Durham Law School

Law school in Durham, England

54°46′30″N 1°34′29″W﻿ / ﻿54.775082°N 1.574678°W﻿ / 54.775082; -1.574678

Durham Law School

Entrance to Durham Law School

Type| Law school
Established| 1969

Parent institution

| Durham University
Dean| Volker Roeben
Address|

Durham University
Palatine Centre
Stockton Road
Durham
DH1 3LE

Durham

Website| www.durham.ac.uk/law/

Durham Law School is the law school of Durham University in Durham, England. In 2022, Durham Law was ranked 5th in the UK in a league table which averaged the rankings of the Complete University Guide, The Guardian and the Times University League Table. Durham Law School is ranked 42nd in the world for law in the 2023 Times Higher Education ranking[1] and 46th in the world for law by the 2023 QS ranking.

Durham Law School has particular research strengths in the areas of Public Law & Human Rights, Commercial & Corporate Law, EU & International Law and Bio-law with further strengths in Chinese Law and Legal Philosophy.

## History

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The school was founded in 1969. It was congratulated on its 50th anniversary in a House of Commons early day motion in 2018.[2]

## Location

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Durham Law School is housed in the BREEAM excellent-rated Palatine Centre, on Durham University's Lower Mountjoy site. This was named as the most impressive law school building in the world by Best Choice Schools in 2014.[3][4] The building includes a moot court and the 90-seat Harvard-style Hogan Lovells lecture theatre.[5][6]

## Academic profile

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### Programmes

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Undergraduate teaching is delivered through lectures, seminars and small group tutorials. Extra-curricula opportunities include mooting and pro bono legal work.[7]

Durham Law School offers a three-year LLB degree and a four-year LLB with Year Abroad degree.[8] They are both Qualifying Law Degree programmes for the purpose of practicing as a barrister or solicitor in England and Wales. The course includes modules on Chinese law, launched in response to the needs of City firms.[9] The law school also runs a Chinese law summer school – the first in the UK and first in English outside Asia – in a move described by the Times as offering "great career prospects" for Durham Law School graduates beyond what is offered at other UK law schools.[10]

Taught postgraduate LLM degree programmes include a general Master of Laws LLM, LLM in Corporate Law, LLM in European Trade and Commercial Law, LLM in International Trade and Commercial Law, LLM in International Law and Governance, LLM in International Environmental Law and LLM in Medical Law and Ethics.[11]

Research postgraduate degree programmes include a one-year Master of Jurisprudence MJur and PhD in Law.[12]

### Engagement with public policy

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Professor Clare McGlynn has partnered with GLAMOUR magazine, the End Violence Against Women Coalition and Not Your Porn to campaign for legislation against image-based abuse.[13]

Professor Thom Brooks wrote the report The Life in the United Kingdom Citizenship Test: Is It Unfit for Purpose? in 2013.[14] His recommendations were subsequently backed by the House of Lords Select Committee on Citizenship and Civic Participation, the House of Lords Liaison Committee and the House of Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee.[15] He has continued to point out problems both with the test and its administration.[16][17][18][19]

### Reputation and rankings

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RankingsNational rankings

Complete (2025)[20]| 5
Guardian (2025)[21]| 6
Times / Sunday Times (2025)[22]| 5
Global rankings
ARWU (2024)[23]| 101-150
QS (2025)[24]| 43
THE (2025)[25]| 34

In 2015, the Chambers Student triennial survey of which universities law firm trainees had attended ranked Durham third behind Oxford and Cambridge, supplying 7.6 per cent of law trainees in the UK (up from 4th in 2012). The survey also placed Durham second (behind Manchester) in supplying national firms (up from 11th in 2012) and third in supplying US firms in London (up from 5th in 2012).[26][27]

### Research

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The Palatine Centre, home to Durham Law School

#### Research centres and groups

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Durham Law School supports a range of institutes, centres and groups open to academic staff and law students. These include: the Centre for Chinese Law and Policy (CCLP), the Centre for Criminal Law and Criminal Justice (CCLCJ), the Centre for Ethics and Law in the Life Sciences (Durham CELLS), the Durham European Law Institute (DELI), the Centre for Gender Equal Media (GEM), Gender and Law at Durham (GLAD), the Human Rights Centre (HRC), the Institute of Commercial and Corporate Law (ICCL), Islam, Law and Modernity (ILM) and Law and Global Justice at Durham (LGJ).[28]

