Bachelor of Laws (Law Plus)

About You

If you are the type of person that enjoys working out real solutions to problems that occur in everyday life then Law Plus is the programme for you. If you would like to study a traditional law degree but have the flexibility of studying elective subjects that allow you to tailor the programme to your own interests, then Law Plus is also the programme for you.

Why Study Law Plus at UL?

The study of law is an enriching educational experience that provides intellectual stimulation and an exposure to decision-making and argumentative skills. The Law Plus programme allows you to choose elective subjects in other courses including Politics, History, Psychology, Economics, Maths, Irish World Music and Dance and languages. You can therefore expect to have a wide variety of options open to you upon graduation.

Law Plus places significant emphasis on the development of practical legal skills including oral and written communication skills, analytical and logical reasoning skills, negotiation, legal research, organisational and team work skills, particularly through the Lawyering Skills modules. The state of the art courtroom is utilised throughout the programme to develop these skills and ensure our students graduate equipped to deal with working in a legal environment. However, these skills are transferable and are of great benefit, even to those who choose a career outside of law.

You will also have the opportunity to study Advanced Dispute Resolution (ADR) with a focus on arbitration, mediation and negotiation skills, making Law Plus the only Law degree in Ireland to include ADR as a compulsory module. This is in recognition of the increasingly important role of ADR in the modern legal environment.

What You Will Study

The programme is of four years’ duration, of which seven semesters are spent on campus and one on Cooperative Education. In general, the programme consists of three law modules and two elective modules per semester. The law component of the course is designed to provide you with a mastery of the discipline of law through the study of the core legal subjects which are considered essential to an adequate legal education: Lawyering Skills, Contract, Torts, Criminal Law, Constitutional Law, Equity and Trusts, EU Law and Land Law.

The elective component of the degree consists of a wide variety of modules, including additional Law modules. The electives serve to broaden the base of your legal studies and refine your knowledge of the wider world. 

During the first half of Year 3, an eight-month period of Cooperative Education provides you with an opportunity to apply the knowledge that you have already acquired. Normally this will take the form of a work placement. There is also the opportunity to spend this period abroad. In addition, a limited number of academic placements are available, either through an exchange programme with a European law school or with one of our partner law schools worldwide.

Final year students will also participate in ‘Advanced Lawyering Projects’. These are group projects which focus on an area of law in which you have a particular interest (e.g. criminal justice, employment law or property law etc). You will work together with a lecturer to complete a project where you will develop practical research, writing and presentation skills.

Details of some Advanced Lawyering projects are available here.

Questions and Answers

Q.How does the Law Plus degree work?

A.The 4 year programme includes seven semesters on campus and one on Cooperative Education. In gener al, the programme consists of three law modules and two elective modules per semester. Extra law may be taken as one of the electives, in this way, you can study four law subjects and one non-law elective per semester. The law component of the cour se provides students with a sound knowledge of the discipline of law through the study of legal subjects like: Lawyering Skills, Contract, Torts, Criminal Law, EU Law and Land Law.

Q. What subjects may I choose to study in addition to law?

A. Law Plus is a flexible degree allowing students to choose two electives from a wide range of subjects and disciplines. Students can choose any combination from groups 1-6, as long as no two are in the same group*:
Law can only be selected as an elective once.

Group 1: Law or Psychology or German

Group 2: Law or English or Maths or Politics

Group 3: Law or New Media and Cultural Studies or Spanish (beginners or advanced)

Group 4: Law or Gaeilge or Public Administration

Group 5: Law or Sociology or Linguistics with TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) or Japanese

Group 6: Law or History or French or Economics

Students can attend as many lectures as they want in the first week of term and then choose the ones that suit them best. This flexibility is excellent for students who are uncertain as to their future career but know the value of a legal training coupled with exposure to other disciplines. The student can effectively design an individual programme of their choosing.

Q. Do I need to study a language?

A. Students may choose not to study a language.

Q. Do I gain any experience in the workplace?

A. During the first half of Year 3, an eight-month period of Cooperative Education provides the students with an opportunity to apply the knowledge that has already been acquired. Normally this will take the form of a work placement in a range of sectors including legal, financial and government sectors. Students can spend this period in Europe or North America if they wish. In addition, a limited number of academic placements are available, either through an exchange programme with a European law school or with one of our partner law schools worldwide.

Q. Will I develop skills which are useful in the workplace?

A. The School of Law is dedicated to ensuring that Law graduates are self-motivated and highly professional people who are equipped with invaluable transferable skills, skills which are integral to a legal training, but are also highly prized skills in general. Law Plus places significant emphasis on the development of skills including excellent oral and written communication skills, analytical and logical reasoning skills, negotiation, legal research, organisational and team work skills, particularly through the Lawyering Skills modules in their first and fourth year of the programme.

In addition, students are offered an Advanced Lawyering module which builds upon skills previously identified and imparts students with an understanding of the alternative mechanisms for solving disputes outside the legal system (ADR) and the skills inherent in these processes, an area of increasing importance to legal professionals in modern times.

Final year students will also participate in ‘Advanced Lawyering Projects’. These are group projects which focus on an area of law in which you have a particular interest (e.g. criminal justice, employment law or property law). You will work together with a lecturer to complete a project where you will develop practical research, writing and presentation skills.

