Law

The Law and Society Pathway provides an intellectual home for law-focused doctoral projects that approach the discipline primarily as a social science. We support a wide range of research interests and are open to applicants wishing to study most aspects of law, at domestic level as well as in international contexts. Our PhD candidates adopt a wide variety of methodologies and theoretical approaches.

Students on the Law and Society Pathway are based in one of the five participating institutions and often enjoy the benefit of a third (additional) supervisor in another partner university, enhancing the fit between doctoral project and supervisory expertise thematically, methodologically, theoretically, and empirically. Law and Society Pathway graduates are uniquely placed to pursue careers in academia, legal practice, the public sector, and local and global charities as well as in the private and corporate sphere, on these islands and overseas.

Newcastle Law School has a rich tradition of legal research, fostering an inclusive and interdisciplinary environment where academics and postgraduate students collaborate on shared interests. The School’s research is organised into dynamic communities addressing key areas such as environmental and energy regulation, social justice and societal change, the impacts of innovation on business and governance, the role of private law in shaping personal and commercial relationships, the relationship between individuals and the state, and cutting-edge advancements in technology and big data. The Law School has strong connections to research groups and centres across Newcastle University, including to Centres of Research Excellence like the Centre for Children and Youth, Centre for Data, Centre for Biomedical Engineering, and Centre for Cyber Security and Resilience.

Northumbria Law School is one of the largest law schools in the UK and is ranked 7th amongst UK law schools for research power in REF 2021.  We have a national and international reputation for excellence in legal education, enriched by the research excellence and professional practice expertise of our staff. All staff belong to one of three research groupings: Law & Society; Centre for Evidence & Criminal Justice; or Law in Emerging Contexts (encompassing space, cyber, AI and environmental law). We encourage PhD proposals that broadly align with the activities of one or more of our three research centres.

Queen’s University Belfast School of Law: Law has been studied and taught at Queen’s since 1845, and it remains one of the leading centres of legal research across both the UK and Ireland. QUB Law has a vibrant, active research community committed to producing impactful, world-leading research. Our research interests are aligned across six thematic areas: Human Rights and Public Law; Criminology and Criminal Justice; Private and Commercial Law; European and Transnational Studies; Transitional Justice; and Law, Innovation and Technology. These are complemented by the research centres: the Human Rights Centre; the Institute of Criminology and Criminal Justice; the Global Intellectual Property and Technology Centre; and Queen’s International Economic Law Centre.

Durham Law School is a world leader in legal education and research. The Law School is ranked: 3rd in The Complete University Guide 2026; 4th in The Guardian best UK universities 2026; 5th in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025; and 57th in the QS World University Rankings by subject 2025. It is home to research centres in human rights and public law; biolaw and medical law; Chinese law; commercial and corporate law; criminal law; European law; international law; and sustainable development. It has a range of links with other Law Schools, globally, as part of its internationalisation programme.

Ulster University School of Law: We are ranked in the Top 15 Law Schools in the UK (Times Good University Guide 2025) and are home to the Ulster University Law Clinic; the Transitional Justice Institute; and Legal Innovation Centre. Ulster University’s School of Law is at the forefront of legal education and innovation, offering students and researchers a dynamic and socially engaged environment in which to study.