Principal Lecturer in Law LLM BAR Civil Law Lead

Job description

Post Title: Principal Lecturer in Law LLM BAR Civil Law Lead

SBU/Department: Hertfordshire Law School

FTE: 1.0fte (working 37 hours per week)

Duration of Contract: Permanent

Annual Leave: 35 days plus standard public holidays and an additional 4 days including the closure of our office between Christmas and New Year

Location: De Havilland Campus, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield

At Hertfordshire Law School, we pride ourselves on delivering a truly innovative learning and teaching experience coupled with practice-led, hands-on experience. Our students consistently provide excellent feedback about their educational experience which is also evidenced through the number of students graduating with good honours degrees and our strong employability rates.

Hertfordshire Law School is seeking a Principal Lecturer to lead civil law teaching across its Bar Practice programmes and contribute to teaching elsewhere in the School. You will bring professional legal practice and postgraduate teaching experience to a role that combines teaching, academic leadership and links with the legal profession.

Main duties and responsibilities

Teaching and programme development

As Civil Law Lead, you will teach, assess and lead modules primarily on the Bar Practice programmes, and contribute to civil law teaching across the School. You will design, set and mark formative and summative assessments in accordance with Bar Standards Board requirements, and develop engaging, research-informed teaching materials.

You will help review and improve the curriculum, maintain academic standards, and support colleagues in the module team. You will contribute to programme and assessment committees, work with the School's academic leaders and participate in Open Days, induction and other student recruitment activities, including international recruitment where required.

Academic leadership and employability

You will provide academic leadership through module leadership and other School responsibilities, including supervision and support of colleagues where appropriate. Working with the School's Employability Lead, you will develop professional opportunities for students and build relationships with chambers, the judiciary, local courts, the legal profession and other employers. You will also contribute to co-curricular, employability and pro bono activities.

Student support

You will monitor student engagement and academic progress, offer appropriate academic and pastoral guidance, and refer students to specialist University services when needed. You will support students taking part in Hertfordshire Law Clinic and other pro bono and experiential learning activities.

Skills and experience required

You will have professional legal practice experience in England and Wales and significant experience of teaching law at postgraduate level, particularly on an LLM BAR course or equivalent programme. You will have designed curricula at module or programme level and worked effectively with students and other internal and external partners. Experience teaching at least one of drafting, conferencing, opinion writing or legal research is essential.

You will have sound knowledge of the route to qualification as a barrister in England and Wales, experience helping students meet the standards of centralised assessments, and the ability to deliver one or more Bar Practice Course elective modules. You will bring academic leadership, strong communication and organisational skills, and the ability to use technology effectively in teaching.

You will understand the needs of students, manage a complex workload to deadlines and work constructively with colleagues. A teaching qualification or Fellowship of Advance HE is desirable, as is experience of curriculum design on a Bar vocational course or equivalent programme.

Qualifications required

You will hold a bachelor's degree in law or a related subject (or equivalent Level 6 qualification), and a master's qualification in law (or equivalent Level 7 qualification) or an equivalent legal professional qualification such as the BPTC. You must also be professionally qualified as a barrister who has completed pupillage, a solicitor of England and Wales, or a CILEx lawyer.

Please view the job description and person specification for a full list of the duties and essential criteria.Please attach a personal statement showing clearly how your skills and experience match the Person Specification.

Internal applicants - please ensure you apply via your employee self-service portal.

An appointment to this role may require an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate.

Please note, this post cannot be visa sponsored unless you can evidence a good honours first degree plus a PhD / Doctorate. A criminal record check may also be required.

Contact Details/Informal Enquiries: Dr Thomas Dunk (Head of Department of Law and Professional Legal Education) [email protected]

Closing Date: 02 November 2026

Interview Date: TBC

Reference Number: REQ000904

Date advert placed: 02 October 2026

Our vision is to transform lives: UH is committed to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and building a diverse community. We welcome applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of their protected characteristics, and recognise there are different ways applicants may achieve the criteria in this document. We offer a range of employee benefits including generous annual leave, flexible location opportunities within the UK, discounted Sports Village memberships and free Active Staff sessions, personal and professional development and family-friendly policies. #GoHerts