Department of Law

Learn more about the study options and research in the Department of Law.

Why Law at Sussex

Law is central to modern life. At Sussex, learning about the law means developing the tools to understand and think critically about the law and communicate your knowledge and ideas clearly. It means that you’ll develop the transferable skills that make our graduates highly employable.

We are committed to giving you an enriching and rounded education that will prepare you for your future.

Undergraduate students can focus exclusively on law or combine law studies with other subjects, including American Studies and languages, providing the opportunity to study abroad for a year at an internationally renowned university. 

Postgraduate students can study a variety of research-led law courses, focusing on both UK and international law. Many of our courses can be studied part-time, allowing you to fit your studies around your work and life commitments.

Our teaching draws on this world-leading research, with research centres in Human Rights, Gender, Sustainability, Trade Policy, Crime, and Information Governance. We have expertise across areas including family responsibilities, corporate social responsibility, environmental law, intellectual property, terrorism and violent extremism, and international law.

Facilities

The Department of Law is based in the Freeman Centre. You can benefit from six seminar rooms, a PC cluster room, study spaces for both taught and research students, and social spaces. You also have access to our specialist mooting room to help prepare you for competitions.

Our library offers an extensive range of books, journals and other materials essential for your studying and research success.

You will also benefit from access to three leading law databases – Lawtel, LexisNexis and Westlaw – which are available on or off campus. Most academic law journals are also available in electronic form.

To help you make the most of the law materials, we provide training in research skills and there is a specially trained support student, funded by Lawtel and Westlaw, available to help you.

Outreach and Widening Participation

We have many links within the legal profession, with firms such as Mayo Wynne Baxter and DMH Stallard contributing to our student skills competitions, and working closely with our law students on Clinical Legal Education projects and law society talks and events.

We are committed to widening participation in our degrees, to empower young people who typically experience barriers in progressing on to higher education. 

Working in close collaboration with the Widening Participation team at Sussex, the Widening Participation Law team delivers bespoke law programmes to pre-university students from partner schools and colleges in the Sussex and London area.

In delivering our law programmes, we aim to be inspiring, engaging and interactive. We want to ensure that all students, regardless of their background, recognise that a degree and future career in law is an option open to everyone. We seek to raise aspirations, provide subject enrichment and, most importantly, help students to build confidence and self-belief. 

To find out more about widening participation opportunities with the Law department, contact our Widening Particiaption Convenor Dr Verona Ní Drisceoil: V.Ni-Drisceoil@sussex.ac.uk.