School of Law
At Birmingham City School of Law, we believe that a balanced view makes better legal professionals. It’s why we don’t just teach law, we advocate it; and why we don’t just focus on professional practice, but actively break down barriers to social justice and human rights throughout the world.
Here are just a few reasons why you should consider studying law with us.
Placements
You have the opportunity to embark on a year-long sandwich placement as part of your undergraduate degree course, with past students taking up roles at law firms across the country and beyond. We also offer plenty of other options to allow you to gain that vital experience in the profession.
Whether you opt for our programme of placement opportunities with local providers such as Citizen’s Advice and various legal advice charities, explore opportunities in the local legal community, or look at getting experience via BCU’s own Law Clinic, established to serve the local community from our City Centre campus, there is an opportunity available for you. You can also apply your legal knowledge further afield, through our US internship programme (see below) which has been placing students with attorneys throughout the US for over 20 years.
Plus, our recently introduced Professional Placement options on our postgraduate degrees mean you have the opportunity to undertake a 20 week placement, allowing you to evidence your professional skills, attitudes and behaviours at the point of entry to the postgraduate job market.
On all of our programmes you will gain a professional focus and real world experience, ensuring you are equipped to make an immediate impact in your career. All of this is overseen by our Careers+ service, a dedicated Faculty-wide team who can help with all aspects of applying for work experience.
American Internship Programme
The Law School’s Centre for American Legal Studies operates the UK’s largest student internship programme to the USA. The programme was established in 1994 and to date we have placed over 500 students in Federal and State Public Defender offices, private attorney offices, American University Law Schools, law projects and organisations across the USA, from New York City to West Texas and San Francisco.
The internship programme provides a unique opportunity for students to excel as academics and potential practitioners, by providing an environment where they can put their legal knowledge into practice and simultaneously experience the dynamics of real life in the legal profession. It is a priceless addition to any CV.
Facilities
We have industry-standard facilities that mirror what you will find in your future, so that you can start getting ready for your career the moment you walk through the door.
We have both a mock Crown Court and a mock Magistrates Court, giving you the chance to practise your skills in a realistic environment, mimicking the top levels of the British legal system.
Both courtrooms are used across various modules, including Professional Skills and Practice where students are assessed through a piece of advocacy, for example a bail application or plea in mitigation.
Professional links
You will study on our state-of-the-art City Centre Campus, ideally located for you to take advantage of our links to Birmingham, the UK's second city. Our campus is also at the heart of the multi-million pound Eastside redevelopment project, which will put us right on the doorstep of the new HS2 trainline.
Our close links to the profession mean we regularly host talks with leading experts in law. This can give you an insight into current trends in the legal sector, and inform your future career choices. Furthermore, you will have the ability to engage with the wider Birmingham legal community through our connections with the Birmingham Law Society, the largest regional law society in the UK.
Support
Birmingham City University has a lot of support services on offer to enhance your time studying with us.
The Centre for Academic Success run Success+, the University's central learning development service. Their aim is to help you develop all necessary academic, technical and numerical skills you need to progress and successfully complete your course. In addition, Graduate+ is an extra-curricular awards scheme designed to show future employers how you have developed skills not related to your degree. This can be anything from interview skills and CV writing to public speaking classes.
The University also has an extensive international team to help with some of the complexities of moving to a new country to study. They can help advise on visas and immigration, and ensure you have the right paperwork in place to study with us.
Extra-curricular opportunities
When you become a BCU student, you automatically become a member of our Students’ Union, giving you access to the wide range of fantastic services and facilities that they offer. BCUSU offers more than 100 societies and sports team for you to get involved in. Whatever your interests, they’ve got it covered.
Within the Law School, we have our Mooting and Debating Society, which helps to develop the skills required for mooting and debating, thereby boosting your talents so that you are equipped to go beyond boundaries in the legal profession after graduation. We also have the Law Society, which was set up so that students could come together and discuss the content being taught in formal lectures, while also providing a platform to enhance the student experience for all law students.