Ireland’s membership of the European Union, combined with globalisation, makes it more important than ever that lawyers are able to understand other legal systems and cultures. A key global distinction is between ‘common law systems’, such as Ireland, England, and the USA, and ‘civil law systems’, found in Germany, most other European jurisdictions, and beyond.
The Law and German degree courses satisfy these needs as students graduate with a grounding in Irish Law, fluency in a second European language and knowledge of the general culture, political, economic and sociological make-up of Germany.
Do you enjoy…
- Questioning and challenging issues?
- Learning about the culture, economic and sociological make-up of Germany?
- Conversing in and learning German?
Law and German: The course for you?
If you like to be challenged and intellectually stimulated, have a keen interest in the cultural, social, historical and political backgrounds of Germany and would like to learn a second language, then one of these degrees is for you. Legal training requires the ability to think logically and critically, precise and careful use of language, good writing skills and a faculty for articulate expression are key attributes for legal scholars.
Law and German at Trinity
The Law and German degree programme offer a unique opportunity to study core and specialised legal modules but also the language, culture and political systems of Germany. Students must undertake an Erasmus year in Germany, exposing them to the law of that legal system. The class sizes are small, fostering a close collegial relationship with peers and members of both schools.
Pathways
The pathways available are Single Honours, Major with Minor and Joint Honours.
Graduate skills and career opportunities
The increasing Europeanisation of legal practice means that graduates of this programme have much to contribute to the legal and other professions in Ireland, as well as enjoying career opportunities in Europe. In addition to careers in the legal profession, Law and German graduates also find employment in business, journalism, accountancy, banking, insurance, politics, foreign affairs and diplomacy and public services.
Further professional qualifications
No law degree entitles a person to practise law as a solicitor or barrister. If you wish to go on to obtain a professional qualification, the governing bodies for the profession require that you study certain modules in your primary law degree. Our Single and Joint Honours Law degree programmes are designed to ensure you have the opportunity to take these required modules. Our programmes also offer additional modules currently required for entry into the UK professional bodies.
All students considering a career as a lawyer should consult the relevant professional body of their preferred jurisdiction to ensure they satisfy all entry requirements.
Your degree and what you’ll study
First and second year
In the first and second years, you will study a variety of legal modules, taken alongside students reading for our other undergraduate law programmes. You will also further develop your language skills through studying a variety of modules on German language, politics and cultural studies. New entrants are not expected to be fluent; rather they will develop their language skills through the degree.
At the end of the first year of your programme, you can choose to Major in Law (we refer to this as the ‘professional pathway’ – leading to the degree of LL.B. (Ling. Franc) or you can Major in German (resulting in a B.A. degree). You may of course choose to continue studying both subjects equally (B.A. Law and German) or move into Single Honours Law (LL.B.). Students considering a career in the legal profession after their degree will have the opportunity to take all the required modules if they choose the ‘professional pathway’. Nevertheless, there will still be ample opportunity to continue with your studies in German.
Third and fourth year
The third year is a compulsory year spent studying legal and language-related modules in one of Germany's top-ranking universities. This year abroad is designed to enable the student to enhance their knowledge of German law whilst perfecting their fluency in the foreign language. Further information on the year abroad programme, and a list of partner universities, can be found at: www.tcd.ie/law/programmes/undergraduate/study-abroad/
In your final year, depending on the pathway that you take, you will have the opportunity to focus on developing areas of interest in Law and/or German modules on literature, culture, history and society. You will also be required to complete a research project on a topic of your choice.
A combination of assignments and aural, oral and written examinations is used.
There are QQI/FET routes available for this course. Please see www.cao.ie for details.
Click here for further information on modules/subjects.
