The highlights

For those interested in becoming a solicitor, the route to qualification is changing. At Derby Law School we are working hard to ensure that the necessary changes are made to our undergraduate and postgraduate courses to provide our students with maximum opportunity and flexibility to further their legal career.

Top15for assessment and feedback - Law subject areaNational Student Survey 2024
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Top25for learning opportunities - Law subject areaNational Student Survey 2024

Law - your questions answered

In the below video, Head of Derby Law School, Sue Jennings, answers some of the most frequently asked questions about Law at the University of Derby.

Find out everything you need to know about Law at the University of Derby. Sue Jennings, Head of Derby Law School, answers questions on who this degree is for and the careers it could lead too

View Law - your questions answered! video transcript

I chose Derby because of the emphasis placed on practicality which set it apart from others. Another factor was the welcoming atmosphere that was apparent when you entered the building. It was the first university that just felt right.

Gemma Wood
LLB (Hons) Graduate

Derby LLB

Offering you an exceptional experience of studying law, the Derby LLB is designed to reflect the changing legal profession and set you apart in the graduate job market.

We deliver a comprehensive all-round undergraduate legal education, so you’ll gain all the skills and hands-on experience you need to have an immediate impact in a legal career. You'll engage with the core professional skills, bringing what you read in the textbooks to life through genuine practical experience.

At the same time, you’ll focus on the broader skills required by modern-day lawyers, going beyond providing legal advice and resolving legal disputes. You’ll be introduced to areas such as legal technology, commercial awareness, entrepreneurship and strategic thinking while developing empathy, innovation and creativity to help you stand out from the crowd. You’ll also explore how your legal knowledge can shape your future role in society, helping you to make a genuine difference to social justice.

Specialist pathways

The Derby LLB is all about flexibility and choice. You can decide to study a broad-based LLB or follow a specialist pathway to a named LLB award by taking particular modules at stage 3. The pathways are:

Professional recognition

The Derby LLB meets stringent criteria set by the Bar Standards Board and Solicitors Regulation Authority and covers all the foundations of legal knowledge. As a ‘qualifying law degree’, it offers exemptions from the academic stage of study if you want to progress to become a barrister or solicitor. 

Hands-on learning

Derby Law School has an ethos of ‘learning by doing’ to build your employability skills and ensure you’re work-ready on graduation. We offer different variations of real-world learning to take legal education out of the abstract and into reality – from mooting competitions and mock trials to drafting contracts and bail applications.

Work internships enable you to learn more about the legal sector. Through the Law School’s excellent relationship with the local legal profession, some of our students in previous years have had the opportunity to undertake work internships with local Government, local charities, Citizens Advice Bureau, the NHS legal department and the University of Derby Legal Department. The Law School actively supports students in identifying work internships where possible.

A vibrant programme of ‘paid for’ study visits will give you insights into the profession, including fieldtrips to local courts. Previous students on our LLB (Hons) have also toured London, including the Supreme Court and the Houses of Parliament and as well as visited The Hague, the legal capital of the world, where you can see the international courts in action. Students have also had the opportunity to visit Dublin to explore a different legal system.

Links with the profession

Contributions from the wider legal community, including regular careers talks and workshops, are central to this course. Through our professional mentoring scheme, practitioners from the legal field will share their perspectives with you. All students on the course are eligible to apply for this scheme. Previous mentors have included serving judges, solicitors and barristers. In some cases this has led to internships, part-time paralegal work and even permanent jobs for our students.

A highlight of our academic calendar is a prestigious black-tie law dinner where you can network with members of the local judiciary and legal profession. In addition, the Derby Junior Lawyers group invites our students to networking events and social opportunities. You can also join our active student Law Society.

Student Legal Advice Centre and Pro Bono work

Our Student Legal Advice Centre enables you to build your skills in clinical legal practice by offering free advice and assistance to members of the public. You have the opportunity to experience real-world learning. Volunteering in the Centre provides you the opportunity to develop transferrable skills that will assist you in gaining the skills required once you graduate – and not limited to a career as a solicitor. 

