Master of Laws - Human Rights and Legal Practice

Face the legal issues in international human rights today in the LLM Human Rights and Legal Practice course.

The LLM is designed and taught by experienced legal professionals and human rights activists. Students will gain a thorough understanding of the theories, issues and concepts underpinning international human rights and, crucially, how they are put into practice. By combining theory with practice, this course will give students both the skills and the knowledge they need for a career in the field of human rights practice, campaigning and advocacy.

Suitable for legal practitioners, aspiring legal professionals and human rights activists, this course will enable students to develop their skillsets in research and analysis, strategic litigation, project management, and advocacy and campaigning skills within the field of human rights. Problem-based and interactive learning methodologies will enable students to master key concepts and instill the ability to learn from experience, absorb and integrate new information, and act strategically.

This LLM programme will examine the rhetoric and reality of human rights using an issues-based approach. Taking an interdisciplinary and holistic approach, students will acquire a high level of specialist knowledge, informed by current thinking and debate. There is also a wide range of optional modules to choose from, with focuses on economic, social and cultural rights; minority rights; business and human rights; policy and management; international human rights; criminal law; and international development.

Finally, students will write up a thesis on a topic that they choose, but the focus will be on a practical and applied human rights experience reflecting on real life experience and applied legal skills.

With the human rights sector becoming increasingly competitive, employers are now asking for some experience as a prerequisite. London is one of the world centres for this sort of career, with most international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) having their headquarters here.

This course will provide students with a strong academic grounding as well as the practical and vocational legal skills required for legal practice in the human rights field. Students will also have the opportunity to undertake a work placement during their degree to develop their skills. After this course, students could work for a law firm, international organisation, government department, think-tank, non-governmental organisation, or a research and development organisation.