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Law and Climate Justice

Entry Year: 2025

Key information

Degree
LLB (Hons)
Duration
3 years
Start
September 2025
UCAS code
M1L1
Institution code
Q50
Typical A-Level offer
Grades A*AA at A-Level. Excludes General Studies and Critical Thinking.
Full entry requirements (including contextual admissions)
Home fees
£9,250
Overseas fees
£27,950
Funding information
Paying your fees

Overview

Are you interested in studying law and have a passion for climate and social justice causes?

By studying this course, you could become one of the UK’s first Law and Climate Justice LLB graduates. 

Being the first of its kind, the Law and Climate Justice LLB programme will qualify graduates to practise law in any field while also developing a specialism in climate justice.  

This programme is designed to prepare lawyers with an interest in using their skills to address climate change. Expect to learn about legal rules, principles, reasoning and ideas in comparative, social, political, economic, historical, philosophical, and practical contexts while applying this in the context of struggles and debates on climate justice. 

In your final year, you will have the opportunity to gain work experience with an NGO or civil society organisation while you conduct a 'Climate Justice Research Project’ with the aim to produce a research report of publishable standard. 

Who is the Law and Climate Justice LLB for? 

This is the ideal programme for students: 

  • Considering a career as a ‘public interest lawyer’ or a ‘cause lawyer’ (a lawyer who uses the law to promote social justice). 
  • Interested in the new and expanding field of climate litigation. 
  • Interested in the intersection between human rights and climate change and using legal strategies to advance human rights protection. 
  • Wanting to work in advocacy or supporting climate movements and campaigns within the international NGO sector. 
  • Wanting to work as a lawyer or advocate within specialised UN agencies working on environmental, climate and human rights issues within the UN system. Examples of these include the UN Environment Programme and the UN High Commissioner on Refugees, part of the UN Refugee Agency working to protect people displaced by extreme weather events and environmental breakdown. 

 

Structure

Students who gain a place on the Law and Climate Justice LLB will study three years at Queen Mary with compulsory modules and elective modules available to enable students to cover a wide variety of subjects to reflect their interests and aspirations. The number of credits and the level of assessment is the same as the LLB in Law.

Year 1

In year one, there are three core law content modules:

  • Land Law 
  • Contract Law  
  • Public Law

In addition, you will study a year-long module: 

  • Legal Struggles for Climate Justice 

Please note that all modules are subject to change.

Year 2

In the second year, there are three core law content modules:  

  • European Law
  • Tort Law  
  • Criminal Law 

In addition, you will study the modules: 

  • Property, Land Law and the Environment 
  • Environmental Jurisprudence 

Students will also select elective modules from wider areas of interest:

Full modules

  • Family Law
  • Public International Law
  • International Human Rights Law
  • Criminology
  • Competition Law
  • The Practice of Law in a Clinical Environment
  • Law Review
  • Health Law
  • Principles of Revenue Law
  • Medical Negligence Law
  • Law Modernity and the Holocaust
  • Public Legal Education and Community Street Law
  • Commercial and Consumer Law
  • Class Actions and Practice

Half modules

  • United Kingdom Human Rights Law
  • Advanced United Kingdom Human Rights Law
  • Law, Knowledge, Power
  • Equality and the Law
  • Democracy and Justice
  • Law, Justice and Ethics
  • Labour Law: Contract Law, Dismissal Rights and Workplace Justice
  • Comparative Constitutional Law
  • Administrative Law
  • Global Criminology: Global Crime, Punishment and Justice
  • Chinese Law and Institutions
  • Global Law and Governance
  • International Environmental Law
  • Law and Religion
  • Law in Asia
  • The Art of Law
  • Law Stories
  • Animal Rights
  • Climate Justice
  • Law of Digital Markets
  • Protecting Personal Privacy
  • Children and the Law
  • From Crime Scene to Court

Please note that all modules are subject to change.

