Welcome from the Dean
It is my privilege to welcome you to The City Law School.
You will be part of a school that continues to build on a distinguished 170-year history, a strong international reputation, expertise in education and research, and that has become a leading full-service legal education provider to academic and professional students alike.
A unique history
The City Law School has a history of delivering legal education which dates back to the nineteenth century in the form of the Inns of Court School of Law (ICSL). The ICSL was prominent as the original and sole provider of bar training in the United Kingdom. The other chapter of our history can be found at our present home in Northampton Square.
City, University of London established the Centre for Legal Studies in 1977 when it commenced delivery of the forerunner to the current Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) programme. In fact, we were the first to develop the concept of the ‘conversion course’.
Other programmes followed, most notably the undergraduate Bachelor of Laws degree - now the Law LLB (Hons) - which began in 1990. In 2001, the ICSL joined City, University of London and with the Centre for Legal Studies, they formed The City Law School.
We started the development of a comprehensive range of academic and professional programmes to make us the full-service provider of legal education we are today.
An exciting present
The City Law School has an excellent international reputation, ranking 73rd in the world in the 2022 Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
The School is unique in offering a broad range of courses while remaining committed to excellence in research and professional scholarship. We ranked 18th in the UK for our research outputs in the recent Research Excellence Framework (2021), with 82.6% of our submissions rated internationally excellent or world leading.
We are at the leading-edge of innovation in academic and professional education, with our exciting undergraduate experiences such as Lawbore, our nationally-leading Bar Vocational Studies and the new Solicitors’ Practice Programme launching in 2023.
Our students and local community benefit from our expertise in professional practice through our wide-ranging suite of pro bono clinics and can be seen in our students track record of success in national and international mooting competitions.
Our students have full access to our new Law in real life (Law IRL) scheme, offering them opportunities to develop their skills and experience the law beyond the classroom.
A bright future
Our vision to firmly establish The City Law School as a leading law school within a decade is supported by our commitment to being an equal, diverse and inclusive law school, and one with a social responsibility in the face of climate change.
One that embraces the challenge of new technologies in legal practice and the disruption this brings as an opportunity to become a law school fit for the 21st century.
We place students at the heart of everything we do. We are building employability and skills into all our programmes, enabling you to pursue exciting careers in and beyond the legal professions.
Whether you are a current student, alumnus, strategic partner, client of our pro bono clinics, employer of our students and graduates or a friend of the School, I want to express my appreciation for your ongoing support.
My colleagues and I are dedicated to achieving success for The City Law School and to playing a significant part in your educational or professional journey. We hope that you will share our enthusiasm and pride in being part of the diverse community which is The City Law School.
I look forward to welcoming you and the ideas that will shape our future.
Professor Richard Ashcroft
Dean of The City Law School.
Contact
Northampton Square
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7040 3309
Email: law@city.ac.uk
Library and Information Services
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7040 0342
Email: lawlibrary@city.ac.uk
Getting there
The Underground stations nearest to this site are Angel on the Northern Line and Farringdon or Barbican on the Metropolitan, Circle and Hammersmith & City Lines. All the City buildings are within five to ten minutes walk from the nearest underground station.
Many buses stop near City. Plan your route with the TFL Journey Planner.