Careers

Law affects every part of our life from what we can post on social media and the complexities of buying a house, to international commerce and the protection of human rights. The legal sector is vast, and evolving at a rapid pace as it must also respond to the challenges we face as a society. Therefore, employers across a range of sectors will value law graduates who can show adaptability, resilience, and have a critical knowledge and understanding of the law in different contexts.

For example, large law firms will value those with knowledge in family law, employment law, commercial and business law as these areas are booming due to the pandemic. Charities and NGOs working with migrant communities facing displacement will value graduates with knowledge in international humanitarian law, and law graduates who have an understanding of the drastic realities of climate change and a knowledge of environmental law will be key in helping the government, and businesses respond to the global climate crisis.

A degree from the School of Law will also prepare you for careers in areas of law such as:

• human rights
• criminal justice
• commercial law and corporate social responsibility
• copyright and trademark law
• property law
• international maritime law
• finance and foreign direct investment
• constitutional and administrative law
• equity and trusts

These are just a few examples of the areas of law that a degree from the School can lead to. The skills you will develop will enable you to successfully transition into a wide range of potential career paths, and be able to respond to the changing, competitive employment landscape.

Impatient to directly defend Human Rights?  You could also use your undergraduate law degree as a foundation to study our MA Social Work.  You’d then be eligible to apply for professional registration as a Social Worker where on a day to day basis, you’d be advocating for others using your knowledge of law and human rights.

Legal professionals play an important role in helping charities, companies, businesses, and governments respond to the challenges we face today. At Essex, you will be immersed into a broad programme of study, designed to challenge you, develop your knowledge in a range of legal contexts, and prepare you to work with a diverse range of people so that whichever sector you choose to work in, you will be able to demonstrate the necessary skills, experience and knowledge to succeed in your chosen career and help shape the future legal environment.

A degree from the School of Law will help you to develop:

• enhanced research skills which will enable you to conduct legal research of the highest quality, a necessary skill for working at NGOs, international organisations, law firms and academia
• the ability to place law in international contexts, allowing you to work at any company with international links as you will have acquired a full understanding of its operations
• the ability to consider, evaluate and respond to alternative and, possibly, conflicting points of view
• a critical awareness of the nature of law within its social, political, sociological, philosophical, economic and historical contexts
• knowledge of legal rules, and ability to consider the function of law in society, the philosophy of law, policy issues and law reform
• the ability to explore and debate difficult questions; should crime be punished? What responsibilities do businesses owe to society? How does international law regulate the conduct of hostilities and the protection of victims of conflict and acute crisis?
• the ability to think independently and be able to present rational, coherent and accurate arguments
• a deeper knowledge and understanding of the central issues and debates surrounding the application and justification of human rights within a culturally complex and diverse world

Those who choose to study joint honours courses will acquire critical, reflective and analytical skills that are common to both areas of law; and will explore the differences between them and the approaches taken within legal and political thought.

There are also many opportunities for law students at Essex, which provides real-life experience working in our Essex Law Clinic, and on human rights projects in partnership with global human rights organisations through our Human Rights Centre Clinic, based in our leading Human Rights Centre.

A degree from the School of Law will ensure you graduate with specific knowledge, experience and transferable skills in readiness for the workplace, helping your CV to stand out in what we know to be a competitive industry.

85% of our law students are in employment or further study (Graduate Outcomes 2020), so you can be confident that whichever route you choose, we'll make sure that you're well placed to help employers respond to the ever-changing needs of society.

The legal landscape is continuously evolving as it reacts to our changing society. Employers are seeking adaptable and resilient law graduates with a diverse knowledge of the law, across a variety of industries.

You'll have the opportunity to study a distinctive range of courses and modules as an Essex Law School student. You can choose from courses and modules in areas such as commercial law, human rights, maritime law, and corporate responsibility to name a few. You'll have the opportunity to gain knowledge in contemporary issues of cultural diversity, learn about the key features of property law, understand criminal law in England and Wales and explore many challenging questions facing the world we live in today.

The courses are designed to enable you to tailor your study around areas most closely aligned with your career goals, whether that's following a traditional route in becoming a solicitor or barrister, or following a pathway leading you into a career as a policy researcher, a frontline journalist, or even an entrepreneur.

As a student of Essex Law School, you'll be taught how to prepare for a career in the legal profession. You'll uncover a motivation to become an agent for change, and we'll ensure you're equipped with the right tools and knowledge to pursue the fight for justice, whichever path you choose.

In your first two years at Essex, you'll take a career management module alongside other law subjects, where you'll be challenged to think deeply, broadly and strategically about career paths. This module is designed to enhance your employability profile by helping you learn your strengths and goals, and develop an understanding of what employers are looking for, both within and outside of the legal profession.

You'll get to participate in activities, workshops and sessions that help you to develop, whilst building on your skills and competencies, helping your CV to stand out in the graduate market.

Choosing to undertake a law degree at Essex will give you the opportunity to participate in some fantastic opportunities to gain real-life legal experience throughout your studies. It means that when you join the graduate jobs market, you'll be able to demonstrate an aptitude in legal knowledge in a range of contexts, and be able to put this into practice. 