Year 3

In year three, you will study two core law content modules: 

  • Equity
  • Trust Law

In addition, you will study the modules: 

  • Climate Justice in Theory and Practice  
  • International Environmental Law.   

You will also conduct a collaborative project with an environmental organisation to gain experience of conducting a major legal research project. 

Students will also select elective modules from wider areas of interest:

Full modules

  • Family Law
  • Public International Law
  • International Human Rights Law
  • Law of Evidence
  • Criminology
  • Competition Law
  • The Practice of Law in a Clinical Environment
  • Law Review
  • Health Law
  • Principles of Revenue Law
  • Medical Negligence Law
  • Law Modernity and the Holocaust
  • Public Legal Education and Community Street Law
  • Media Law
  • Dissertation
  • Company Law
  • Law and Pharmacology
  • Commercial and Consumer Law
  • Class Actions and Practice

Half modules

  • United Kingdom Human Rights Law
  • Advanced United Kingdom Human Rights Law
  • Law, Knowledge, Power
  • Equality and the Law
  • Democracy and Justice
  • Law, Justice and Ethics
  • Labour Law: Contract Law, Dismissal Rights and Workplace Justice
  • Comparative Constitutional Law
  • Administrative LawGlobal Criminology: Global Crime, Punishment and Justice
  • Chinese Law and Institutions
  • Global Law and Governance
  • International Environmental Law
  • Law and Religion
  • Law in Asia
  • The Art of Law
  • Law Stories
  • Animal Rights
  • Climate Justice
  • Corporate Insolvency Law
  • Intellectual Property - Copyright and Related Rights
  • Intellectual Property - Industrial Property
  • Law of Digital Markets
  • Protecting Personal Privacy
  • Children and the Law
  • From Crime Scene to Court

Please note that all modules are subject to change.

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Testimonial

This cutting-edge programme offers students a unique chance to specialise in a crucial area. Alongside core law subjects, students will be able to explore topics of climate and environmental justice from multiple perspectives, allowing them to critically reflect on law’s importance to both understanding and addressing the pressing challenges of climate change and ecological collapse.

Dr Angela Sherwood, Lecturer in Climate Crime and Climate Justice and Programme Director for the Law and Climate Justice LLB

Teaching

Teaching and learning

Law and Climate Justice students will be taught through a combination of lectures or seminars and tutorials. For each module there is usually a two-hour lecture or seminar supplemented by a one-hour weekly or fortnightly small group tutorial.

For every hour spent in class, students are expected to complete a further two to three hours of independent study. This time is spent reading cases, legislation and academic texts as well as working in informal study groups with peers. In the final year, independent study will involve co-learning with an external partner organisation.

Assessment

Each individual modules’ assessment is varied and may include one or more of written exams, oral presentations, midterm essays and coursework.

In the final year of all our law programmes, students have the option to research and write a dissertation on a legal topic in place of a taught module.

Resources and facilities

The School of Law offers excellent on-campus resources to aid your studies, including: 

  • the Law Library service, home to state-of-the-art library resources and e-learning facilities 
  • the School’s award-winning Legal Advice Centre (LAC), giving you the opportunity to work alongside trained solicitors and advise members of the public on real issues 
  • Student Support Officers who are dedicated to providing you with pastoral support and advice, both in your academic and mental well-being.

Entry requirements

A-LevelGrades A*AA at A-Level. Excludes General Studies and Critical Thinking.
IBInternational Baccalaureate Diploma with a minimum of 36 points overall, including 6,6,6 from three Higher Level subjects.
BTECSee our detailed subject and grade requirements
Access HEWe consider applications from students with the Access to Higher Education Diploma. We will hold all UCAS applications until January before drawing up a shortlist based on the information in the UCAS form about your pre-Access experience, academic record, personal statement and academic reference. In February and March, applicants are shortlisted and an updated academic reference may be requested. A shortlisted applicant may be invited for interview or further assessment. The minimum academic requirement is to achieve 60 credits overall, with 45 credits at Level 3, all of which must be at Distinction. (The School of Law may specify particular Level 3 subjects in which we require a Distinction.) Typically, successful candidates are aged 21 and above at the start of the Access programme.
GCSEPlease note this programme has enhanced GCSE requirements. At least six GCSE passes at grades AAAABB or 777766 are required, including English and Mathematics.
Contextualised admissions

