Law (Jurisprudence)

Studying law will not only help you pursue a career as a solicitor or barrister: it will also help you develop a diverse set of skills which you will be able to apply in many different situations.

You will learn to assimilate and analyse complex information, construct arguments, write with precision and clarity and think on your feet. The Oxford Law degree aims to develop all these skills, but its particular strength is in teaching you to think for yourself.

A typical week

You will usually be studying between one and two subjects at any one time (or up to three subjects in your third year). Therefore, in any given week you are likely to have one or two hour-long tutorials (in a group of two to four students) and you will normally be asked to write an essay for each tutorial.

The tutorial system is our core form of teaching. Lectures are offered in all subjects as well. Lectures are non-compulsory, but attendance at them is strongly encouraged. On average, most students will go to two to three hours of lectures (or discussion-based seminars for third year options) each week.

Most of your working time will be devoted to reading, thinking, and writing your essays in preparation for the tutorials. We anticipate the workload is 45 hours per week.

Tutorials are usually 2-4 students and a tutor. Classes, which are generally organised by individual colleges, are usually 6-10 students.

Seminars for second-year Jurisprudence mini-options and third-year optional courses generally involve groups of no more than 30 students but may on occasion exceed that number if the seminar covers more than one option.

Most tutorials, classes, and lectures are delivered by staff who are researchers in that subject. Many are world-leading experts with years of experience in teaching and research. Some teaching may also be delivered by postgraduate students who are usually studying at the doctoral level.

To find out more about how our teaching year is structured, visit our Academic Year page.

Courses

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Assessment

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• Criminal law
• Constitutional law
• A Roman introduction to Private Law
• Legal research skills and mooting programme

For those on Course II, there are also French/German/Italian/Spanish law and language classes during the first six terms, or, for those going to the Netherlands, introductory Dutch language courses in the second year

First University examinations: three written papers, one each in Criminal law, Constitutional law and a Roman Introduction to Private Law.

You will be examined in your first year, currently at the end of the 2nd term.

While there is no assumption that our Law graduates pursue a legal career, the majority of Oxford Law graduates do go on to the legal profession. Although Oxford Law graduates gain a BA in Jurisprudence rather than an LLB, each of the Oxford Law courses counts as a qualifying law degree so Oxford Law graduates can immediately go on to the Bar Professional Training Course (for barristers).  The routes to qualifying as a solicitor are changing, and students starting degree programmes from 2022 or later will need to undertake the Solicitors’ Qualifying Examination (SQE). For more information about this, refer to the SRA website. Many Oxford Law graduates go on to successful careers practising law outside England and Wales. The Oxford Law courses naturally focus on English law, but the fundamental principles of English common law play a key role in other jurisdictions. Graduates of the four-year course also gain important international knowledge during their year abroad. Please contact the relevant local regulatory body you want to know the status of an English law degree in another jurisdiction. Victoria undertook a training contract with Linklaters. She says: ‘Studying Law at Oxford was about so much more than just learning and applying the law. I learnt to consider its history, and the social and political context within which it now operates. Throughout, I was challenged to critically assess what I was learning and its broader context, and to develop my own opinions.’