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UL is proud of the vibrant and progressive research community of faculty and students in the School of Law.
Law Faculty are leading national and international authorities
The Law Faculty in UL are the leading national and international authorities in such diverse areas as criminology, criminal law, contract, tort, competition, property and land law, penology, sport law (including animals in sport), constitutional law victim studies together with hate crimes.
Our researchers believe that research must have an impact in the real world, providing workable solutions to the increasing legal challenges our society faces. In addition to publishing regularly in leading national and international prestigious journals, at the heart of our approach is the breaking down of barriers not only between different academic disciplines but between the academic and wider community.
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Research with Impact
Our staff are regularly consulted as expert contributors and analysts in the Irish media. They regularly feature as interviewees in the national broadcast and print media on a wide range of legal and political issues, have presented before Oireachtas Committees and the Citizen's Assembly on important issues of social justice and many have been appointed to high level positions in public agencies.
Our lecturers constantly interact with our stakeholders to provide research that makes a significant contribution to society. The UL Law faculty's reputation is further evidenced in a number of key indicators including strategic participation in national and internationally funded research projects, editorial positions with prestigious journals, the hosting of and participation in prestigious international conferences, and strong interaction with professional bodies.
Research-led teaching
Research-led teaching is a core element to that approach, inculcating a research ethos in our students from the beginning of their journey in law. Together with an integral option for our undergraduate students to write a research article to law journal standard, the Advanced Lawyering programme enables faculty to share specific high level research projects with students.
Our taught master's has a substantial research component enabling graduates to showcase their significant research capabilities – a feature that many employers find highly desirable. We also have a robust level of PhD recruitment.
Most of our LLM and PhD students are attracted to study at the School of Law because of the faculty's reputation. This community of research scholars is an integral part of the research ethos that the School of Law has established. The interaction between faculty and doctoral students provides a living discourse for cutting edge developments in legal research.
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International Research
The School of Law has an extensive network of international partners with which it collaborates on research projects including the , Canada, and the and in the USA. This has led to collaborative research output across continents. The School also hosts a significant number of top visiting scholars from overseas law schools who add to the diversity of our community, including visitors from such diverse locations as New Hampshire, Virginia, and Adelaide in Australia.
Core to this success, alongside individual research activities, are our two primary research centres: the International Commercial and Economic Law Group (ICEL) and the Centre for Crime, Justice and Victim Studies ().
Director of Research
Responsibility for research management at the School rests with the Director of Research who is not only responsible for providing strategic direction in research policy but also numerous other supports for faculty and students, including advocacy for legal research within the University.
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