Through the Centre, you’ll work under the close supervision of a qualified solicitor to help members of the community in a range of legal areas. The Centre offers assistance in the following areas:

The Centre also offers support to Litigants in Person in Family Law matters at the Family Court at Derby. If you are representing yourself in a Family Law matter, a student volunteer can attend Court with you to support you, take notes and following the hearing discuss the outcome of the hearing with you. In Autumn 2022, a Business Clinic and Legal Triage Clinic (exclusively for University of Derby students) will also be launched. 

Depending upon which clinic you volunteer in within the Centre, you will have the opportunity to meet with clients, take instructions, carry out research and advise accordingly. 

The Centre also has a Policy Clinic and Justice Project. The Justice Project promotes the teaching of law to all members of the community, including school children, by informing them of their legal rights and responsibilities. When volunteering in the Policy Clinic, you will have the opportunity to carry out research for non-government organisations. 

The Centre was recently shortlisted for Best Contribution by a Law School at the LawWorks and Attorney General Student Pro Bono Awards 2022, and was highly commended at the LawWorks Pro Bono Awards 2021 for Best contribution in relation to the Centre’s Immigration Family Reunion Clinic.

Expert teaching

Our teaching team includes barristers, solicitors, criminal psychologists, sociologists and experienced police officers. Several are still actively engaged with practice, which helps you keep up to date with contemporary issues in justice. Our teaching is also enriched by research covering some of the most pressing issues confronting society today, from slavery to digital privacy.

The LLB (Hons) is supported by visiting professors and guest lecturers who are leading authorities in their fields. Our celebrated Public Lecture Series also brings influential figures to the University to shed new light on the legal system.

Facilities

Law students are based on the Derby Campus at One Friar Gate Square. It includes a mock court room, replica custody suite and social learning hubs where you can develop your skills and familiarise yourself with the type of environments you’ll encounter in real-life legal situations.

Study overseas

We offer you the opportunity to spend time studying abroad thanks to our extensive network of global associates, including universities in Pisa, Naples, Paris, The Hague and Brno in the Czech Republic. These not only ensure our curriculum is truly international but also pave the way for exchange opportunities.

Nicola taking part in BPP virtual final

Nicola Lambert - LLB (Hons) student

In her first year at Derby Law School, Nicola reached the final in one of the most prestigious mooting competitions in the UK.

Read Nicola's storyRead Nicola's story
One Friar Gate Square, Derby Campus

The Gateway to Your Legal Career

Our modern, iconic building offers state-of-the-art facilities like a replica Crown Court and Custody Suite. Just a short walk from the city centre, One Friar Gate Square is designed to elevate your academic journey.

Discover your campusDiscover your campus

What you will study

Please note that our modules are subject to change - we review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects.

Kedleston Road, Derby Campus entrance

Undergraduate Open Days

The best way to find out if studying at Derby is right for you is to experience an Open Day. Get a feel for the city and campus, tour our first-class facilities and see where you could be living.

Book your Undergraduate Open DayBook your Undergraduate Open Day

How you will learn

Engaging in real or simulated legal practice, you will build a range of the key skills required to succeed in the legal sector at every stage of the course, including:

You will also develop skills in legal scholarship, with the chance to undertake problem-based research and original academic enquiry. If our teaching team consider the work you produce to be of sufficient quality, it could be published in the Derby Law School Journal.

Through our peer assisted mentoring scheme, students from later years of the course also give helpful guidance and support to first year students.

Showcasing your skills

Mooting forms part of certain modules and you can develop your expertise further through regional and national competitions. We have an excellent record of success in these challenges.

In your third year, our annual Legal Skills Triathlon, run in partnership with Derby & District Law Society, will test your advocacy, interview and negotiation skills. You will compete in teams with newly qualified lawyers and will be judged by a professional panel. Some of our students have secured jobs as a direct result of this experience.  

We also help run a schools’ debating competition in partnership with Derby & District Law Society and Enterprise for Education where you can mentor local secondary school pupils.