Q. What kind of degree will I get at the end of my course?

A. The School of Law offers two Law degrees at undergraduate level, namely, the B.A. in Law and Accounting and the LL.B. in Law Plus. Law Plus is a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree rather than a Bachelor of Laws (BCL) as it is a four year degree encompassing an eight month co-operative education placement rather than a traditional three year law degree.

Q. Can I become a barrister or solicitor when I am finished my Law Plus degree?

A. Yes! The Law Society of Ireland (Solicitors) does not require applicants to have a law degree to pursue a career as a solicitor, however, every student in the country must sit entrance exams to gain entry to the Law Society of Ireland. All of the subjects are offered by the School of Law in the University of Limerick. The Honorable Society of Kings Inns (Barristers, The Bar) does require students wishing to become a barrister to hold a law degree and Law Plus is an approved degree for these purposes. Students on the Law Plus programme will also have the opportunity to study the subjects on which there are entrance exams in order to gain entry to Kings Inns.*

Further information on becoming a barrister is available from www.kingsinns.ie and further information on becoming a solicitor is available on www.lawsociety.ie **

Q. Is Law Plus recognised for teaching?

A. No, however, you can make an individual case to the Teaching Council. There are no guarantees that your LLB will be accepted.

Q. Do I get a degree in my elective subjects?

A. No, the elective subject gives the student the opportunity to study an area outside of law that complements the study of law and enriches the student’s knowledge. On graduation, the student is awarded a LLB in Law with the list of electives taken detailed on the student’s official transcript.

* Please note that the choice of electives is subject to continual change and not all electives may be available due to a variety of factors including, but not limited to, scheduling and resourcing.

** Due to the regular alterations to the entry requirements for the professional bodies, students are advised to keep abreast of any developments in this regard.

The programme is of four years’ duration, of which seven semesters are spent on campus and one on Cooperative Education. In general, the programme consists of three law modules and two elective modules per semester. The law component of the course is designed to provide you with a mastery of the discipline of law through the study of the core legal subjects which are considered essential to an adequate legal education: Lawyering Skills, Contract, Torts, Criminal Law, Public Law, Equity and Trusts, EU Law and Land Law.

The elective component of the degree consists of a wide variety of modules, including additional Law modules, History, Psychology and Spanish. The electives serve to broaden the base of your legal studies and refine your knowledge of the wider world.

During the first half of Year 3, an eight-month period of Cooperative Education provides you with an opportunity to apply the knowledge that you have already acquired. Normally this will take the form of a work placement. You should be prepared for the possibility of spending this period abroad. In addition, a limited number of academic placements are available, either through an exchange programme with a European law school or with one of our partner law schools worldwide.

During Year 4 you will take Advanced Lawyering modules that involve a variety of practically focussed activities such as writing a research article, undertaking a moot trial, working in a Business Law Clinic and participating in a conveyancing scenario.

By the end of the degree in Law Plus, you will be endowed with personal skills such as self-motivation, professionalism (by adhering to deadlines, diligence in the presentation of written work) and the ability to work well in a team, along with the development of your personal communicative skills.

Applicants are required to hold at the time of enrolment the established Leaving Certificate (or an approved equivalent) with a minimum of six subjects which must include: Two H5 (Higher level) grades and Four O6 (Ordinary level) grades or four H7 (Higher Level) grades. Subjects must include Mathematics, Irish or another language, and English.

In addition, students wishing to take a language option must have a H4 grade in that language with the exception of Japanese, beginners Spanish or beginners German, where a H4 grade in a language other than English is required.

Note: Grade F6 in Foundation Mathematics also satisfies the minimum entry requirements. Foundation Maths is not reckonable for scoring purposes.

For certain electives, additional special qualifications specific to individual subjects or disciplines may be determined by the respective departments in accordance with Academic Council regulations.

We welcome applications from Mature Students. Mature applicants must apply through the Central Applications Office (CAO) by 1 February.

Exemptions The Bachelor of Laws (Law Plus) covers the core subjects required for the Law Society of Ireland Final Examination, Part 1, and is an approved degree for the purpose of Rule 4 of the Education Rules of the Honorable Society of Kings Inns. As exemptions are under continual review, please contact the School of Law, University of Limerick, for current information.

Careers open to you with a Law degree include:

• Solicitor
• Barrister

A legal education gives you a number of career options. You may decide to enter the legal profession or you may engage in further study and become an academic. These are not the only options, as a law degree will give you a rich and invaluable education which may also interest those who intend to pursue a career outside the profession and academia, including administration, government and business. A law degree will provide you with lifelong skills that can be adapted to suit a wide variety of careers.

A law degree will provide you with lifelong skills that can be adapted to suit a wide variety of careers.

Follow-On Study

After finishing your Law degree, you may decide to stay on at University and pursue a Masters Degree where we offer a number of innovative and interesting postgraduate programmes:

LLM in Human Rights in Criminal Justice,
LLM General,
LLM in International Commercial Law,
LLM in European and Comparative Law.

Want to find out more about possible careers with this degree? Click Here