The school where you acquire your law degree matters, which is why we have taken the time to list the best law schools in the UK and their rankings.
This article promises to offer you holistic information about most of the prestigious law schools and universities in the United Kingdom. Acquiring your law degree from such a school will make you marketable after graduation.
We have also discussed some of the factors students should consider before choosing a law school or university to study any legal-related course.
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What to Consider When Choosing Any of the Best Law Schools in the UK
Whether you are a domestic or international student, if you want to choose from the best law schools in the UK, you should conduct in-depth research before making your choice.
The course content and teaching methods of law degrees vary across universities and academic institutions that offer them.
The majority of students focus on the rankings of the best law schools in the UK and make the wrong choice when it comes to school selection. Do not always depend on the ranking of the school you plan to apply to, as some higher-ranked schools may not suit you academically.
As we have listed almost all the law schools in the UK and their rankings in this article, we have also provided links that will lead you to the official websites where you can find all other updated information about the schools before submitting your application.
Some of the key things to consider before choosing any of the law schools in the UK:
When applying to study at any of the best law schools in the UK, you have to consider the school’s academic requirements. This includes your qualifications and the grades the school may ask for, which you must know before considering applying to that school.
You also have to consider the modules, i.e., what you will study when you are offered admission to that school. This is important because schools have different course content, and you should choose the one that suits your academic goals.
Another important thing to consider is how you will be taught. Universities and academic institutions that offer law degrees have different ways of teaching their students, and you should do thorough research about the law school you are thinking of applying to in the UK. Check the way they teach their students and decide if it is something you would want to be a part of, as some teaching methods may not align with you academically.
As a student, you should know that one of the most important aspects of schooling is the examination. Discover the marking methods of the school you want to attend and understand how they conduct their exams and what is included in their coursework; this is one of the most important aspects of your law degree journey.
Next, consider the length of the course you want to study. Some law schools in the UK can offer you a quality law degree in a shorter time, while other schools may take longer to offer you the same degree. It is important that you know the amount of time it will take for the school you want to attend to graduate you.
Finally, find out if the school you want to apply to requires a dissertation. Find out before applying, as this is important.
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How to Choose the Best University for Your Law Degree
When you want to choose a university for your law degree in the UK, do not just concentrate on the degree you want to acquire.
There are several factors to consider, including the distance from home, the facilities, the cost of living in the city where your school is located, whether the school campus is in one place or spread across the city, and the extracurricular activities it offers.
The factors that matter to you when choosing among the best law schools in the UK may be personal; you should choose a university where you feel comfortable.
It is obvious that law degree programs are very competitive, not only in the UK but in other parts of the world.
Therefore, it is important to choose a school that is not necessarily too prestigious if it means you might end up graduating with a second class lower (2:2).
If you graduate with a second class lower, firms will barely consider your job application. However, if you attend a law school where you feel comfortable, which may not necessarily be too prestigious, and graduate with a 2:1 (second class upper), you stand a better chance of getting a job than someone who graduated with a second class lower from a more prestigious law school.
Law firms are more interested in what you graduated with, not how prestigious your school is.
If you have the opportunity and live close to the university where you want to study law in the UK, it is advisable to check out the school’s environment so you can determine whether or not you can thrive there.
List of Popular Law Schools in the UK Without Ranking
This article aims to list all the university law schools in the UK that offer degrees related to legal practice.
Below, we have taken the time to list all the law schools in the UK, some of which are part of larger universities.
This section of the article will contain these law schools in the UK along with their official websites.
The schools listed below are not ranked according to their prestige. What we have tried to do here is to list all the law schools in the UK before we list the top 10 universities according to their rankings.
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#1. The University of Cambridge – Faculty of Law
Cambridge Law School, or Faculty of Law, is the law school of the University of Cambridge. The faculty is one of the oldest and best law schools in the world, recognized for its quality of teaching and cutting-edge legal research, particularly in the fields of international law and criminology. It is consistently rated as the best law school in the UK by top national rankings.
