Law at Queens: A Tradition of Excellence
Queen’s University Belfast has a long and distinguished history of legal education, dating back to 1845. Since then, the legal profession in Belfast has faced many changes and challenges, with the result that it is a unique jurisdiction to research and study law. Our students go on to practice in the UK, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and beyond, and we are a gateway from the UK into Europe.
Situated in leafy South Belfast, Queen’s University Belfast – School of Law is based in a state-of-the-art building that provides world-class facilities for staff and students. We offer a comprehensive and rigorous legal education combining local traditions and global perspectives. Our curriculum, informed by our vibrant research culture and our unique jurisdiction, covers a wide range of legal topics from international and European law, intellectual property law, public law, human rights, and criminal justice to commercial and private law, technology and innovation. Our diverse student body benefits from the expertise and guidance of our outstanding academic staff, who are often at the forefront of their fields and engage with policy-makers, legislators, and broader society. We offer taught courses at the Undergraduate and Postgraduate levels, including Masters in Law and Technology, Human Rights, Criminal Justice, Intellectual Property and Commercial and Business Law, alongside a flagship PhD programme with supervision across the legal field from the doctrinal to the sociolegal, comparative, criminological and critical.
We provide various co-curricular opportunities for skill development. Students can engage in the Mooting programme to enhance advocacy and research skills, participate in Street Law for practical legal experience, contribute to LawPod, a weekly podcast exploring law and legal research, or join the Global Skills Project to improve public speaking and explore law through the arts and culture. Additionally, students can take editorial roles in the Student Law Journal or submit their undergraduate work for publication. These activities also offer a route to attain Future Ready accreditation, preparing students for diverse career paths post-graduation.
We inculate a vibrant and active research community, with around 80 academic staff and over 50 PhD students, dedicated to producing world-class and impactful research. In the Research Excellence Framework 2021, we ranked joint 8th in the U.K. for Law. We achieved the maximum 4-star rating for each of our four Impact Case Studies, which detail how particular research has produced demonstrable real-world social, economic or cultural benefits or change to broader society beyond academia. We uphold the core values of vitality, collegiality and sustainability in our research environment and aim for high-quality and ambitious outputs in all areas of scholarship. We do this by fostering collaborative networks and opportunities for cutting-edge research, engaging and collaborating with the academic community and various non-academic audiences, and supporting and nurturing our research talent at all career stages to achieve individual and collective success.
Belfast is a vibrant and dynamic city that has witnessed significant growth in its legal sector over recent years. Many prestigious local and international law firms have established their offices in Belfast, drawn by its skilled workforce, strategic location, and the evolving legal landscape of Northern Ireland. This offers many opportunities for legal professionals and students in the region, as well as enhances Belfast’s reputation as a global legal centre. We have excellent relationships with employers in the legal profession and beyond. We partner with a wide range of legal sector organisations that deliver programmes of real-world skills to our students. We also have a Judge in Residence programme, through which a High Court Judge makes regular contributions to the broader academic life of the School. Our alum community is spread across the globe, and many are leaders in their chosen careers.
We are immensely proud to be a part of the Law Schools Global League as it enriches our academic and practical understanding as we navigate the legal landscape in this era of globalisation.