What is a law school?

This question may seem surprising. The term "law school" is now widely used in this country but this is a relatively recent development and some have asked just what it actually means.

In the UK a "law school" is usually just the section of a university or other higher education institution that teaches Law. It appears that nearly all such sections now use the term "Law School" or "School of Law" in their name regardless of how the university normally and traditionally uses the terms "school", "department" and "faculty". Of course there are a few exceptions (and some cases where the website still has material predating the latest renaming).

One doesn't really "go to law school" in the UK. Instead, one goes to a university or other provider and studies Law or indeed any other subject there. A university law school rarely has the independent identity and distinct facilities of, say, a medical school or a business school. Rather the students usually all mix in together.

This stands in contrast with countries where many law sections are distinct divisions of the university with their own admissions, facilities and identity. In some Law is only available as a graduate entry or postgraduate subject. Thus, "going to law school" really does convey something very different from "going to university to read Law". This has brought the term "law school" into wider use globally and almost certainly explains why many a UK university now uses the term when "department" would be more consistent.

(Image created with Microsoft 365 Copilot.)

Why study Law?

Being with a university where one generally doesn't have to write personal statements when applying to courses, there often isn't a simple off the shelf answer to this question (let alone some text that can be simply copied and pasted). And often people find it hardest to put their personal reasoning into written form. Instinct governs us more than we realise. The decision is still taken carefully and rationally but isn't always the easiest to write up.

But there are many reasons people study Law. Not everyone is studying because they want to be a lawyer. Many are studying for the broader skills and application. At its base, Law constitutes the rules of society. Understanding how the rules operate and how to apply them is a natural reason to be drawn to the subject. The skills one develops through the study of the subject are highly transferable whilst the knowledge of a Law graduate can be extremely useful in many different jobs.

The study of Law can lead one in many different directions, both professionally and personally. There is something about understanding the order of things that is attractive. It's a rigorous subject not to be entered lightly, but studying it can be highly rewarding.

If you're looking for tips for a personal statement for an application then this post is going to be a disappointment. But ultimately everyone has their own reasons for being drawn to a particular subject and it's not always easy to put them into words. Often they just know this is the right course.

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Links and references on this blog

The keen eyed amongst you will notice that many links and references on this blog are not formal academic ones.

That's because this is an informal blog, not a formal academic submission. And doing references properly can be a little stressful.

One of the surprising features of the Open University Law courses are the mixed reference systems, with both Harvard referencing for general sources with inline citations and OSCOLA referencing for legal sources with footnotes. (For those wondering, OSCOLA is an imperfect acronym for The Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities.) They're essential for assignments (yes even the ones where you have to write a blog post entry) but not for here.

That said if I mention a case I'll try to include the full reference (though inline rather than trying to work out how to do a footnote on here). Similarly, if I mention a journal article I'll usually copy & paste the recommended reference (rather than converting it to strict format), including a link to an online copy, at the end of the post. But if I link to a webpage it will just be a straightforward direct link. And if I mention a book I'll generally just link to its entry on the publisher's website.

(Image created with Microsoft 365 Copilot.)

Images on this blog

This blog uses a number of pictures in an attempt to make a look a bit more visually interesting. A quick note on sources and copyright.

A few are photographs taken by myself and credited as such. These remain my own copyright.

One or two are lifted from commons sites and (hopefully) attributed properly.

The rest are generated with Artificial Intelligence, specifically using Microsoft 365 Copilot by giving text instructions to describe a general idea and then refining it. So they're not fantastic. Indeed, a lot of AI-generated content is rubbish. (The graphic on this post in more ways than one!) That's even before we get onto my sense of humour. And they're subject to the copyright of AI generated images.

This is not a formal academic blog so the normal advice to avoid using AI at all doesn't apply here. Only graphics are generated with AI. All the text is written by myself (or quoted and linked).

(Image created with Microsoft 365 Copilot. A good example of why not to use AI!)

An introduction

I'm a Law student and I'm studying with the Open University.

This blog has been created to help share the experience and, hopefully, answer some questions along the way. At the moment I'm in the final stages of Level 2 of my Bachelor of Laws degree and it seemed a good moment to start this blog.

This isn't the first time I've studied at university but my previous experiences were at physical attendance "bricks & mortar" institutions many years ago. Distance learning is a very different experience and some posts will cover how Open University studying is done these days.

I'll also try to explain some of the terminology as we go, whether it's what "Level 2" actually means or explaining just what the "Foundations of Legal Knowledge" actually refers to. Or what the routes are for becoming a barrister or a solicitor and how they affect education.

Both Open University studying and studying law are different from my previous studies and I'll try to cover how so. And I'll have a look at one or two media portrayals that seem to be behind a lot of questions that get raised.

So come aboard for the ride.

(Image created with Microsoft 365 Copilot.)

Happy Birthday Sir David Attenborough!

Happy Birthday Sir David Attenborough OM GCMG CH CVO CBE FRS FSA FRSA FLS FZS FRSGS FRSB!

Oh and not forgetting his Open University honorary degree, Doctor of the University (DUniv). (One of many but nobody seems to know the exact number.)

Sir David is best known for his work as a natural historian but he was also Controller of BBC2 from 1965 to 1969. During this time he directed the channel to find its identify, oversaw the introduction of the first colour television not just in the UK but the whole of Europe and was instrumental in setting up the broadcasts for what was then going to be called "the University of the Air". Apparently he was the one who suggested it might be better with a different title.

So a Happy 100th Birthday to the last survivor of setting up the Open University and so much more!

(Yes this blog won't launch for a while just yet and, as we'll see, this post is out of the norm. But I couldn't let this celebration pass.)

(Photo from BergenChamber, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.)

Coming soon!

This blog is coming soon.

Whatever "soon" may mean...