School of Law
The School of Law at SOAS, University of London conducts a vigorous programme of teaching and research in comparative and international law. The excellence of its work was recognised:
- in the Guardian University Guide (May 2001), which placed SOAS as the top Law Department for undergraduate studies in the UK; and
- in 2009, 85% of its RAE submissions were rated either as 'world leading', 'internationally excellent' or 'internationally recognised.'
- The School has an unrivalled concentration of specialists in the laws of Asian and African countries, with additional areas of expertise in the areas of comparative law, human rights, transnational commercial law, environmental law, international law and socio-legal method. The School attracts students from all over the world who wish to pursue advanced study in these fields, whether for a one-year taught Masters degree, research or an MPhil or PhD, or for special courses and non-degree research.
Lecturers in the School of Law are acknowledged experts in their fields and remain at the forefront of fostering both professional and interdisciplinary study. They maintain close links with professional practice and frequently have first-hand knowledge of the latest developments in business, government and international organisations. Each year, the School attracts a number of distinguished Lawyers as Research Fellows or Visiting Instructors.
The School is home to a thriving research community including the East Asian Law Centre; the Centre for Ethnic Minority Studies, the Centre of Islamic and Middle Eastern Law (CIMEL) the Centre on International Law and Colonialism, and the Sir Joseph Hotung Project on Law, human rights and peace building in the Middle East. The Journal of African Law, the Journal of Comparative Law and the Yearbook of Islamic and Middle Eastern Law are edited in the School; the Law, Environment and Development Journal (LEAD Journal) is jointly managed with the International Environmental Law Research Centre (IELRC). The School has produced, among many other publications, two major books from the WG Hart conference entitled Comparative Law in the 21st Century and a volume of essays deriving from a series of lectures celebrating the Department's fiftieth anniversary, Comparative Law in Global Perspective. Comparative Law in Global Perspective offers perspectives on crucial contemporary issues such as economic development, the persistence of customary law, "offshore" jurisdictions, family law and succession, land tenure, the forging of national constitutions, human rights violations, and the treatment of ethnic minorities. It also gives a clear statement about the objectives of the School and its uniqueness in the study of law.
The School also has close links with the internationally-renowned Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (IALS) and the Van Vollenhoven Institute, Leiden University, with which it publishes the London-Leiden Series on Law, Administration and Development.
Postgraduate students at SOAS also make extensive use of the world class library facilities at IALS which is located five minutes walk away from the Department of Law.
Many of the attractions of London are also close to SOAS including the British Museum, Oxford Street, Tottenham Court Road, Covent Garden and the theatres of the West End, as are the University of London Union, the major London bookshops, SOAS halls of residence and many other colleges of the University of London. The rest of London (including Heathrow Airport) is accessible easily from Russell Square tube station, as well as King's Cross and Euston rail stations which are within easy walking distance of the School of Law.
Contact:
Telephone UG: 020 7898 4403 PG: 020 7898 4402
Fax 020 7898 4759
E-mail: law@soas.ac.uk
