Law - Access to Justice

This course is a unique legal education programme which supplements existing legal service provision by focusing on unmet need in the fields of employment law, social security law and family law. There is no other comparable course available on the island of Ireland.

Students are trained in social security law, employment law, alternative dispute resolution, tribunal representation and family law, in preparation for legal drafting and providing advice and advocacy to members of the public in social security or employment tribunals, or to assist clients in family proceedings. This advice and representation will be provided through the Ulster University Law Clinic and/or on placement with the Social Justice Hub or advice sector organisations in semester two and three.

The programme also involves students in the development and management of the Law Clinic and further reflects on wider issues of access to justice, social justice, legal participation and dispute resolution.

For further course information please see "Course Web Page".

Year one
• Social Security Law and Policy
• Employment Law
• Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Tribunal Representation
• Clinical Legal Practice
• Dissertation
• Employment Compliance and Development
• Housing Law

Entry Requirements
You must satisfy the General Entry Requirements for admission to a first degree programme, and hold a GCSE pass in English at grade C or above (or equivalent).

Admission Requirements
Applicants must:
(a) have gained (i) a second class honours degree or better in law or law related discipline from a university of the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland, from the Council for National Academic Awards, the National Council for Educational Awards, the Higher Education and Training Awards Council, or from an institution of another country which has been recognised as being of an equivalent standard; or (ii) an equivalent standard (normally 50%) in a Graduate Diploma, Graduate Certificate, Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma in law or an approved alternative qualification; or (iii) a degree in a relevant discipline with appropriate work/professional experience in the field of access to justice; or (iv) a comparable professional qualification; and

(b) provide evidence of competence in written and spoken English (GCSE grade C or equivalent); or, as an alternative to (a) (i) or (a) (ii) and/or (b):

(c) In exceptional circumstances, where an individual has substantial and significant experiential learning, a portfolio of written evidence demonstrating the meeting of graduate qualities (including subject-specific outcomes, as determined by the Course Committee) may be considered as an alternative entrance route. Evidence used to demonstrate graduate qualities may not be used for exemption against modules within the programme.

Your Application
Application is through the University's online application system (see "Application Weblink").

Start Date: September 2024

Career options
You will develop skills highly relevant to legal practice, and to policy, research and advocacy roles in the voluntary, public and private sectors in the UK, Ireland and beyond. Successful completion may also open up a range of further study and research options.

Graduates have also been employed as research interns in the Law Society of Northern Ireland. Other students have taken up funded PhDs examining issues and concepts arising from their LLM studies, and continued working across the legal advice field.