English and French Law - LLB (Hons)

Course structure

Duration: 4 years full-time

The course structure below gives a flavour of the modules that will be available to you and provides details of the content of this programme. This listing is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.  

Please note that the first-year modules listed for this degree are compulsory. Contact us for more detail about the exact composition of this programme of study.

• Year abroad

Teaching and assessment

Kent Law School emphasises research-led teaching which means that the modules taught are at the leading edge of new legal and policy developments. 

Most modules are assessed by end-of-year examinations and continuous assessment, the ratio varying from module to module, with Kent encouraging and supporting the development of research and written skills. Some modules include an optional research-based dissertation that counts for 45% or, in some cases, 100% of the final mark. 

Assessment can also incorporate assessment through oral presentation and argument, often in the style of legal practice (such as mooting), and client-based work and reflection through our Law Clinic.

Contact hours

For a student studying full time, each academic year of the programme will comprise 1200 learning hours which include both direct contact hours and private study hours.  The precise breakdown of hours will be subject dependent and will vary according to modules.  Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.

Methods of assessment will vary according to subject specialism and individual modules.  Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.

Programme aims

The programme aims to:

• attract and meet the needs of both those contemplating a career in the legal professions and those motivated primarily by an intellectual interest in English and French law and legal issues
• contribute to widening participation in higher education by offering a wide variety of entry routes
• provide a sound knowledge and systematic understanding of the principal institutions and procedures of the English and French legal systems
• provide a sound grounding in the major concepts and principles of English law, French Law, the law of the European Union, and the European Convention on Human Rights
• develop a critical awareness of law in its comparative, historical, socio-economic and political contexts, and to introduce students to a range of different theoretical approaches to the study of law
• offer a range of modules covering the foundations of legal knowledge, as defined by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and Bar Standards Board, which will enable students who successfully complete them to obtain a Qualifying Law Degree
• Offer students an in-depth experience of studying French law in a French law faculty where they will obtain either, a Certificate, Diploma or another French higher education qualification depending upon the law faculty concerned and their individual ability.
• offer students the opportunity to live and study abroad with the object of promoting European integration
• offer a range of options to enable students to study some selected areas of law (English, French, comparative) in depth
• offer students the opportunity to develop their French language skills both at a conversational level and at specialist level (French legal terminology)
• offer a range of options to enable students to study some selected areas of law (English, French, comparative) in depth
• provide teaching which is informed by current research and scholarship and which requires students to engage with aspects of work at the frontiers of knowledge
• offer the opportunity to acquire direct experience of legal practice and to critically reflect on it through participation in the Kent Law Clinic
• enable students to manage their own learning and to carry out independent research, including research into areas of law they have not previously studied
• develop general critical, analytical, functional, comparative and problem-solving skills which can be applied in a wide range of different legal and non-legal settings
• provide opportunities for the development of personal, communication, research and other key skills appropriate for graduate employment both in the legal professions in England and in France, and in other fields.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

You gain knowledge and understanding of:

• the principal features of the English legal system, including its institutions, procedures and sources of law
• the principal features of the law of the European Union and the European Convention on Human Rights
• the principal features of the French legal system, including its institutions, procedures and sources of law
• the concepts, principles and rules of a substantial range of English legal subjects, including an in-depth knowledge of some areas of law, and, depending on options, an in-depth knowledge of the law of the European Union, the European Convention on Human Rights, international law and comparative law
• the concepts, principles and rules of French Public Law, the French Law of Obligations and several specialised areas of French Law as studied in a French law faculty
• French legal methodology including, in particular, the French two-part legal plan for essays and case commentaries
• Both French language and French legal language 
• the relationship between law and the historical, linguistic, socio-economic and political contexts in which it operates
• a range of theoretical, comparative and critical perspectives which can be applied to the study of law.

