Business Laws

Business laws is a degree that sits at the boundary between legal education and commercial practice, developing a qualifying law degree while giving particular emphasis to the legal frameworks that govern how businesses operate, contract, compete and are regulated. Understanding law through the lens of business activity means engaging with contract law, company law, commercial law, employment law, competition law and intellectual property, not as abstract doctrines but as the practical rules that shape real commercial decisions and disputes every day.

At the University of Exeter this three-year programme provides the academic qualification that satisfies the requirements of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination, alongside the commercial focus that makes graduates particularly well suited for careers in commercial and business law. You will study the core areas of English law alongside the business-focused modules that give the degree its distinctive character, developing the analytical rigour, legal reasoning and professional awareness that the legal profession demands. A sandwich year and work placements are built into the programme, providing professional experience in legal or business settings that develops your practical understanding of how law is applied in commercial contexts.

Graduates are well placed for commercial legal careers, including training contracts with law firms that specialise in corporate, commercial and business law, roles in in-house legal teams of large companies, and positions in financial services, insurance and commercial dispute resolution. The business emphasis also makes graduates attractive to organisations that need people who understand both legal frameworks and commercial reality, including management consultancies, regulatory bodies and government departments with commercial portfolios. Many graduates also go on to postgraduate study in commercial law, international business law or a related specialism.