About The Open University Law School (OULS)

The Open University Law School was established in 1998, and since then more than 60,000 students have studied law with us.

Currently, 9,000 students in 45 countries are taking our courses, and we continue to lead the sector in part-time distance learning. 

Our Bachelor of Laws with Honours (LLB) is the most popular undergraduate law programme in the UK. We also offer a graduate entry LLB and a joint honours awards, the BA (Hons) in Criminology and Law.

At postgraduate level, we offer modules that contribute to the Masters in Business Administration (MBA).

Our Law School is based in Milton Keynes, UK. We have more than 20 central academic staff, led by Hugh McFaul, and there is an active student Law Society which all students are encouraged to join.

Our vision

To make outstanding legal education accessible to all who pursue it.

Our mission

We will encourage critical engagement with the law and reveal the transformative effects of an outstanding legal education on society and individuals. This will be achieved through our creative and varied curriculum which is informed by our diverse research interests. We will foster personal development, irrespective of goals, prior achievement or personal circumstances.

Our values

Inclusive

• We play a unique role in society, making Higher Education open to all
• We promote social justice through the development of knowledge and skills

Innovative

• We lead the learning revolution, placing innovation at the heart of our teaching and research
• We continuously seek new and better ways to inspire and enable learning
• We create world class research and teaching

Responsive

• We respond to the needs of individuals and employers and the communities in which they live and work
• We are dedicated to supporting our students’ learning success

British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL)

Rhonson Salim is currently collaborating with BIICL on a number of projects which link to his research interests in private international law, commercial restitution and arbitration.

European Association for Neuroscience and Law (EANL)

Paul Catley and Dr. Lisa Claydon have been involved in the EANL since its foundation, working with colleagues from a range of disciplines to identify how legal systems across Europe can best respond to advances in the brain sciences. Alumni of the Open University are welcome to attend the EANL’s annual international postgraduate residential school, which brings students from the sciences, philosophy and law together in the beautiful Italian city of Pavia to learn from one another’s disciplines and gain insights into the intersections between law, neuroscience and robotics.

Journal of Commonwealth Law and Legal Education

The Journal of Commonwealth Law and Legal Education is the official journal of the Commonwealth Legal Education Association (CLEA), published once a year in collaboration with The Open University School of Law. It is an online, open access, peer-reviewed journal that aims to foster and promote high standards of legal education in the Commonwealth. It provides a platform for academics and others involved in law and legal education throughout the Commonwealth to publish their work and share scholarship, innovation and best practice.

The Open University Law Society

The Open University Law Society is the official student law society. The Law School works closely with them to support their very successful involvement in mooting competitions, and in jointly running a student essay competition. The prize is awarded at the Law School’s Annual Lecture.