Why study law with us?

Join our friendly and inclusive community – we are focused on developing our students into competitive, well-rounded candidates who are prepared for a wide range of careers.

You will benefit from one of the largest pro bono programmes in the country, and from our world-leading academics. We also offer you a wide range of exciting and relevant modules and co-curricular opportunities to enhance your learning and complement your studies.

Overall, 88% of graduates from Law are in work or further study within 15 months of graduation. (Based on our analysis of HESA data © HESA 2022, Graduate Outcomes Survey 2019/20; includes first degree Law responders)

Work on a voluntary basis, with local charities and other institutions where you will give legal advice and support to real people with real problems.

We take pride in our extensive range of pro bono activities with diverse community organisations, including Launchpad Reading, Resolve Mediation and CommuniCare.

Find out more about our pro bono activities

You will be given the opportunity to participate in our popular mock trials, known as moots.

Our students find that mooting improves their ability to formulate and present legal arguments and connect with local judges, barristers and solicitors.

Find out more about our mooting activities

We host regular events including workshops, employer visits, alumni conversations, and career talks, which feature practitioners from a range of fields discussing their work. 

We also arrange employability and commercial awareness workshops where employers use practical activities with students to illustrate the legal work environment.

We encourage you to engage with the many opportunities offered by the Careers and Professional Development Centre, including:

• The RED Award, the University's work experience award
• Our Thrive mentoring scheme for second-year students
• Gaining paid experience through the Reading Internship Scheme and Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme (UROP).

The Careers Centre also organises the annual Law Careers Fair, which is exclusively for our students to attend.

Our dedicated programme provides you with opportunities to explore potential career paths, gain valuable practical insight, and strengthen your future job applications.

In the past, students have completed work experience with Thames Valley and City law firms (London), barristers, government agencies, not-for-profit organisations, and in-house legal counsel.

A work experience bursary is available to ensure placements are accessible to everyone.

You will learn from experienced academics who are enthusiastic about their subject, and from leading experts in specialist areas such as medical, environmental, international, and commercial law, gender and justice, and youth and justice.

You will benefit from teaching supported by applied research led by our academics who contribute regularly to global and UK policy development and law and criminal justice reforms through their work with governments and regulatory agencies. They are regularly invited to speak at conferences and to provide their expert opinion in the media. Some of your tutors are advisers to government and policy-making bodies like the Law Commission and the United Nations, whilst others have been involved with, or cited in, cases before courts, including the European Court of Justice and UK Supreme Court or work closely with some of the main penal reform organisations like the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies.

99% of our research is of international standing (Research Excellence Framework 2021, combining 4*, 3* and 2* submissions – Law).

Read more about our world-leading research

The popular Law Society provides a welcome respite for the School of Law students with a range of organised events throughout the year. They include the Freshers Reception, trips abroad, quiz nights, picnics, elections and so on.

The Society also boasts a vast network of law firm partnerships and careers contacts and hosts a whole series of academic events. Examples include mooting and negotiation competitions, careers workshops, and pro bono activities.

Find out more about the Law Society

Join a community of students and academics from around the world. We have created a friendly and inclusive law school where ideas and experiences are exchanged in an international context.

We offer opportunities for students to study law and criminology in an entirely different context to their home country. This can be valuable both for a deeper understanding of criminology, law and policy and for those who may want to work abroad.

The School also welcomes undergraduate students from partner universities for a year abroad, including Brickfields Asia College and Taylor’s University in Malaysia.