Intellectual skills

On successful completion of the programme, students will be able to:

• effectively apply knowledge to analyse complex issues using, where appropriate, the English or French languages
• recognise and rank items and issues in terms of their relevance and importance
• collect and synthesise information from a variety of English and French sources
• recognise potential alternative solutions to particular problems and make a reasoned choice between them
• independently acquire knowledge and understanding in areas, both legal and non-legal, not previously studied
• demonstrate an independence of mind and an ability to critically challenge received understandings and conclusions
• reflect constructively on their own learning processes
• develop their level of French language both orally and in writing.

Subject-specific skills

On successful completion of the programme, students will be able to:

• recognise the legal issues arising in a complex factual situation in English and French law
• identify and apply the case and statute law relevant to it
• provide an informed and reasoned opinion on the possible legal actions arising from it, and their likelihood of success
• identify the legal and related issues which require to be researched
• effectively locate and use primary and secondary legal, and other relevant sources
• conduct guided legal research using a range of resources, both paper and electronic
• conduct independent legal research using a range of resources, both paper and electronic
• critically evaluate an area of law both doctrinally and in terms of its socio-economic and other consequences
• function effectively in both the English and the French languages and in English and French law
• formulate and sustain a complex argument (in English and in French), supporting it with appropriate evidence

Transferable skills

On successful completion of the programme, students will be able to:

• use the English and French languages, both orally and in writing in relation to legal matters and generally, with care, accuracy and effectiveness
• engage constructively and effectively in arguments and discussions of complex matters in English and in French
• give a clear and coherent presentation on a topic, in English and in French, using appropriate supporting materials
• read complex legal and non-legal materials in English and in French and then summarise them accurately
• employ correct English and French legal terminology and correct methods of citation and referencing for legal and other academic materials
• produce work in appropriate formats
• work collaboartively in groups to achieve defined tasks, to respond to different points of view and to negotiate outcomes
• word-process their work and use a range of electronic databases and other information sources.

Careers

Graduate destinations

The University has an excellent employment record, with Kent Law School graduates commanding some of the highest starting salaries in the UK. Law graduates can go into a variety of careers, including:

• solicitor or barrister in a private practice
• company lawyer
• legal work within government at local and national level, or within international institutions such as the EU
• legal work within the charity and NGO sector
• non-legal careers, such as banking, finance and management.

Help finding a job

Kent Law School has an active careers programme – leading law firms and prominent members of the legal profession visit the University to meet our students. We also work with employers to create work placement opportunities for our students.

The Law School's dedicated Employability and Careers Development Officer can give you advice on how to:

• apply for jobs
• write a good CV
• perform well in interviews.

You also have access to the University's friendly Careers and Employability Service.

Work experience

Our award-winning Kent Law Clinic gives local people access to free legal advice and representation. As a student, this gives you the chance to work on real cases under the guidance of qualified lawyers. You take on clients and sometimes have the chance to act as the client’s advocate in court or at a legal tribunal.

Career-enhancing skills

Our approach to law helps you to develop:

• a detailed knowledge of the law
• sophisticated legal research and writing skills
• practical skills in mediation, negotiation and interviewing clients.

You gain intellectual, analytical and practical skills that are vital to lawyers but also useful in many other professions. These include the ability to:

• think critically
• communicate your ideas and opinions
• manage your time effectively
• work independently or as part of a team.

You can also gain extra skills by signing up for one of our Kent Extra activities, such as learning a language or volunteering.

Professional recognition

Our degree programmes contain the foundations of legal knowledge required by the Bar Standards Board to satisfy the academic component of professional training for intending barristers. For entrants in 2021 who wish to qualify as a solicitor, our programmes can lead to the award of a Qualifying Law Degree, validated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. They also provide a strong foundation for students who wish to take the Solicitors Qualifying Examinations (SQE).

Our critical approach to law and legal practice enables students to develop creative intellectual and transferable skills which prepare them for contemporary legal practice – in the UK and worldwide, and for successful careers in many fields.