Bachelor of Law

Upon graduation from the British University in Dubai’s Bachelor of Law Programme, several paths are open to graduates to pursue a career in legal practice.

One path is via the United Kingdom. Overseas graduates who wish to qualify in England and Wales can sit the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE). The SQE allows law graduates from around the world to qualify as solicitors by taking the same exam as domestic candidates. There are two different exams that need to be sat: SQE1 and SQE2. Various educational institutions offer preparatory courses for both exams. Additionally, to qualify as a solicitor, graduates must complete two years of qualifying work experience (QWE) and satisfy the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s (SRA) character and suitability requirements.

Also via the United Kingdom, graduates from the Bachelor of Law Programme can attempt to qualify as barristers. They would need to complete a conversion course (Postgraduate Diploma in Law (PGDL) in the UK (1 year)), join an Inn of Court, complete a Bar training course (1 year), and, finally, undertake pupillage (1 year) prior to being called to the Bar.

Both routes would qualify graduates to return to the United Arab Emirates to work as legal consultants in international law firms or to work in the UK or elsewhere as lawyers. Similar options are available via the United States (e.g., sitting the New York Bar exams). Prospective applicants may make their own enquiries about the requirements for this option.

In addition, graduates may work in law firms as legal consultants. If they satisfy the requirements of the DIFC, they may also work as lawyers in the DIFC. UAE nationals may also choose the local qualification option and work as lawyers or legal consultants (open to all nationalities) in Dubai-based law firms. To qualify as a lawyer, local graduates must, among other things, successfully pass a one-year training period. To be a legal consultant, one year of continuous practical legal experience is required. Requirements for these routes differ from Emirate to Emirate, and prospective students should always check what the most up-to-date requirements are. Graduates may also wish to explore the route of working as lawyers in the DIFC, where there are no nationality requirements, but other requirements apply. 

Outside of law firms, graduates may work as legal advisors in companies or governmental entities, may wish to become judges, or work in the public prosecution department, or a local or international organisation. Most of these career choices require further qualifications and are subject to certain requirements.

Outside of legal practice, graduates from the Bachelor of Law Programme can pursue graduate studies, such as master’s degrees in law, which, if followed by a PhD, can lead to careers in teaching and research within academic institutions.