Law at Bristol

The University of Bristol has been a leading provider of legal education for more than a century. The Law School is housed in the iconic Wills Memorial Building with easy access to the rest of the University and to the many cafés and shops in the Park Street area. Representing a unique blend of tradition and innovation, the School offers an educational experience which challenges and empowers exceptionally talented, highly motivated students.

Studying law at Bristol will give you both the foundations of legal knowledge and an opportunity to explore the most challenging legal questions facing today's global society. With a strong and sustained reputation for the quality of our teaching and research, we also enjoy entrenched links with the legal profession, locally, nationally, and internationally, and have an impressive record in terms of graduate employment. The many benefits of studying law at Bristol are evidenced not least by the success and continued commitment of our alumni community, many of whom continue to be involved in supporting and developing the school and its students, most prominently through our Distinguished Alumni Lecture series which is integrated into the core curriculum.

Much of our teaching takes the form of small-group teaching and the School prides itself on its strong pedagogic ethos, sustained commitment to the personal and professional development of students, and the provision of a research-rich curriculum delivered by an intellectually distinguished community of legal scholars at the forefront of their research fields.

Unit structure

The school's units are taught across the academic year (known as 'TB4' units), which means they start in September and end in May/June. Only Study Abroad students studying at Bristol for the full academic year can request units from the school.

Unit levels

The school offers units across all undergraduate levels of study: year 1 (level C/4), year 2 (level I/5), and year 3 (level H/6) units. Postgraduate units are not available.

Unit codes

Unit codes in the University of Bristol Law School begin with 'LAWD'. This is followed by a number indicating the year (1, 2, 3). For example:

• LAWD10000 = year 1 unit
• LAWD20000 = year 2 unit
• LAWD30000 = year 3 unit.

For more information about each unit, check the University's unit catalogue for 2023/24. Applicants on all study abroad programmes must review the unit details on the catalogue before listing unit choices on their application form. This includes checking the format of assessment for each unit. The unit catalogue for 2023/24 is updated by April 2023.

Your unit choices cannot be guaranteed. Some units may not have capacity to accommodate all of the unit requests we receive. Registration on a unit also depends on whether you meet the pre-requisite conditions through prior study at your home university.

Study Abroad (Subject pathway)

If you have been nominated to Bristol on the Study Abroad (Subject pathway), you must take the majority of your credits in this department.

Important information when selecting units

If you do not have a Common Law background, we recommend that you try to gain an understanding of the distinctive nature of English law and common law reasoning to make the most of your time at Bristol. Most of the units listed for Year 1 consist of typical English common law subjects and are designed for entry level study and we recommend that you choose at least ONE of them.

The ones identified as ‘core units’ for Years 2 and 3 area also typical common law units or part of the compulsory curriculum for students studying law full time in Bristol, but they are more challenging that the units in Year 1. The optional units listed for Year 2 and Year 3 may be relatively difficult for students without any knowledge of the English legal system. That is why they often require co-requisites or prerequisites, i.e. require you to study another unit alongside it or to show that you have sufficient knowledge in the area of law to be able to progress successfully in the unit during your year abroad.

The Law School’s academic and administrative support team will be in touch with you and may recommend changes to your original unit choices in light of your prior knowledge.

Units available on the study abroad programme in 2023/24

The following units from the University of Bristol Law School are open to inbound Study Abroad students.

Application queries

Contact the Centre for Study Abroad inbound team if you have any queries about the application process for the study abroad programmes:

Phone: +44 117 39 40207
Email: cfsa-inbound@bristol.ac.uk