English and French Law - LLB (Hons)

This is an archived course for 2021 entry
2023 courses

Law at Kent sharpens your thinking and your powers of persuasion while giving you extensive legal knowledge. This prestigious qualification opens doors, not only into the legal profession but to many other areas, such as politics, business, the civil service and the NGO sector. The insight into a different legal system that you gain on this programme can help to set you apart from other graduates.

Overview

Kent Law School is renowned for its world-leading research and an approach which enables you to think critically about law within the broader context of society, considering it's role and impact, and the potential it has to change the world we live in.

Our degree programme

You study French law and language in your first two years at Kent, alongside compulsory modules in English law. Your third year is spent at university in France, where you are taught in French, and you return to Kent for your final year, gaining a strong grounding in two legal systems.

You study the detail of the law, as well as its history. You analyse judgments and legal developments while taking into account the political, ethical and social dimensions of the law. This ‘critical approach’ enhances what is already a fascinating subject. It helps you to fully understand the law and there are many chances to discuss and debate its role in society.

Teaching is via lectures, small group seminars and case studies. Our popular mooting programme, hosted in a dedicated space within the £5m Wigoder Law Building, gives you the chance to develop advocacy skills in a simulated courtroom setting before a bench comprised of local judges, practising barristers, solicitors and lecturers.

Kent Law School has a supportive environment and your lecturers have office hours where they provide guidance on a one-to-one basis. We also provide:

  • the Skills Hub offering tailored guidance, five days a week in term time
  • a law librarian to guide you in the use of online and printed resources.

Accreditation

All of our undergraduate Law degrees are recognised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority as Qualifying Law Degrees for entrants in 2021. They also contain the foundations of legal knowledge required by the Bar Standards Board to satisfy the academic component of professional training for intending barristers, and provide a strong foundation for students who wish to take the Solicitors Qualifying Examinations (SQE).

Aix-Marseille Université

Students who wish to study English Law and French Law but who wish to spend more time in France and achieve a formal qualification in French Law, may be interested in an alternative programme offered by Aix-Marseille Université, France (AMU). Through an agreement with Kent this enables students to study for two years at AMU before progressing to the University of Kent to study the LLB in the final two years of the degree, offering the opportunity to graduate with a Master 1 Droit international et européen, and an LLB in Law:

Modern languages

If you are interested in developing your proficiency in a modern foreign language on a three-year programme, you can study:

Year abroad

English and French Law is a four year programme in which (subject to meeting academic requirements during the first two years at Kent as detailed in the Stage 1 handbook) the third year is spent at one of our partner universities in France, where you will be study law, taught in French.

If you would like to study abroad but be taught in English, you can study for a year in Asia or Canada on our International Legal Studies with a Year Abroad programme, or in mainland Europe on our European Legal Studies course.

Study resources

Kent Law Clinic is based within our new, purpose-built building. It is ideal for developing your practical skills and has a replica courtroom for mooting.

Our academic resources are extensive. You have access to a wide range of materials, including:

  • collections of legislation and case law in UK, European and international law
  • Lawlinks, our award-winning gateway to online legal resources
  • major legal databases that are used on a daily basis in the legal profession
  • audio recordings of your lectures.

Extra activities

There are plenty of activities related to your studies, including:

  • Kent Student Law Society for aspiring solicitors
  • Kent Temple Law Society for those intending to go to the Bar
  • Kent Critical Law Society
  • Kent Canadian Law Society
  • Nigerian Law Society
  • European Law Students’ Association (ELSA) Kent.

Kent Student Law Society and Kent Temple Law Society arrange events that are attended by members of the legal profession, many of them Kent alumni. They include QCs, judges, barristers, solicitors and members of the Bar Council and Law Society.

In previous years, events have included the:

  • Kent Law Fair
  • Kent Law Ball
  • Temple Dinner.

Kent Critical Law Society has also put on events where students, academics and practitioners can debate topical – and often controversial – legal issues.

Professional network

We have approximately 100 legal professionals registered on our Professional Mentoring Scheme, and leading law firms visit the campus to attend the annual Kent Law Fair, offer mock interviews, or run workshops.

We regularly hold careers talks given by practising lawyers (many of whom are Kent alumni) and host guest lectures given by some of the leading legal figures of our time.

