Overview
What is Law and French?
Ireland’s membership of the European Union, combined with globalisation, makes it more important than ever that lawyers are able to understand other legal systems and cultures. A key global distinction is between ‘common law systems’, such as Ireland, England, and the USA, and ‘civil law systems’, found in France, most other European jurisdictions, and beyond.
The Law and French and Law degree courses satisfy these needs. Students will have a grounding in Irish Law, fluency in a second European language and knowledge of the general culture, political, economic and sociological make-up of France. Students on this programme will follow the same Law structure as those reading for a Joint Honours degree, but the programmes is structured to ensure access to modules required for entry into the legal professional bodies in Ireland for those looking to pursue a Bachelor in Laws degree. Students on this degree will exit with a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) or B.A. award, depending on their focus of studies and the pathway that they choose in their final year. Students may also follow the Single Honours Pathway (LL.B.) from their second year onwards and drop their second subject completely.
Do you enjoy…
- Questioning and challenging issues?
- Learning about the culture, economic and sociological make-up of France?
- Conversing in and learning French?
Law and French: The course for you?
If you like to be challenged and intellectually stimulated, have a keen interest in the cultural, social, historical and political background of France and would like to learn a second language, then this degree is for you. Legal training requires the ability to think logically and critically, precise and careful use of language, good writing skills, and a faculty for articulate expression are key attributes for legal scholars.
Law and French at Trinity
The Law and French degree programmes offer a unique opportunity to study core and specialised legal modules but also the language, culture and political systems of France. Students must undertake an Erasmus year in France, exposing them to the law of that legal system. The class sizes are small, fostering a close collegial relationship with peers and members of both schools.
Pathways
The pathways available are Single Honours, Major with Minor and Joint Honours.
Graduate skills and career opportunities
Graduates of this programme have much to contribute to the legal and other professions in Ireland, as well as enjoying career opportunities in Europe. Whether students’ career goals lie in leadership, foreign affairs, public sector, media, business and finance, journalism, academia, the EU or a not-for-profit organisation, a Joint Honours degree will be ideally suited as a platform for attaining those goals.
Further professional qualifications
No law degree entitles a person to practise law as a solicitor or barrister. If you wish to go on to obtain a professional qualification, the governing bodies for the profession require that you study certain modules in your primary law degree. Our Single and Joint Honours Law degree programmes are designed to ensure you have the opportunity to take these required modules. Our programmes also offer additional modules currently required for entry into the UK professional bodies.
All students considering a career as a lawyer should consult the relevant professional body of their preferred jurisdiction to ensure they satisfy all entry requirements.
Your degree and what you’ll study
First and second years
In the first and second years, you will study a variety of foundational and professional law modules, taken alongside students reading for our single and joint honours law programme. You will take less law modules than a single honours student will take. These modules may include: Foundations of Law I and II, Contract Law, Criminal Law, Constitutional Law, Torts, Equity and Land Law. The number available to you will be determined by the direction of your course of studies, and degree you wish to pursue from your second year onwards. The remainder of your studies will be taken up by modules in your other subject which will include French language, cultural, historical, political or applied linguistics modules.
At the end of the first year of your programme, you can choose to major in law (we refer to this as the ‘professional pathway’ – leading to the degree of LL.B. (Ling. Franc) or you can major in French (resulting in a B.A. degree). You may of course choose to continue studying both subjects equally (B.A. Law and French) or move into Single Honours Law (LL.B.). Students considering a career in the legal profession after their degree will have the opportunity to take all the required modules if they choose the ‘professional pathway’. Nevertheless, there will still be ample opportunity to continue with your studies in French.
Third and fourth years
Your third and fourth years will be spent taking advanced modules in Law and/or your other subject. If you are taking French, you must spend your penultimate year in a university in France. In the final year, depending on the pathway that you take, you will have the opportunity to focus on developing areas of interest and complete a research project on a topic of your choice. Students on the LL.B. pathway will have the opportunity to engage in a legal placement.
In your final year, depending on the pathway that you take, you will have the opportunity to focus on developing areas of interest in Law and/or French modules on literature, literature, applied linguistics, culture, history, and society. You will also be required to complete a research project on a topic of your choice.
A combination of assignments and aural, oral and written examinations is used to assess student’s competency and retention of key facts.
There are QQI/FET routes available for this course. Please see www.cao.ie for details.
Click here for further information on modules/subjects.
Study abroad opportunities
Students must undertake an Erasmus year at one of Trinity’s partner universities in France, exposing them to the law of that legal system. Further information on the year abroad programme, and a list of partner universities, can be found at: www.tcd.ie/law/programmes/undergraduate/study-abroad
