many of those who were affected. | Click Here > | |
Springboard | Video | These videos bring you cutting-edge research from Oxford's graduate students on a wide range of topics - from climate change and colonialism, to microbiomes and mathematical logic. Each video offers an introduction to a new topic, plus lots of activities and further resources to explore. When you click on a topic, you will be asked a few questions and then you will be able to play the video you've chosen. | Click Here > | |
ExeTalks | Video | Recorded Lecture | ExeTalks are a chance to discover some of the fascinating research undertaken at the University of Exeter. | Click Here | |
University of Swansea Webinars | Webinar | Video | This is a collection of recordings from the University of Swansea's subject taster webinar series which they run at various times throughout the year. Browse through to find topics relevant to your interests. | Click Here > | |
Beginner's Guide to a Career in Law | Website | Find out more about what Lawyers do and the pathways to a career in law in the UK from the regularly updated LawCareers.net | Click Here > | |
HE+ | Website | Podcast | Blog | Video | The HE+ website has supercurricular resources created and written by Cambridge students and academics including challenging activities, engaging videos, reflective questions and much more. | Click Here > | |
LIS Learning Hub | Website | Webinar | Recorded Lecture | Blog | Podcast | This is an open source area full of webinars, articles, videos, short reads, mini-lectures, podcasts and more from the London Interdiscipinary school. | Click Here > | |
Springpod Virtual Work Experience | Work Experience | Virtual work experience Opportunities across a range of companies and sectors. Most of them are free. | Click Here > | |
First Steps to Law Virtual Experience Programme | Work Experience | Online Course | A virtual and on-demand experience program with Law Firm Hogan Lovells. It takes 6-7 hours of self-paced engagement to complete and you will gain a certificate for it. | Click Here > |