How you are assessed

Assessments may include:

Who you'll meet

Our teaching team is made up of experts with broad-ranging experience and diverse research interests. They pride themselves on delivering a supportive academic and pastoral environment. The team includes:

Person offering support to a student Person offering support to a student with a laptop Student smiling with tutor Tutor smiling with student and laptop

Helping you reach your full potential

Our Personal Academic Tutoring programme supports your academic journey, helping you achieve your goals and unlock your potential.

Explore the programme

Who will teach you

Joel Klaff

Programme Leader

Joel in a classroom.

Joel Klaff

Joel is currently Assistant Head of Law and Programme Leader for the Undergraduate LL.B Law Programmes. His areas of interest include Commercial Law, International Trade and International Economic Law. He has a further interest in ensu...

View full staff profile

Entry requirements

2025 entry

These are the typical qualification requirements for September 2025 entry.

Contextual offers may apply to students who meet certain criteria.

RequirementWhat we're looking for
UCAS points120
A LevelBBB
T LevelMerit
BTECDDM
GCSEGCSE Maths and English Grade 4/Grade C (or above) or equivalent qualification
Access to HEPass Access to HE Diploma with 60 credits: 45 at Level 3 with a minimum of Distinction: 15, Merit: 24, Pass: 6

English language requirements

IELTS: 6.0 (with at least 5.5 in each skills area)

Fees and funding

2025/26

 Full-timePart-time
UK

£9,535 per year

N/A

International

£16,900 per year

N/A

Further information about our fees and support you may be entitled to.

Additional costs and optional extras

How to apply

Please look at our application deadlines before you apply.


UK students

If you are in Year 13 and applying for a full-time undergraduate course (including our joint honours courses), we recommend that you apply through UCAS.

Apply through UCAS

If you are applying to study part-time, or already have your qualifications, or wish to join at Year 2 or 3, you should apply directly to the University.

Apply directly to the University

Careers

Our LLB (Hons) graduates go on to take up roles as barristers, solicitors, paralegals and chartered legal executives and can be found working in private practice, the Crown Prosecution Service, the courts, law centres, the police service, local and national government.

Completion of the LLB represents the end of the academic stage of your training. To become a solicitor or barrister, you must then continue to complete the vocational stage of your training:

Even if you do not want to become a legal practitioner, the LLB acts as a stepping stone to careers in broader areas. Legal skills ensure you can make a strategic contribution in many professions including the civil service, investment banking, management and tax consultancy, compliance, insurance, HR, politics, town planning, construction, publishing and education. They will also prove helpful if you want to launch your own business.

Further study

If you would like to take your studies to postgraduate level, the Derby LLM is a masters degree offering maximum flexibility, choice and opportunity. We also offer the LLM Legal Practice Course which equips you with a masters qualification and includes the Legal Practice Course (LPC) needed for professional practice as a Solicitor.

As a graduate of the University of Derby, you may be entitled to Alumni discount on your postgraduate course fees. Terms and conditions apply.

 

Getting you career ready

Your degree is only part of your story.

We're here to help prepare you for life after university.

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96%
of UK graduates are in employment or further study.

Top 5
for employability.
Uni Compare Annual Student Review Rankings 2025.

87%
of UK graduates say their current activity is meaningful.

Contact us

If you need any more information from us, eg on courses, accommodation, applying, car parking, fees or funding, please contact us and we will do everything we can to help you.

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Additional information about your studies

Teaching hours

Like most universities, we operate extended teaching hours at the University of Derby, so contact time with your lecturers and tutors could be anytime between 9am and 9pm. Your timetable will usually be available on the website 24 hours after enrolment on to your course.

Course updates

The information provided on this page is correct at the time of publication but course content, costs and other individual course details do change from time to time and are updated as often as possible, so please do check these pages again when making your final decision to apply for a course. Any updated course details will also be confirmed to you at application, enrolment and in your offer letter.

If you are thinking about transferring onto this course (into the second year for example), you should contact the programme leader for the relevant course information as modules may vary from those shown on this page.

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