Law is a fundamental social and state specialty that ensures the functioning of the legal system, justice, the protection of human rights and freedoms, as well as the legal regulation of all spheres of society and state activity.
A modern legal scholar (lawyer) is not merely an expert in laws and codes, but a defender of human dignity, a guarantor of the rule of law, an analyst of legal risks, a mediator, and an architect of legal solutions in the context of digitalization, European integration, and global security challenges.
The training of legal specialists is based on studying the following fundamental and applied objects:
- law as a social phenomenon: specific aspects of its application based on legal values, principles of the rule of law, justice, equality, and human dignity;
- human rights and fundamental freedoms: legal doctrines, national and international standards of human rights protection, mechanisms for their implementation and restoration in cases of violations;
- sources of law and legal institutions: the Constitution of Ukraine, regulatory legal acts, international treaties, judicial practice (including the ECtHR and the Constitutional Court of Ukraine), legal customs, and doctrinal sources;
- social relations and the limits of their legal regulation: public law (civil, constitutional, administrative, criminal) and private law (civil, commercial, labor, family) relations;
- lawmaking and law enforcement: processes of development, examination, and adoption of regulatory acts, as well as the practice of their interpretation and application by judicial, law enforcement, and other public and private institutions.
Learning goals by higher education levels:
First (Bachelor's) level — developing the ability to solve complex specialized tasks in the field of law with an understanding of the nature and content of its main legal institutions, as well as the boundaries of legal regulation of various social relations.
Main focuses of Bachelor's degree training:
- mastering fundamental legal disciplines (theoretical jurisprudence, constitutional, civil, criminal, administrative, commercial, and procedural law);
- acquiring skills in legal analysis (Legal Research), interpretation of regulatory legal acts, and drafting legal documents (contracts, lawsuits, complaints, legal opinions);
- mastering the principles of legal ethics, human rights protection, free legal aid, and client counseling (in legal clinics);
- skills in representing individuals' interests in courts and before state bodies in standard and specialized legal situations.
Second (Master's) level — acquiring the ability to solve complex problems and tasks in the field of lawmaking and law enforcement and/or during the learning process, involving research and/or implementation of innovations under conditions of uncertainty in requirements and environment.
Main focuses of Master's degree training:
- in-depth study of international law, European Union law, international humanitarian law, and international criminal law;
- strategic court representation (Litigation), alternative dispute resolution (mediation, arbitration), and Legal Tech (digitalization of jurisprudence);
- conducting comprehensive anti-corruption and legal expertise of draft laws and regulatory acts;
- conducting applied and scientific legal research, analyzing complex judicial practice, and teaching legal disciplines.
Third (Educational-Scientific) level — acquiring the ability to produce new ideas, solve complex fundamental and applied problems in the field of jurisprudence, involving deep re-evaluation of existing knowledge and creation of new comprehensive legal knowledge and doctrines.
Main focuses of PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) training:
- scientific research on adapting Ukrainian legislation to the acquis communautaire (EU law), reforming the judicial and law enforcement systems;
- developing new concepts of legal regulation in innovative fields (AI & IT law, cybersecurity, environmental and energy law, military justice);
- publishing results in leading international journals (Scopus / Web of Science), preparing scientific monographs, and participating in lawmaking;
- scientific and pedagogical activities in higher education institutions, participating in independent legal expertise of state decisions.
Key competencies of a graduate:
- legal analysis and legal writing — analyzing legal norms, drafting contracts, memorandums, and procedural documents of any complexity;
- litigation and defense — formulating legal positions, conducting court cases, protecting rights in civil, criminal, administrative, and commercial proceedings;
- human rights protection and international law — applying the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, ECtHR case law, and international humanitarian law standards;
- legal consulting and compliance — assessing business legal risks (Due Diligence), anti-corruption compliance, intellectual property protection;
- Legal Tech and digitalization — working with open registries, automated court practice analysis systems, and document automation tools.
Graduates of specialty D8 Law have a wide range of prestigious career opportunities in both public and private sectors:
- entering regulated professions (subject to additional requirements: work experience, exams): attorney, notary, judge, prosecutor, private enforcement officer, insolvency trustee;
- legal business and consulting: legal counsel, senior associate, partner in legal and audit firms, law associations;
- corporate sector (In-house): Chief Legal Officer (CLO), corporate lawyer (IT, retail, construction, agriculture, banking sector), compliance officer;
- law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies: investigator, detective, analyst in NABU, BEB, SBI, National Police, Security Service of Ukraine (SSU);
- public authorities and justice sector: specialist/head of legal department in the Ministry of Justice, Office of the President, Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, ASCs, Regional/District Military Administrations;
- human rights advocacy and international activities: human rights expert in international organizations (UN, OSCE, Council of Europe), non-governmental organizations (NGOs);
- academia and higher education (for PhD and Master's degree holders): researcher, law lecturer in higher education institutions.
Training is provided by:
- Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies Department.
Education is provided under the following educational programs:
| Educational Program | Degree | Mode of Study | Duration of Study |
|---|---|---|---|
| Law | Bachelor based on complete general secondary education | Full-time and Part-time | 3 years and 10 months |
| Law | Master, professional educational program | Full-time and Part-time | 1 year and 4 months |
| Law | Doctor of Philosophy | Full-time and Part-time | 4 years |