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Entry requirements

Please also see our general entry requirements.

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    A level

    AAA-ABB including French grade B

  • medal-empty Access to HE Diploma

    The University will not necessarily make conditional offers to all Access candidates but will continue to assess them on an individual basis. 

    If we make you an offer, you will need to obtain/pass the overall Access to Higher Education Diploma and may also be required to obtain a proportion of the total level 3 credits and/or credits in particular subjects at merit grade or above.

  • medal-empty BTEC Nationals

    The University will consider applicants holding BTEC National Diploma and Extended National Diploma Qualifications (QCF; NQF; OCR) on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us for further advice on your individual circumstances.

    A typical offer would be to achieve Distinction, Distinction, Distinction plus A Level French at Grade B

  • medal-empty International Baccalaureate

    34 points overall or 17 points at HL including French HL A1/A2/B at 4/5/5 or SL A1/A2/B at 5/6/6

  • medal-empty International Foundation Programme

    Pass all components of the University of Kent International Foundation Programme with a 60% overall average including 60% in Academic Skills Development and 60% in the Law module.

International students should visit our International Student website for further specific information. International fee-paying students who require a Student visa cannot study part-time due to visa restrictions.

English Language Requirements

Please see our English language entry requirements web page.

If you need to improve your English language standard as a condition of your offer, you can attend one of our pre-sessional courses in English for Academic Purposes before starting your degree programme. You attend these courses before starting your degree programme.

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

Going abroad as part of your degree is an amazing experience and a chance to develop personally, academically and professionally. You experience a different culture, gain a new academic perspective, establish international contacts and enhance your employability.

Students on a four-year degree programme spend a year between Stages 2 and 3 at one of our partner universities in France. For a full list, please see Go Abroad. Places are subject to availability, language and degree programme.

You are expected to adhere to any academic progression requirements in Stages 1 and 2 to proceed to the Year Abroad.  If the requirement is not met, you will be transferred to the equivalent three-year programme. The Year Abroad is assessed on a pass/fail basis and will not count towards your final degree classification.

Fees

The 2021/22 annual tuition fees for this programme are:

  • Home full-time TBC
  • International full-time TBC

For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.

For students continuing on this programme, fees will increase year on year by no more than RPI + 3% in each academic year of study except where regulated.* 

Your fee status

The University will assess your fee status as part of the application process. If you are uncertain about your fee status you may wish to seek advice from UKCISA before applying.

Fees for Year in Industry

Fees for Home undergraduates are £1,385.

Fees for Year Abroad

Fees for Home undergraduates are £1,385.

Students studying abroad for less than one academic year will pay full fees according to their fee status. 

Additional costs

General additional costs

Find out more about accommodation and living costs, plus general additional costs that you may pay when studying at Kent.

Funding

We have a range of subject-specific awards and scholarships for academic, sporting and musical achievement.

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University funding

Kent offers generous financial support schemes to assist eligible undergraduate students during their studies. See our funding page for more details. 

Government funding

You may be eligible for government finance to help pay for the costs of studying. See the Government's student finance website.

Scholarships

General scholarships

Scholarships are available for excellence in academic performance, sport and music and are awarded on merit. For further information on the range of awards available and to make an application see our scholarships website.

The Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence

At Kent we recognise, encourage and reward excellence. We have created the Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence. 

The scholarship will be awarded to any applicant who achieves a minimum of A*AA over three A levels, or the equivalent qualifications (including BTEC and IB) as specified on our scholarships pages.

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.

    Independent rankings

    Law at Kent scored 93% overall and was ranked 9th for research intensity in The Complete University Guide 2021.

    Over 89% of final-year Law students were satisfied with the quality of their course in The Guardian University Guide 2021.

    Law at Kent was ranked 13th overall and 8th for research quality in The Times Good University Guide 2021.

    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.

    Apply for English and French Law - LLB (Hons)

    This course page is for the 2021/22 academic year. Please visit the current online prospectus for a list of undergraduate courses we offer.

    Contact us

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    United Kingdom/EU enquiries

    T: +44 (0)1227 768896

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    International student enquiries

    Enquire online

    T: +44 (0)1227 823254
    E: internationalstudent@kent.ac.uk

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