English and French Law

English and French law is a genuinely distinctive degree, immersing you in two legal traditions that are among the most influential in the world. English common law and the French civil law system, rooted in Roman law and the Napoleonic Code, represent different approaches to how law is made, interpreted, and applied, and understanding both in depth gives you a comparative perspective that very few lawyers possess. This double degree, run jointly with Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne University, draws on the expertise of two leading law schools in London and Paris and awards qualifications recognised in both countries.

At Queen Mary University of London you will develop bilingual legal competence, working in both English and French and studying the core disciplines of each system: constitutional and administrative law, contract, tort, property, and more, approached through both the common law and the civil law lens. The programme integrates teaching from both universities and requires sustained engagement with legal materials in both languages. Studying law in this way trains you to see legal rules not as fixed given truths but as choices embedded in history, culture, and political context, a habit of mind that is genuinely rare and professionally valuable.

The four-year programme gives you the time needed to develop real depth in both systems.

Graduates from this programme are well positioned for careers in international law firms and chambers that operate across jurisdictions, in the European and international courts and institutions, in diplomacy, in corporate transactions involving parties in France and the UK, and in the civil services of both countries. A double qualification in English and French law is a significant competitive advantage in any context where cross-border legal work is central. Further study, including postgraduate work in comparative law, European law, or international law, is also a natural path for those who wish to deepen their specialism.