#2. The University of Oxford – Faculty of Law
The University of Oxford Faculty of Law is the University of Oxford’s law school and one of the best law schools in UK rankings. It has over 800 years of legal teaching and learning history. Oxford Law School currently ranks first in the world in the 2019 Times Higher Education Ranking of World Universities.
#3.The Dickson Poon School of Law at King’s College London
The Dickson Poon School of Law is the law school of King’s College London, part of the Federal University of London, and one of the university’s nine academic schools. It is located on the Strand in the east wing of Somerset House, very close to the Royal Courts of Justice and the four Inns of Court in the heart of London’s legal district. It was voted one of the top 15 law schools in the world and ranks fourth in the UK.
#4. University of Edinburgh – Edinburgh Law School
Founded in 1707, Edinburgh Law School is a school at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK, devoted to the research and teaching of law. It is located in the historic Old College, the original location of the university. Two of the twelve currently serving justices on the UK Supreme Court are Edinburgh graduates.
#5. University College London Faculty of Laws
UCL Faculty of Laws is the law school of University College London (UCL), which is part of the Federal University of London. It is one of UCL’s 11 constituent faculties and is based in London, UK. It is one of the leading law schools in the world and is ranked eighth in the world in the 2018 Times Higher Education World Law University Rankings.
#6. Queen Mary University of London Law School
The law school is part of Queen Mary University of London, a member of the University of London and the Russell Group. The school was ranked the 30th best in the world by the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2020.
The Law School has consistently been listed in the top 10 law schools in the UK for the quality of its research and teaching. Many of our internationally renowned faculty are legal advisers to governments, industries, and NGOs at home and abroad.
#7. SOAS University of London School of Law
SOAS Law School is a law school at the University of London. The institution is located in the Paul Webley Wing of the Senate House in Bloomsbury, London, UK. SOAS Law School focuses on the legal systems in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.
The law school has more than 400 students. It offers LLB, LLM, and MPhil/PhD programs. International students have made up the majority of undergraduate and graduate students for many years.
#8. The University of Nottingham – School of Law
The University of Nottingham School of Law is one of the law schools in the UK, with over 100 full-time professors and over 2,500 students. It is an academic and professional institution that is part of Nottingham Trent University. It should not be confused with the University of Nottingham School of Law.
The institution specializes in various areas of legal education. The main goal of the University of Nottingham School of Law is to provide guaranteed careers for its students upon graduation.
#9. University of Bristol – School of Law
The University of Bristol Law School has over forty academic staff with a variety of research interests spanning teaching and socio-legal scholarships. A large proportion of the current faculty in the school are recognized leaders in their fields.
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#10. City, University of London – The City Law School
City Law School is one of five schools at City, University of London, UK. In 2001, the Inns of Court School of Law became part of City and is now known as the City Law School.
Until 1997, ICSL had the monopoly of offering the Bar Vocational Course (BVC), now known as the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC), the compulsory professional training for aspiring lawyers in England and Wales before they start practicing.
#11. The University of Manchester – School of Law
The University of Manchester Law School is very popular and respected, offering a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses at the UK’s largest university. It is one of the best when it comes to ranking law schools in the UK.
#12. Swansea University – Hillary Rodham Clinton School of Law
The Hillary Rodham Clinton School of Law is part of Swansea University and is located in Swansea, Wales. It offers LLB degrees, graduate courses, and career conversion courses and training, including the Legal Practice Course, the Graduate Diploma in Law, and the Master of Laws degree programs.
#13. University of Glasgow – School of Law
The University of Glasgow Law School is one of the best when it comes to ranking law schools in the UK. It offers both undergraduate and postgraduate law courses and awards Bachelor of Laws, Master of Laws, LLM by Research, Master of Research, and PhD in Philosophy. The doctorate in law is usually only awarded on an honorary basis.
There are forty-nine full-time academic staff and over a thousand students. The current director of the Law Faculty is Professor Jane Mair.
