The Faculty of Law is the home of legal studies in South Africa. This section of the Faculty website provides basic information so you can get started - well-informed and with confidence. To the left are links to key information about the Orientation programme, about registration for the academic year, about advisors and timetables, and about the range of activities you can get involved in at the Faculty of Law.
The Faculty of Law remains ever-proud of our LLB and postgraduate student achievements, and the fact that we are about more than just academic work. There is a broad range of activities and initiatives outside of formal course work, in which students can get involved, develop leadership skills, learn about law in practice, and develop their social and law-related networks. Many of these endeavours include a strong social responsibility element.
The Law Students' Council (LSC) is a representative council elected annually by Law students at UCT - and they play an important role in representing student interests, and in adding important value to enhance the student experience in the Law Faculty. For example, the LSC organises events with local law firms, and guest lectures with prominent legal practitioners. In addition, the LSC runs a mentoring programme for all first year Law students, to ensure that every first-year has someone to talk to, and to seek support and guidance from.
In addition to the LSC, the national Students for Law and Social Justice organisation is active at UCT. There is also the Black Lawyers Association - Student's Chapter (UCT), SHAWCO-Law, the Chamber of Legal Students, the student Moot Society, and a number of other initiatives that ensure great opportunities for student involvement in life beyond the books.
One of the really important components of the UCT Law programme is the requirement to do probono community service, providing services and legal aid support to those who would otherwise not have access to justice. This work provides students with great practical legal experience. The UCT Law Clinic has engaged students so successfully that it has been able to expand its services to include six satellite clinics across the Peninsula, and students who have taken the Legal Practice course based at the UCT Law Clinic are sought after by law firms because of this hands-on component of their LLB training.