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TSR Wiki > University > Choosing a University > University Guides > University of Cambridge > Law at Cambridge

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The typical offer for law at Cambridge is AAA. Other requirements are the interview and the LNAT test.

In the first year undergraduates study four subjects:

Roman (Civil) Law

Constitutional Law

Criminal Law

Law of Torts.

Each subject is lectured, with a total of 10 hours of lectures a week. Every fortnight each subject is also supervised. They are also required to take a course in using legal databases called Freshfields. Examinations take place in May-June, and each paper lasts 3 hours. You are normally required to answer 4 questions in that time.

In the second year you have to take five subjects. Two of these are compulsory or at least necessary to get a qualifying law degree. These are:

Land law

Law of contracts

Students then can choose from the following list:

International law

Civil law II

Administrative law

Family law

Legal History

Sentencing and the Penal System

Equity

Criminal Procedure and criminal evidence

European Union law.

The examination system is more or less the same as in the first year.

In the third year you have to take Equity and EU Law, if you did not in the second year. You can also choose from:

Paper 40. Commercial Law

Paper 41. Labour Law

Paper 42. Intellectual Property

Paper 43. Company Law

Paper 44. Aspects of Obligations

Paper 45. Conflict of Laws

Paper 46. Comparative Law

Paper 47. Jurisprudence

Paper 48. Civil Procedure (Half Paper)

Paper 48. Competition Law (Half Paper)

Paper 48. European Human Rights Law (Half Paper)

Paper 48. Historical Foundations of the British Constitution (Half Paper)

Paper 48. Landlord and Tenant Law (Half Paper)

Paper 48. Law of Taxation (Half Paper)

Paper 48. Media Law (Half Paper)

Paper 48. Personal Property (Half Paper)

Paper 48. Topics in Legal and Political Philosophy (Half Paper)

Seminar. Ethics and the Criminal Law (Tripos Seminar)

Seminar. Family in Society (Tripos Seminar)

Seminar. International Law (Tripos Seminar)

Seminar. Law and Economics (Tripos Seminar)

Seminar. Law and Ethics of Medicine (Tripos Seminar)

Seminar. The Legal Process: Justice and Human Rights (Tripos Seminar)

Seminar. Women and the Law (Tripos Seminar)

At the end of the third year, you will leave with a BA in Law (rather than an LLB as it is in most other universities).

Law at Cambridge is hard work. Anybody would be lying if they said otherwise. You will be taught by some of the most important legal academics in the country and most likely will study from the textbooks they wrote. However, it does still leave time for a social life. In November every year the Law Ball is held. For the last two years it has been held in Newmarket racecourse. It is a black or white tie affair, with dinner served and seemingly endless amounts of champagne. It is not expensive compared to other balls because it is sponsored by various law firms such as Allen and Overy, Herbert Smith and so forth. There are also many events throughout the course of the year, such as formal swaps, dinners with law firms (free!) workshops and so forth.