Durham's Centre for Chinese Law and Policy is among the largest in Europe.[29]

#### Major areas of research

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* Biolaw: including bioethics, medical law and intellectual property issues[30]
* Chinese law
* Comparative law
* Criminal law and criminal justice: including international criminal law, jury trials, organized crime, sentencing and theories of punishment and restorative justice.
* English private and commercial law: including commercial fraud, consumer law, contract law, corporate law, equity, Europeanisation of private law, intellectual property international trade law, law and economics, restitution, tort law
* EU law: including EU constitutional law, EU external trade, EU competition law, Third Pillar matters
* Gender and law: including discrimination, equality and diversity, feminist legal theory gender and crime and women in the legal professions
* Human rights: including counter-terrorism issues, discrimination law, the Human Rights Act, international human rights law, media freedom and religious liberty
* Legal theory: including jurisprudence, legal realism, moral philosophy, multiculturalism, political philosophy, socio-legal studies and theory of international law
* Public international law: including international human rights law, international humanitarian law, conflict studies, international criminal law and WTO law
* UK public law: including human rights, citizenship, comparative constitutional law, separation of powers, scrutiny of security services and United Kingdom immigration law.[31]

## Notable people

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### Notable academics

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The following notable individuals are or have been academics of Durham Law School:

* Deryck Beyleveld – Former Head of School
* Leo Blair – Lecturer of Law, father of Tony Blair
* Thom Brooks – Former Dean and Professor of Law and Government
* David Campbell
* David O'Keeffe
* Clare McGlynn – Professor of Law

### Notable alumni

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#### Judiciary

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* Lady Jill Black (Trevelyan) – second women to become a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom;[32] former Lady Justice of Appeal[33][34]
* James Goss (University) – Justice of the High Court (Queens Bench Division)
* Lord Anthony Hughes (Van Mildert) – Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom; former Lord Justice of Appeal; Vice-President of the Criminal Division of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales[35]
* Andrew McFarlane (Collingwood) – President of the Family Division,[36] High Court Judge, Lord Justice of Appeal[37]
* Finola O'Farrell (Trevelyan) – Justice of the High Court (Queens Bench Division)[38]
* Caroline Swift (St Aidan's) – leading counsel to the Inquiry in the Shipman Inquiry and Justice of the High Court (Queens Bench Division)[39]

#### Barristers

[edit]

* Jolyon Maugham (Hatfield)

#### Politics

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* Graham Brady (St Aidan's), former Conservative MP for Altrincham and Sale West (1997–2024) and chair of the 1922 Committee (2010–2024), member of the House of Lords (2024–present)
* Robert Buckland QC (Hatfield), Conservative MP for Swindon South (2010–2024) and Lord Chancellor (2019–2021)
* Nick Gibb (Hild Bede) – Conservative MP for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton (1997–2024), Minister of State for Schools (2022–2023)[40]
* Huw Merriman – Conservative MP for Bexhill and Battle (2015–2024) and Minister of State for Rail and HS2 (2022–2024)[41]
* Earl Pomeroy, former Democratic Party member of US House of Representatives for North Dakota's at-large congressional district (1993–2011)
* James Wharton, Conservative MP for Stockton South (2010–2017), chair of the Office for Students 2021–2024, member of the House of Lords (2020–present)

#### Media

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* Gabby Logan (Hild Bede)

