Law - Postgraduate diploma in Law (PGDL) / LLM Law (conversion)

Build the skills that practising lawyers use every day. This module gives non-law graduates an introduction to how the legal system works: its institutions, sources and core methodologies.

You'll learn to analyse case law, interpret legislation, and apply legal principles to real scenarios - core competencies assessed throughout the course and expected in legal practice.

The module also develops the practical skills that support your legal career: constructing arguments, writing clearly, and conducting research.

Alongside this, you'll explore the range of careers a law degree opens up and get an honest look at modern legal practice, including the growing role of technology in the profession.

Understand two of the most fundamental areas of English law and how they shape everyday legal practice.

This module gives you a thorough grounding in Tort law and Contract law. You'll study negligence, liability, nuisance, defamation and privacy in Tort, and the full lifecycle of a contract in Contract law, from formation and interpretation through to termination.

The module goes beyond subject knowledge. You'll explore where Tort and Contract law intersect, when liability arises under both, and how to weigh the merits of different claims. You'll also consider how these areas connect to human rights law and questions of social justice, giving you a broader picture of how the law operates in the real world.

You'll engage practically throughout the module with how Tort and Contract law are applied in legal practice and the challenges practitioners face in both fields.

You'll explore the nature of the UK constitution, the roles of the legislature, executive and judiciary, and the principles that hold the system together, including the separation of powers, the rule of law, and parliamentary supremacy.

You'll examine how EU law was incorporated into the UK's constitutional framework post-Brexit and what its ongoing influence looks like today, giving you a genuinely current picture of a constitution in transition.

On administrative law, you'll focus on judicial review, the legal mechanism through which public bodies can be held to account, and the operation of the Human Rights Act 1998. You'll consider how these areas intersect with questions of social justice and with other branches of law.

The module also introduces the practical realities of Public law in action, the challenges facing practitioners and the real-world impact of constitutional and human rights litigation.

This module moves from legal principles to legal practice. Building on your study of ‘Obligations: the law of Contract and Tort’, ‘Criminal Law and Evidence’ and ‘Legal foundations: system, method, practice’, you'll apply what you know to real client scenarios, analysing problems, weighing options and giving practical advice.

You'll develop skills that are central to legal practice: case analysis, client interviewing, written communication and courtroom advocacy. Skills that are grounded in the kinds of civil and criminal matters practising lawyers handle every day.

The module also looks at how legal technology, including artificial intelligence, is reshaping the law and the way lawyers work and deliver advice. Understanding these shifts is increasingly essential for anyone entering the profession.

This module covers both the substance of Criminal law and the way in which the law deals with evidential questions in a criminal context. You'll study the general principles of criminal liability, including actus reus and mens rea, alongside key offences such as homicide and offences against the person, and the defences available to those charged.

You'll work through the rules that determine what evidence can be put before a court and how: relevance and admissibility, burden and standard of proof, hearsay, confession evidence, identification evidence, and the treatment of vulnerable witnesses, among others. The focus throughout is on what these rules mean in practice, and how they shape the outcome of criminal trials.

The module also explores where Criminal law intersects with other areas of law and raises questions of social justice that run to the heart of the criminal justice system. Practical dimensions of criminal legal practice feature throughout.

In Land Law, you'll work through the legal definition of land, the distinction between legal and equitable interests, land registration, adverse possession, co-ownership, leases, easements, mortgages and freehold covenants.

In Equity and Trusts, you'll trace the historical development of equitable principles and study the formation, operation and termination of trusts, equitable interests in property, and charitable trusts.

The module draws out the connections between the two areas, including trust of land and proprietary estoppel, and explores where property law intersects with other branches of law. Questions of social justice run through the material, grounding the legal principles in their real-world consequences.

You'll also engage with how Land Law and Equity and Trusts operate in practice, and the challenges facing lawyers working in this field.

This module is compulsory for students completing the LLM Law (Conversion). Students pursuing the PGDL only are not required to complete this module.

The dissertation is the culmination of your studies and the opportunity to define your own research project. You'll choose your own topic, develop your research question in consultation with a supervisor, and produce an original piece of work up to 12,000 words in length.

This is where your particular interests in law, legal theory or practice can be explored fully through engaging in an in-depth research project - with primary sources, situating your work within existing legal scholarship, and developing your own analysis and insight.

Building on your earlier study of the UK constitution and the EU's ongoing influence post-Brexit, this module takes you into the core areas of substantive EU law. After a brief recap of ‘Public Law and EU Law in the UK Constitution’, the focus shifts to the internal market and the framework that underpins economic integration across member states.

You'll study the four freedoms in depth, including free movement of people and EU citizenship, and examine how these principles operate in practice. The module also makes connections with human rights law and other areas where EU law continues to have reach and relevance.

For students on a law conversion course, this module offers a clear-eyed understanding of a legal order that remains consequential for UK law, legal practice and the clients lawyers advise.

This is a great addition to your CV and helps you to stand out from the crowd when looking for a graduate job.

You can sign up for work experience in your first year and you’ll complete the work experience preparation module in Year 2. You'll be supported with your search for work experience and develop techniques and skills useful at interviews and assessment centres. Additional support is also available from dedicated work experience staff members. During your work experience you will receive regular support from your own Work Experience Tutor.

Your work experience must be full time and be for a minimum number of weeks. The salary must be commensurate with the role and not less than the minimum wage for the country in which the placement is taking place.

We have a number of links with local and regional employers including the NHS and local NGOs/Charities that can support you in your search for relevant work experience.