Law (clinical) (bcl (hons)) in University College Cork, Ireland

Law (clinical) (bcl (hons)) in University College Cork

The four-year BCL (Clinical) degree is unique in Ireland in its combination of the core BCL law programme with a placement year in a legal professional working environment.

The placement experience reveals the relationship between law in theory and law in practice. It will develop your professional, organisational and interpersonal workplace skills, forming an integral part of your legal education and leading to a more rounded and comprehensive learning experience.

The BCL (Clinical) reflects UCC’s commitment to innovative skills-based education.

The BCL (Clinical) degree offers you an exceptional opportunity to experience and be directly involved in how the law works in reality as part of your legal education. 

This degree will provide you with a comprehensive understanding of the fundamental concepts of Irish and international Law, while also presenting you with a choice of specialised areas of legal study. 

You will be required to take 60 credits in each academic year, combining compulsory modules with a wide variety of elective and specific skills modules. 

The BCL (Clinical) provides a broad understanding of the fundamental concepts of Irish and international law, while also presenting you with a choice of specialised areas of legal study.

The integration of clinical placements leads to a more well-rounded legal education, by revealing the relationship and interaction between the law experienced in class (‘the law in theory’) and the law experienced the workplace (‘the law in practice’).

It also facilitates the development of valuable transferable and enduring professional skills. This comprehensive legal education prepares students for a vast array of career paths. 

Placement or Study Abroad Information

The work placements in the Year 3 will form an integral part of your legal education. Placements are arranged in areas that include:

• Commercial Law
• Corporate and Financial Services Law
• Consumer Law
• Criminal Law
• Family Law
• Immigration and Refugee Law
• Human Rights Law
• Welfare Law
• Medical Law
• Public Interest Law
• Employment Law
• Environmental Law

The placements are organised and supervised by the Clinical Education Coordinator and are assessed by means of assigned project work, learning journals and oral presentations.

Skills and Careers Information

You will develop your knowledge and understanding of the law and your skills in legal research, writing and analysis. During placement recruitment, you will improve your CV writing and interview skills. On placement, you will acquire and enhance the professional, organisational and interpersonal skills required in the workplace (including time management, prioritisation, independent judgment, teamwork, communication skills, etc.).

Graduates are equipped for an extensive variety of careers for which further academic and/or professional training may be required, including:

• the legal professions (solicitor, barrister)
• banking
• public relations
• accounting
• taxation
• insurance
• IT
• teaching
• in-house legal positions
• journalism
• the media
• policy making
• advocacy