#14. Leicester De Montfort University Law School
Leicester De Montfort University Law School has an excellent reputation for quality education in various law, graduate, and professional law courses. Students study in the modern Hugh Aston building, which cost £35 million and has its own mock courtroom and client interview room.
The building also has an integrated legal library and a large number of specially designed conference rooms with capacities from 50 to 250 people.
#15. University of Law
The University of Law is a private, for-profit university in the UK offering law degrees, legal education, and continuing education courses to UK lawyers and attorneys. It is the UK’s largest law school and has its origins in 1876.
#16. The University of Reading School of Law
The Law School of the University of Reading is a dynamic learning environment with a global perspective and a focus on academic excellence.
Whether you’re studying for an undergraduate degree that is immersive in nature, taking your knowledge to the next level with a graduate degree, or bringing together outstanding research with the school in a doctoral program, they have a wide range of options, including studies and research opportunities to satisfy your needs.
#17. The University of Aberdeen – School of Law
The University of Aberdeen Law School is in Aberdeen, Scotland. Founded in 1495, the institution is one of the top 10 law schools in the United Kingdom.
#18. University of Southampton – School of Law
Ranking as one of the best law schools in the UK, Southampton Law School is a vibrant and diverse institution with an international reputation for excellence in education and research. The school is part of the University of Southampton, a leading research-intensive university of the Russell Group, which is consistently ranked as one of the best universities in the world in the QS World University Rankings.
#19. The University of Birmingham – School of Law
Birmingham Law School is a nationally recognized law school based in Birmingham, Alabama. Established in 1915 by Judge Hugh A. Locke, Judge of the Chancery Court and President of the Birmingham Bar Association, Birmingham Law School offers a part-time study program that awards graduates the title of Juris Doctor (JD). Birmingham Law School is not accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) and has not applied for this accreditation.
#20. University of Leeds School of Law
The University of Leeds School of Law is a community where they seek to make a difference in the world through their teaching, research, and public participation. It is one of the best law schools in the UK when it comes to ranking.
#21. Cardiff University – Cardiff Law School
The Cardiff School of Law and Politics is part of Cardiff University in Cardiff, Wales. It awards LLB and LLM degrees to UK and international students. The school is ranked well and is considered one of the best law schools in the UK.
#22. University of Dundee – School of Law
Dundee Law School is the law school of the University of Dundee in Scotland. It offers undergraduate and postgraduate education in Scottish law and English law, enabling students to qualify in all three UK jurisdictions.
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#23. University of Salford – Salford Law School
Studying law at the University of Salford Law School opens up a variety of career opportunities: attorney, solicitor, paralegal, corporate attorney. It’s also an excellent education for advancing to a more general business career. Your studies will be smooth as this is one of the best law schools in the UK.
#24. University of Durham – Durham Law School
Durham Law School is the law school of Durham University in Durham, England. In 2017, Durham Law was ranked 4th in the UK in a league table which averaged the rankings of the Complete University Guide, The Guardian and the Times University League Table.
#25. University of Kent – Kent Law School
Kent Law School is one of the leading law schools in the UK. The school has a strong critical approach, placing the law in a broader social, political, and historical context, and reaching a wide range of subjects and geographic areas.
#26. University of Essex – School of Law
At the University of Essex School of Law, they teach law that matters. They are freer, bolder, and more experimental than many traditional law schools, and their Human Rights Centre is a recognized international leader.
Its approach is comprehensive, fair-based, and reflects its commitment to providing legal education and research that is relevant and adapted to the needs of a changing society.
#27. University of Westminster School of Law
Westminster Law School (WLS) is the law school of the University of Westminster. The institution is located on Little Titchfield Street near Regent Street in central London.
It offers LLB, LLM, and PhD degrees and also offers professional legal education, including the Graduate Diploma in Law Conversion Course, Legal Practice Course for aspiring solicitors, and professional attorney training for prospective attorneys.
