Law and Climate Justice

By studying this course, you could become one of the UK’s first Law and Climate Justice LLB graduates.

Being the first of its kind, the Law and Climate Justice LLB programme will qualify graduates to practise law in any field while also developing a specialism in climate justice.

This programme is designed to prepare lawyers with an interest in using their skills to address climate change. Expect to learn about legal rules, principles, reasoning and ideas in comparative, social, political, economic, historical, philosophical, and practical contexts while applying this in the context of struggles and debates on climate justice.

In your final year, you will have the opportunity to gain work experience with an NGO or civil society organisation while you conduct a 'Climate Justice Research Project’ with the aim to produce a research report of publishable standard.

Who is the Law and Climate Justice LLB for?

This is the ideal programme for students:

• Considering a career as a ‘public interest lawyer’ or a ‘cause lawyer’ (a lawyer who uses the law to promote social justice).

• Interested in the new and expanding field of climate litigation.

• Interested in the intersection between human rights and climate change and using legal strategies to advance human rights protection.

• Wanting to work in advocacy or supporting climate movements and campaigns within the international NGO sector.

• Wanting to work as a lawyer or advocate within specialised UN agencies working on environmental, climate and human rights issues within the UN system. Examples of these include the UN Environment Programme and the UN High Commissioner on Refugees, part of the UN Refugee Agency working to protect people displaced by extreme weather events and environmental breakdown.

A degree from the School of Law opens up an enormous pool of roles for our graduates. Many apply their degree knowledge directly, entering legal roles such as barrister, solicitor, paralegal and legal adviser. Others use the broad range of skills gained during study in other sectors, such as public administration and business.

Recent graduates from the School of Law have been hired by:

• Arcadis LLP
• Chambers and Partners
• Deloitte
• Dentons
• House of Commons
• Macfarlanes LLP.

Career support

During your time at the School of Law you will have access to a bespoke careers programme, including:

• one-on-one appointments throughout the year with a dedicated careers adviser
• workshops and events to help you identify your career options, train you in recruitment and selection methods and provide you with networking opportunities
• an opportunity to apply for a six-week mentoring scheme with a leading law firm, and support with applications for the Year in Practice LLB with Reed Smith
• over 120 employer-led events per year, from seminars to large fairs, which host major legal employers on campus including Clifford Chance, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Macfarlanes, Linklaters, Herbert Smith Freehills, Eversheds and Blackstone Chambers.

Learn more about career support and development at Queen Mary.