about What Makes Us Different

Our Heritage

We are one of the UK's longest-established specialist providers of legal education. We can trace our origins to 1876 with the formation of tutorial firm Gibson & Weldon, and in 2016, we opened our leading Business School. With a rich heritage and a reputation for innovation and contemporary teaching practices, we continuously focus on developing the best legal and business minds.

Innovative and Contemporary Teaching Practices

All of our courses – from our undergraduate law degrees to our diverse range of business courses and postgraduate programmes – are designed with a unique, varied and innovative learning approach proven to deliver self-reliant professionals who can compete in the fast changing professional world. With a focus on developing skills in problem-solving, weighing up arguments, critical thinking and commercial awareness, our courses are designed to prepare you for the real-life challenges of the working world. 

Powerful Connections

Our track record of excellence in learning and development has helped us establish worldwide connections within the legal and business industries. This is why many leading global law firms and businesses work exclusively with us to develop their people, and why employers of all types want to meet our students. It’s why law schools and professional bodies around the world choose to enter into strategic alliances with us.

We also have many international partnerships that allow us to provide a rounded, global outlook to business and law.

The Most Experienced Tutors

More than 250 of our tutors are qualified lawyers and business professionals, and all have extensive practical experience which they are able to pass on to our students. We facilitate this process with high levels of student-to-tutor contact time and small class sizes - one of the reasons that many firms insist their trainees study with us.

Focused on Employability

We focus exclusively on practice-based training and give students access to our expert Careers and Employability service database as soon as they accept a place with us. Students also benefit from our pioneering and award-winning pro bono programmes, which allow them to gain valuable work experience by helping real clients from the local community.

Widening Access and Participation

We take our responsibility to widen access and participation within legal and business education seriously. Our Access and Participation Plans with the Office for Students detail our ambition and strategy to widen access and participation.

Access and Participation Plan 2019-20

Access and Participation Plan 2020-21 to 2024-25

QAA Review

We aim to continually enhance student learning and have published our action plan following the Higher Education Review in October 2017. 

Click here to read our QAA Higher Education Review action plan.

How We Spend our Fees

The University strives to provide value for money by continually committing to investing in and enhancing the student experience. Learn how we deliver value for money here.