The Law School has the reputation as a successful and innovative department with high standards across research, teaching, assessment and administration.

Courses  Most of our courses are accredited or recognised by the professional bodies and offer flexibility of study either on-campus or online. Prospects for our law graduates are good and are rated at 85% in The Complete University Guide 2013 subject tables. 

Staff  The staff group is a dynamic team with a breadth of experience in teaching, professional practice and law research. This is reflected in our courses which focus on contemporary legal issues and developments in conjunction with established theory and practice.

Research  The Department has a strong research culture which was recently rated as of 'national excellence'. The department also has a wide range of expertise available for use by external clients through consultancy. Find out more under Law Research.

The Law School delivers a wide range of law courses at undergraduate and postgraduate level, the majority of which are accredited or recognised by the professional bodies.

Graduates can be confident that they hold an award that is recognised nationally and internationally, one which can enhance future opportunities in their chosen career. We regularly liaise with employers, practitioners and professional bodies in the design and development of our courses. Work placements are available on our courses as well as opportunities in national and international competitions - each year the department enters students in mooting competitions

Our courses are highly regarded and many of our accredited law Masters programmes are available to study both on-campus and online  providing courses which are flexible in both mode and length of study. This flexibility offers students the chance to study when and where it suits them. This includes courses such as the Online LLB which can be studied part-time and, from 2012-2013, is available to study full-time.

Undergraduate Courses

• Law LLB (Hons)

• Law and Management BA (Hons)

• Online Law LLB

Postgraduate Courses

• Construction Law and Arbitration - MSc/LLM (CIArb and RICS Accredited)

• Diploma in Legal Practice (Accredited by the Law Society of Scotland)

• Employment Law and Practice - LLM

• International Commercial Law - LLM

• International Trade - MSc/LLM (Institute of Exporters Approved)

• Oil and Gas Law - MSc/LLM (Energy Institute Accredited)

Our Facilities

Students at Aberdeen Business School have the advantage of being taught in a modern, purpose built building with excellent facilities, which include a Moot Court.

The Law School is active in a number of applied research projects and provides doctoral research opportunities and expertise in a wide range of law subject areas.

We are a research active department and our research output was recognised in the 2008 RAE. Our research was determined to be either at the level of 'International Excellence' or internationally recognised in over half of its output, in terms of its originality, significance and rigour. The department has also been awarded substantial research grants from the Scottish Executive, the Nuffield Foundation and The European Social Fund, and organisations such as the British Academy.

Research Publications and Themes

Our law research publications, projects and research groupings are as follows:

• Key Publications

• Law Research Projects

• Law Research Groups

PhD Supervision

Current PhDs in the Law School include

• "Legal regulation in the sphere of foreign investments in the Republic of Kazakhstan";
• "ADR systems and access to justice in developing countries";
• "Harnessing the regulatory framework for optimising environmental compliance in the hydrocarbon sector in Nigeria";
• "The rise and fall of the right to a fair trial";
• "Prosecuting information infrastructure criminals: Beyond borders";
• "Building a legal regime for counteracting climate change: A comparative analysis of Scottish and Nigerian responses".

We are particularly interested in applications in the fields of:

• International Human Rights Law
• Commercial, Corporate and International Trade Law
• Corporate Social Responsibility
• Criminal Law and Theory
• Evidence and Procedure
• Legal Theory and Ethics
• Medical Law 
• Oil and Gas Law
• Employment and Discrimination Law 
• EU Law 
• Commercial Law and Taxation 
• Property and Construction Law
• IT and Intellectual Property Law
• Access to Justice, Dispute Resolution and Arbitration

See individual staff pages for further details about the research expertise of Law staff members.

Research Contact

For further information on research within the department or related enquiries, please contact Law Research Co-ordinator:

Dr Sarah Christie
Tel: +44 (0)1224 263424
Email: s.christie@rgu.ac.uk

Law School staff have a breadth of experience in teaching and professional practice. Most staff also have research expertise in their subject area. A particular strength of the department is in applied research recognised by awards from bodies such as the Scottish Government and the European Social Fund.

Head of Department

Ken Mackinnon

Professor Ken Mackinnon is Head of the Department of Law.  

Research Co-ordinator

Sarah Christie

Dr Sarah Christie is the Research Coordinator and Research Degree Coordinator for the Law Department. Her interests are Criminal liability and responsibility; Medical Law and the Interface between Medical Law and Criminal Liability.  

Academic Staff

Craig Anderson

Craig Anderson is a Lecturer in the Law department and his teaching interests lie in the areas of Property Law and Conveyancing.  

Maggie Anderson

Maggie Anderson is a Lecturer in the Department of Law.  

