Law (Jurisprudence)

Law at St Anne’s

Law at St Anne’s offers the academic rigour of an Oxford legal education within a college known for its openness, independence of thought and strong sense of community. The College has a long tradition of excellence in law, combined with a modern outlook and a commitment to widening access.

St Anne’s attracts students who are curious about the world beyond the law and keen to take responsibility for their own learning. Law students benefit from teaching by experts in their field, excellent resources and an academic environment that strengthens intellectual confidence.

Law students run the Geldart Law Society, organising events and developing the legal community. They also benefit from a dedicated law library – the Geldart Room. The library holds multiple copies of textbooks and provides access to recommended reading for tutorials and seminars. For some students, the law library becomes a regular working space, providing a place to study and connect.

St Anne’s is located just beside the University Parks, which provides a short walk through greenspace to the Law Faculty, in a peaceful, open setting.

Teaching and Academic Support in Law

Law at Oxford is demanding and St Anne’s takes pride in providing structured, attentive teaching that enables students to meet that challenge. Tutorials are thorough and analytical, encouraging close reading of legal sources, precise argument and independent thinking. Tutors provide regular feedback and help students develop study skills, including reading cases, using scholarly articles, writing essays and answering problem questions. Law students are well-prepared for exams, with guidance throughout their studies as well as with revision.

The Law Fellows are experienced academics with expertise across core areas of the undergraduate curriculum, with particular strengths in medical and public international law. The College also benefits from a Stipendiary Lecturer in Law who can help students with study and writing skills as well as providing further core teaching in College.

The Law School encourages students to think carefully about their future paths. Students are able to explore mooting within the University and find themselves a wide range of work experience, including shadowing Professor Gould in Court of Protection hearings and inquests, vacation schemes at solicitors’ firms as well as mini-pupillages at barrister sets. St. Anne’s has an extensive alumnae community, who return to College to give insight on possible future careers.

Law Fellows at St Anne’s

Professor Imogen Goold, Professor of Medical Law

Professor Goold is an expert in medical law and ethics, tort law, and the regulation of emerging technologies. She is a barrister at Serjeants’ Inn and was previously a member of the British Medical Association Medical Ethics Committee. Professor Goold has advised the Ethics and Law Advisory Committee of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and was Visiting Professor of Law at Gresham College from 2021 – 2023. She has held visiting fellowships at the Brocher Fondation in Geneva, Hong Kong University, the University of Melbourne and the University of British Columbia. Before going to Oxford, she was a Legal Officer at the Australian Law Reform Commission and interned at the World Health Organisation.

Professor Antonia Layard

Professor Layard specialises in property, planning and environmental law as well as in legal geography. She is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and a member of the peer review colleges for the Economic and Social Research Council and the Arts and humanities Research Council. Professor Layard teaches Land and Public Law subjects at St. Anne’s as well as teaching on Regulation, including Law and Economics as well as Feminist Public Space for the Faculty. Before coming to St. Anne’s, she worked at the Universities of Bristol, Birmingham, Cardiff, Exeter, UEA and University College London.

Professor Antonios Tzanakopoulos, Professor in Public International Law

Professor Tzanakopoulos is an expert in public international law, with particular expertise in state responsibility, dispute settlement and the law of international organisations. He is a barrister at Three Stone Chambers where he advises states, international organisations and other actors on complex matters of public international law. Professor Tzanakopoulos has acted as counsel and advocate before the International Court of Justice (ICJ); The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS); The European Court of Human Rights; EU courts; ICSID and ad hoc arbitral tribunals as well as the Courts of England and Wales. He has taught at leading institutions worldwide, including Paris II–Assas, Paris X–Nanterre, Angers, King’s College London, Athens, Bern (World Trade Institute), Jerusalem (Hebrew University), and Beijing (CUPL). He previously held academic posts at University College London and the University of Glasgow. He has delivered special courses at the Xiamen Academy of International Law and at The Hague Academy of International Law. Professor Tzanakopoulos also provides training in international law to judges, diplomats, military officers, and government officials, including through United Nations programmes. 

College Life and the Law Student Experience

St Anne’s is academically rigorous and socially open. The College has a diverse student body and a culture that values independence, responsibility and mutual respect. Law students are fully involved in college life and contribute actively to student societies, access initiatives, sport and journalism.

The College environment encourages collaboration rather than competition. While students are expected to work hard and aim high, they do so within a supportive community. The College emphasises student welfare alongside academic achievement.

Applying to St Anne’s

St Anne’s welcomes applications from students with the intellectual ability, motivation, and curiosity to thrive in one of the world’s most demanding law degrees. If you are excited by careful reasoning, rigorous debate, and the challenge of thinking deeply about law and society, St Anne’s offers a collegiate and academically serious environment in which to study.

We encourage applicants from all backgrounds to consider applying and very much look forward to teaching and supporting the next generation of lawyers.