You'll be able to:

• volunteer at the Essex Law Clinic where you can work alongside practising solicitors to offer legal advice to clients from the local community, in several areas, such as family and divorce, LGBT rights, and personal and student debt. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2020, our students helped move its services online as face-to-face consultations became impractical, allowing people across Essex to continue to access free legal advice from the Clinic
• apply to work on key human rights projects in our Human Rights Clinic, where you could find yourself working with leading global partners including the World Health Organization and the United Nations, supporting litigation, advocacy, policy and programme development
• participate in mooting competitions to develop your skills, particularly important if you hope to become a barrister
• test your mediation and negotiation skills in our Client Interviewing Competition (sponsored by Birkett Long Solicitors). There are also other national and international competitions you're encouraged to get involved with
• join our Model United Nations society, which can improve your skills of argumentation, oral presentation and research
• network at our student-run Law Society, Human Rights Society, and Bar Society, which provides legal advice to the Commonwealth Students’ Association (CSA). Note, the Bar Society was closed in 2020, but the society would love to hear your interest in it reopening.
• take advantage of networking opportunities throughout the year with visiting law firms
• attend our annual law fair, along with law firms and vocational qualification providers

You'll also be invited to an exciting programme of research seminars, reading groups and mini-courses led by your lecturers, members of the Human Rights Centre, academics across the University and visiting speakers, all with global perspectives and insights into law and justice. Attending these events will expand your philosophical knowledge beyond what you learn on your course. 

Placements

Our undergraduate law degrees can include an optional placement year, where you can gain professional experience with a relevant company. We also work with the University's Student Development Team to help you find out about other work experience, internships and voluntary opportunities. Carrying out a placement or a voluntary position helps you to gain experience working in a professional legal environment, it gives you the opportunity to explore areas of law you may be interested to pursue a career in, and provides you with key contacts within the legal sector, giving you a competitive edge in the graduate job market.

Students have previously interned with Amnesty International, Anti-Slavery International, Article 19, The Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions, The Council of Europe, JUSTICE, The International Commission of Jurists, The International Service for Human Rights, INTERIGHTS, Minority Rights Group International, REDRESS and UNHCR to name a few organisations.

Year abroad

We have partner institutions all over the world who are excited to welcome you, so if you're keen to study abroad for a year, have the itch to travel, and want to make life-long memories, this is the perfect opportunity for you.

Our Careers Services will support you from the moment you join us at Essex, through to graduation and beyond. Our staff understand the challenges of finding work, and can help you explore your options and identify your opportunities, whatever stage you are at in thinking about your future.

 The Careers Services provides a range of services, such as:

• providing one-to-one careers advice
• hosting workshops on employability skills
• support finding placements and internships
• offering budding entrepreneurs support on how to start your own business
• employability and careers fairs
• support in writing your CV
• The Big Essex Award which provides a whole range of marketing, fundraising, networking and project management skills. The award identifies the skills you’ve developed over the course of your studies and records your achievements on your degree transcript
• support transitioning from one career to another
• hunting for the perfect job

Many graduates of Essex Law School will decide to continue their studies at Masters or PhD level. This is an excellent idea if you are interested in focusing on a particular area of law and want to acquire the in-depth knowledge and skills needed to specialise in your chosen field. Our postgraduate students come to Essex from all over the world, to learn from our expert scholars, and benefit from our global education.

If you're interested in pursuing a career around some of the pressing challenges our world faces today, you may be interested in studying our LLM International Trade and Maritime Law, LLM International Commercial and Business Law, International Humanitarian Law, or even our LLM Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. These are just a few of the specialist courses you could study with us. Browse our full list of Masters courses to find your advanced area of study.

Whichever course you choose,  having an advanced skill set when it comes to understanding our worlds most significant challenges, will be attractive to employers across the globe who are looking to overcome the many challenges our society faces in a post-pandemic era.

Funding your further study

There are often scholarship and funding opportunities available for students within the School of Law. For more information, please visit our scholarships and funding page. You can also browse the University's scholarship finder for other funding opportunities which may be available.

Alumni loyalty discount

If you are a graduate of the University of Essex, studied abroad here or have a spouse or partner studying here as a full-time international student paying overseas fees, we'll give you a loyalty discount of up to 33% on the tuition fee for your first year of postgraduate study at Essex.

If you're looking for more information about postgraduate study at Essex, including how to apply, fees and funding, accommodation and our guidance on COVID-19, our postgraduate degrees at Essex page has lots of helpful advice.

In the School of Law, we're proud to continue our lifelong relationship with our graduates all over the world. You'll also remain a member of our incredibly vibrant University alumni network, a community which welcomes all graduates of Essex throughout our history. Your exclusive membership will give you access to discounts, networking events and so much more. You can hear inspiring stories from other members of our global alumni community, and use our Friend Finder Service to reconnect with your old friends. Here at Essex, we value the advice and knowledge that our alumni have soaked up along their journey's, so we are eager for our alumni to come and volunteer at Essex, and help make a difference to the next generation of graduates.