Our standard contextual offer: AAA

Our enhanced contextual offer: ABB

Please note that General Studies and Critical Thinking are excluded from any A-Level offer and cannot be considered.

More information on our contextual offer criteria can be found on our contextualised admissions page.

Non-UK students

We accept a wide range of European and international qualifications in addition to A-levels, the International Baccalaureate and BTEC qualifications. Please visit International Admissions for full details.

If your qualifications are not accepted for direct entry onto this degree, consider applying for a foundation programme.

English language

Find out more about our English language entry requirements, including the types of test we accept and the scores needed for entry to the programme.

You may also be able to meet the English language requirement for your programme by joining a summer pre-sessional programme before starting your degree.

Further information

See our general undergraduate entry requirements.

Funding

Loans and grants

UK students accepted onto this course are eligible to apply for tuition fee and maintenance loans from Student Finance England or other government bodies.

Scholarships and bursaries

Queen Mary offers a generous package of scholarships and bursaries, which currently benefits around 50 per cent of our undergraduates.

Scholarships are available for home, EU and international students. Specific funding is also available for students from the local area. International students may be eligible for a fee reduction. We offer means-tested funding, as well as subject-specific funding for many degrees.

Find out what scholarships and bursaries are available to you.

Support from Queen Mary

We offer specialist support on all financial and welfare issues through our Advice and Counselling Service, which you can access as soon as you have applied for a place at Queen Mary.

Take a look at our Student Advice Guides which cover ways to finance your degree, including:

  • additional sources of funding
  • planning your budget and cutting costs
  • part-time and vacation work
  • money for lone parents.

Careers

A degree from the School of Law opens up an enormous pool of roles for our graduates. Many apply their degree knowledge directly, entering legal roles such as barrister, solicitor, paralegal and legal adviser. Others use the broad range of skills gained during study in other sectors, such as public administration and business.

Recent graduates from the School of Law have been hired by:

  • Arcadis LLP
  • Chambers and Partners
  • Deloitte
  • Dentons
  • House of Commons
  • Macfarlanes LLP.

Career support

During your time at the School of Law you will have access to a bespoke careers programme, including:

  • one-on-one appointments throughout the year with a dedicated careers adviser
  • workshops and events to help you identify your career options, train you in recruitment and selection methods and provide you with networking opportunities
  • an opportunity to apply for a six-week mentoring scheme with a leading law firm, and support with applications for the Year in Practice LLB with Reed Smith
  • over 120 employer-led events per year, from seminars to large fairs, which host major legal employers on campus including Clifford Chance, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Macfarlanes, Linklaters, Herbert Smith Freehills, Eversheds and Blackstone Chambers.

Learn more about career support and development at Queen Mary.

Course data

The Discover Uni dataset (formerly Unistats)

About the School

Law is taught to the highest of standards at Queen Mary. The School of Law was ranked 7th in the UK and 32nd in the world by QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023, and 10th in the UK and 50th in world in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024 by subject.

Located on the doorstep of London’s legal district, we have links with major law firms and frequently host visiting lecturers at the forefront of legal practice in the City. Our academics are some of the UK’s top legal minds, including a number of QCs, who advise high-profile international organisations such as the United Nations, the World Bank, the International Court of Justice in The Hague, the British Parliament and foreign governments.

The School is home to the Legal Advice Centre (LAC), through which students work alongside solicitors to offer free legal advice to the local community.

We have a lively and engaged student body, who run several law-based societies.

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