#28. University of Strathclyde – Law School
Strathclyde Law School was founded in 1964 and is based at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland. The law school operates in the Lord Hope Building at the time of this article.
The Law Faculty offers a wide range of teaching and research degrees for undergraduate and graduate students. When it comes to ranking the best law schools in the UK, this is one of the best.
#29. Nottingham Trent University – Nottingham Law School (NLS)
Nottingham Law School is a law school in the UK with over 100 full-time professors and over 2,500 students. It is an academic and professional institution that is part of Nottingham Trent University, not to be confused with the University of Nottingham Law School.
#30. University of Lancaster Law School
Lancaster University Law School prides itself on being a diverse and international law school. International students are very welcome in all of its Bachelor and Master programs, as well as in its exchange programs.
#31. University of Warwick – Warwick Law School
The law degree in the UK provides the framework for economic and social life, as well as for relationships between states, governments, and individuals. At Warwick University Law School, they initiated an approach to the study of law that analyzes legal rules “in context” to examine their social, political, and economic implications.
#32. Northumbria University – Northumbria Law School
Northumbria Law School is one of the UK’s largest law schools, with a national and international reputation for excellence in legal education. It offers a wide range of flexible learning modes and programs to help its students become aspiring lawyers and professionals, and to help its PhD students advance their careers.
#33. The University of the West of England (UWE) – Bristol Law School
Formerly known as the Faculty of Law, the Bristol Law School is one of the schools of the University of the West of England. This is different from the Law School at the University of Bristol.
The Law School is one of the largest in England and Wales, with nearly 2,000 enrolled students and 1,700 full-time students. The school offers academic and professional law studies in various fields.
#34. the University of London – Centre for Commercial Law Studies (CCLS)
The Centre for Commercial Law Studies (CCLS) is part of the Queen Mary University of London School of Law. Founded in 1980 by Sir Roy Goode, the institution is dedicated to developing a range of arbitration knowledge and skills in commercial law, intellectual property, tax, financial law, banking law, legal information technology, and European law, serving the government, public institutions, foreign institutions, lawyers, industry, and trade.
#35. University of Exeter School of Law
A law degree from the University of Exeter offers a unique combination of academic rigor, including critical, theoretical, and reflective dimensions, from one of the best universities in the world, which is also a member of the prestigious Russell Group, along with the pleasure of experiencing law in action.
#36. BPP Law School
BPP University Law School is a private, for-profit provider of professional and academic legal education in the UK and one of the pioneering schools of BPP University.
#37. Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy (CEPMLP) – University of Dundee
The Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy is a graduate school at the University of Dundee, Scotland, UK, focusing on international business transactions, law, and policy in the fields of energy, mining, and the use of natural resources.
#38. The University of Sussex – School of Law, Politics and Sociology
The School of Law, Politics, and Sociology brings together Sussex Law School and the Politics and Sociology Departments. These three dynamic university units are all dedicated to excellent teaching and are up to date with the latest research.
#39. LLB Law – London Metropolitan University (London Met)
Students will explore a wide range of electives while also qualifying for a degree that prepares them to train as a barrister or solicitor. Throughout the course, students will develop their knowledge of key areas of English and EU law and human rights, as well as valuable transferable skills. They will also benefit from access to activities such as the Mansfield Law Society, mooting, career fairs, and expert speakers.
Best Law Schools in UK Ranking
Now you’re going to see the list of the top 10 best law schools in UK and ranking.
| Rank | University | Location |
| 1 | University of Oxford | Oxford, England |
| 2 | University College London | London, England |
| 3 | University of Cambridge | Cambridge, England |
| 4 | London School of Economics | London, England |
| 5 | University of Glasgow | Glasgow, UK |
| 6 | King’s College London | London, England |
| 7 | University of Durham | Durham, England |
| 8 | Solent University | Southampton, England |
| 9 | University of Leeds | Leeds, England |
| 10 | University of Aberdeen | Aberdeen, Scotland |