## References

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1. ^ "World University Rankings 2022 by subject: Law". 28 September 2021.
2. ^ "Early day motion 875 - FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF DURHAM UNIVERSITY'S LAW SCHOOL". UK Parliament.
3. ^ "Durham Law School – Most Impressive Law School Building in the World - Cundall". cundall.com. Archived from the original on 25 October 2018. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
4. ^ "The 50 Most Impressive Law School Buildings in the World". bestchoiceschools.com.
5. ^ "Durham legal network in London - Professional Networking". Durham Newswire. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
6. ^ "Palatine Centre, Durham University". WhatsOn Venues. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
7. ^ "Undergraduate Study". Durham Law School. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
8. ^ "LLB Law (M101) - Course Information - Durham University". dur.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 2 October 2017.
9. ^ Jemma Slingo (21 February 2020). "Going global: law school offers Chinese course in response to City demand". The Law Society Gazette.
10. ^ Baksi, Catherine. "Chinese law offers great career prospects". The Times. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
11. ^ "Durham Law School : LLM - Durham University". Durham University.
12. ^ "Durham Law School : PhD/MPhil/MJur - Durham University". dur.ac.uk.
13. ^ Lucy Morgan (19 June 2024). "We're calling on the next government to protect women and girls from image-based abuse". GLAMOUR.
14. ^ Thom Brooks (2013). The Life in the United Kingdom Citizenship Test: Is It Unfit for Purpose? (Report).
15. ^ Nicole Goodwin (11 April 2023). "UK citizenship test unfit for purpose and 'not making the grade', Durham University report finds". Chronicle Live.
16. ^ Josh Layton (16 April 2023). "King Charles and coronation absent from 'error strewn' UK citizenship test". Metro.
17. ^ Rick Noack (13 July 2016). "Europe's citizenship tests are so hard not even citizens can pass". Washington Post.
18. ^ Nick Smith (9 September 2024). "'Like a bad pub quiz' - Is it time we reformed the UK citizenship test?". ITV News.
19. ^ Thom Brooks (10 August 2022). "'Life in the UK': the grim truth behind the government's citizenship tests". The Independent.
20. ^ "Complete University Guide 2025". The Complete University Guide. 14 May 2024.
21. ^ "Guardian University Guide 2025". The Guardian. 7 September 2024.
22. ^ "Good University Guide 2025". The Times. 20 September 2024.
23. ^ "Academic Ranking of World Universities 2024". Shanghai Ranking Consultancy. 15 August 2024.
24. ^ "QS World University Rankings 2025". Quacquarelli Symonds Ltd. 4 June 2024.
25. ^ "THE World University Rankings 2025". Times Higher Education. 9 October 2024.
26. ^ "Law firms' preferred universities". Chambers Student. 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
27. ^ "What counts as a 'good' university if I want to be a solicitor?" (PDF). Chambers Student. December 2012.
28. ^ "Durham Law School : World-leading Research - Durham University". dur.ac.uk.
29. ^ "Chinese law centre at Durham University is biggest in Europe". thenorthernecho.
30. ^ "Centre for Ethics and Law in the Life Sciences - Durham University". dur.ac.uk.
31. ^ "Durham Law School – Postgraduate Study Opportunities" (PDF).[permanent dead link‍]
32. ^ announcement, archived from the original on 21 July 2017, retrieved 25 July 2018
33. ^ Who's who, Durham University, retrieved 4 March 2011
34. ^ Judicial Appointments Commission, Judicial Appointments Commission, archived from the original on 25 April 2010, retrieved 4 March 2011
35. ^ ‘HUGHES, Rt Hon. Sir Anthony (Philip Gilson) ’, Who's Who 2013, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2013; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2012; online edn, Nov 2012 accessed 5 April 2013
36. ^ announcement, retrieved 25 July 2018
37. ^ ‘McFARLANE, Rt Hon. Sir Andrew (Ewart)’, Who's Who 2013, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2013; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2012; online edn, Nov 2012 accessed 5 April 2013
38. ^ "Finola O'Farrell, QC" (PDF). Keating Chambers. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 April 2021.
39. ^ Burke's Peerage - Preview Family Record
40. ^ "Nick Gibb Biography". Conservative Party. Archived from the original on 7 June 2009.
41. ^ "Durham welcomes back law school graduates Sir Robert Buckland KC MP and Huw Merriman MP". Durham University. 26 October 2023.

## External links

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* Durham Law School

* v
* t
* e

Durham University

People|

Chancellor
Fiona Hill
Vice-Chancellor & Warden
Karen O'Brien
Visitor
The Bishop of Durham
List of Durham University people

Colleges|

* Collingwood
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Student life|

* Palatinate (newspaper)
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Sports|

* Team Durham
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Places|

* Assembly Rooms Theatre
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History|

* Third oldest university in England
* Bishop Cosin's Hall
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* overview

Chairs|

* Al-Sabah Chair
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