Sarah Arnell

Sarah Arnell is a Lecturer in Law and qualified solicitor. Her teaching interests in the areas of Employment Law and Delict.  

Paul Arnell

Dr Paul Arnell is a Reader in Law. His research interests are within public international law, particularly in international criminal law, extradition, jurisdiction and human rights.  

Akinwale Awe

Akinwale Awe is a Lecturer in the Law department and teaches on LLM Oil and Gas Law, LLM Construction Law and Arbitration courses.  

Valerie Bremner

Lecturer in Department of Law  

David Christie

David Christie is a lecturer and qualified solicitor  

Rebecca Cox

Rebecca Cox is a Lecturer in the Law department and Module Co-ordinator for the undergraduate Evidence module.  

William Craig

William Craig is a lecturer in the Department of Law and specialises in Commercial Law and Tax Law. His research interests include Tax Law, Commercial Law, E-Commerce and Computing Law.  

Margaret Downie

Margaret Downie is Programme Manager for Law courses and a Senior Lecturer in Law. She is also Course Leader for the Diploma in Legal Practice.  

Elimma Ezeani

Dr Elimma Ezeani is Course Leader for the LLM/MSc International Trade and LLM International Commercial Law.  

Bukola Faturoti

Bukola Faturoti is a lecturer in the Law department and Course Leader for the LLM/MSc Construction Law and Arbitration.  

Lisa Gibbons-Wood

Lisa Gibbons-Wood is a Senior Lecturer in the Law department and course leader for the Online LLB.  

Hayley Green

Hayley Green is a lecturer in Law and a qualified solicitor.  

Olufemi Ilesanmi

Olufemi Ilesanmi is a Lecturer in Law at the Aberdeen Business School.  

John Karlberg

John Karllberg is a Lecturer in law at Aberdeen Business School.  

Kathrin Kuehnel Fitchen

Lecturer in the Department of Law  

Thorsten Lauterbach

Thorsten Lauterbach is a Teaching Fellow in the Law department and is Aberdeen Business School Learning Enhancement Co-ordinator (Postgraduate).  

Carole Lyons

Carole Lyons is a lecturer in Law and a qualified solicitor. Her research interests are in European Union public law, specifically EU constitutional law and EU rights and citizenship.  

Nicolas Maulet

Lecturer in Department of Law  

Sam Middlemiss

Dr Middlemiss is a Reader in Law. His research interests are in Employment Law in Scotland, the UK and internationally and also in aspects of Criminal Law, particularly stalking.  

Leon Moller

Dr Moller is a lecturer in Oil and Gas Law specialising in Contract Law and Oil and Gas Contract Law. His research interests include: Public International Law, Law of the Sea, Energy and Natural Resources Law.  

Caroline Nixon

Lecturer in Department of Law  

Eric Ogilvie-Brown

Eric Ogilvie-Brown is a Lecturer in the Department of Law.  

Jennifer Richmond

Jennifer Richmond is Lecturer in the Law department and Head of Year for Stage 1 of the LLB and Law and Management undergraduate courses.  

Laura Sharp

Laura Sharp is a Senior Lecturer in Law and the Undergraduate Programme Leader for Law. Her research interests are in Criminal Justice, including Policing and Investigation and prosecution.  

Alison Stuart

Alison Stuart is a lecturer in law and a qualified solicitor. Her research interests are in the area of International Human Rights law, Regional Human Rights Systems and the law relating to refugees.  

Rebecca Wallace

Professor Rebecca Wallace is a Visiting Professor in the Department of Law.  

The Moot Court at Aberdeen Business School provides a realistic setting in which law students can experience and practise mooting as part of their learning.

The Moot Court was opened in 2002 by the Lord President of the Court of Session, Lord Cullen and is used extensively by students on the BA Law and Management and LLB degrees, and in subject areas such as Contract Law and Administrative Law.

Students on undergraduate degrees are offered the opportunity to practice their mooting skills by arguing fictional cases and feedback from our students indicates they find the experience both invaluable and enjoyable. The Moot Court is sited within a purpose-built TV studio and is fitted with court-room furniture and recording equipment allowing the moots to be documented and used as teaching aids. 

Mooting and Competitions
The Law School enters teams in national and international law mooting competitions and each year our law students take part in the ILSA Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition. This is the largest moot court competition in the world, with participants from over 500 law schools in more than 80 countries.

The Moot Court is also the venue for the Department's annual undergraduate Mooting Competition: The Paull & Williamsons Mooting Cup, which is sponsored by W. Green. The competition takes place in semester 1 of each academic year. Anyone interested in participating should contact Lisa Gibbons-Wood on l.gibbons-wood@rgu.ac.uk or Margaret Downie on m.downie@rgu.ac.uk.

Department of Law News