Realise Your Passion For Law
Realising your passion for law by heading off to law school can be the start of an exciting life-changing journey that offers many varied career opportunities. The most obvious career path is working in the legal profession as an advocate and solicitor. Like doctors, advocates and solicitors can choose to specialise in a particular domain, such as family law, commercial law, criminal law, immigration law, intellectual property law and others, depending on one’s interest. As they gain more experience, law graduates can rise steadily through the ranks to eventually become a partner in a law firm or, if they have the ambition, they can venture out and set up their own firm.
As an alternative to working in a legal firm, law graduates can also join the corporate world as a corporate lawyer or legal counsel, where they will develop and acquire legal knowledge and skills in a particular industry, e.g. financial services or construction. With their legal background, law graduates can also enter into business advisory and consulting roles, where they advise clients on a range of legal matters. Another interesting line of work is arbitration and mediation. Law graduates can also work in the public sector by joining the judicial service, or the civil service where they may advise on the development of public policies. In addition, there is also the option to work in higher education as a law academic, with opportunities to teach and conduct research.
Well-established law degree
The School of Law at the University of Reading in the UK is ranked in the Top 10 for Research Intensity* (*Times Higher Education Subject Ranking on Intensity, 2014, based on its analysis of REF 2014 – Law). The Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) degree offered by the School is well-established in Malaysia and recognised by the Legal Professional Qualifying Board (LPQB) for the Certificate in Legal Practice Examination (CLPE).
Students now have the opportunity to study for the same degree at University of Reading Malaysia (UoRM), the international branch campus of the University of Reading. The law degree at UoRM is the same as that offered on the UK campus and, subject to MQA Full Accreditation, will be in line with the MQA programme standards and the requirements of the LPQB. It should also be noted that successful pursuit of the law degree at UoRM also qualifies graduates to pursue the Bar Practice Course “BPC” recognised by the Bar Standards Board UK with a view to qualifying as a barrister, or qualifies graduates to pursue the Legal Practice Course “LPC”, with a view to qualifying as a solicitor by the Solicitors Regulation Authority UK.
Best of both worlds
The campus in Malaysia was established in 2013 and first opened the doors to its state-of-the-art complex located in EduCity, Iskandar Puteri, in 2016. Students studying at UoRM enjoy the best of both worlds – the same University of Reading degree but at a significantly more affordable cost. Students who study at UoRM for their full degree pay only 40% of the overall estimated cost compared with studying on the UK campus, taking into account fees and living expenses.
Students benefit from the same enhanced learning experience they receive if they study on the UK campus, which received a remarkable 90% overall approval score rating from students in the 2020 National Student Survey.
UoRM offers law students some of the best facilities to be found in Malaysia. UoRM’s campus is a spacious, modern facility that houses IT-enabled classrooms, lecture theatre, moot court, legal clinic, learning resource centre and student social areas all conveniently under one roof. Based in EduCity, Asia’s first multi-campus education city, students also enjoy excellent recreational facilities that include an Olympic swimming pool, running track, indoor stadium, fitness centre, music studio and a 24-hour Student Hub.
Future-proof graduates
In a dynamic and constantly changing world, the emphasis on the programme is on developing core, transferable skills that will future-proof graduates and serve them well whatever career path they take. Associate Professor Anne Chrishanthani Vergis, Head of Law at UoRM emphasised: “the Reading Law programme places great importance on applied learning, aiming to develop the students’ skills and experience to help them graduate with the best possible prospects”.
Students on the programme receive the perfect balance of academic learning and practical experience. Professor James Devenney, Head of the Reading School of Law, said: “The University of Reading is known for producing law graduates who are well-rounded and highly-adaptable, and therefore able to rise quickly in their chosen legal or business career”.
A personalised learning experience
Class sizes on the programme are kept low to enable each student to receive personal attention and support for their development. As well as the highly experienced academic team, students benefit from the wisdom and knowledge of esteemed legal practitioners that are invited as part of the O2O Law Speaker Series. Students are also encouraged and supported to undertake internships during the Summer breaks to gain work experience.
During the global pandemic, the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) requires universities in Malaysia to switch to online learning. With its interactive approach, UoRM is well-prepared to deliver high-quality teaching and learning whether on-campus or virtual. UoRM benefits from the same advanced digital learning tools and support that is available on the UK campus. This includes access to platforms such as the Blackboard Learning Management System, Blackboard Collaborate and Microsoft Teams. Students also have round-the-clock access to the university’s digital library which contains thousands of journals and e-books.
Study UK option
Students at UoRM can also take advantage of the flexible options which allows them to spend one or even two years at the campus in Reading UK. The option may appeal to parents who wish to send their children for study in the UK but are concerned about travel restrictions and health and safety in the current pandemic situation.
The School of Law is situated in the historic Foxhill House on the main campus in Reading UK, which is set in 130 hectares of beautiful parkland and has won the Green Flag award ten times in a row, making it one of the UK’s best green spaces. The campus has everything a student could need, including sports facilities, health centre, eateries, a supermarket and on-campus accommodation. A virtual tour of the UK campus is available at the link below:
