Law Dissertation Topics for FREE

Completing a dissertation can be a daunting task for any student. However, this is especially true for law students. Any issue that is tackled in a law dissertation should be framed carefully. To successfully complete a law dissertation, it is absolutely imperative to locate relevant primary sources in the form of statutory instruments and case law decisions in particular where relevant, either in print or online, to carefully scrutinise the issue that is set out to be considered in a law dissertation. There is also typically a need to supplement the primary sources that are used in the writing of your law dissertation with reputable secondary materials, such as government and organizational documentation, along with the views of scholars, to contextualize the arguments that the work completed raises.

These kinds of issues can make it very difficult to know where to begin when it comes to writing an effective law dissertation. Therefore, it is in most students’ best interests to seek reliable and knowledgeable assistance regarding what kinds of titles for law dissertations will offer the best chances to achieve the highest grades possible. Consequently, this article proposes some law dissertation topics in some of the key areas of law that both undergraduate and postgraduate students look to when writing this kind of study in the form of criminal law, commercial law, company law, tort law, employment law, EU law, intellectual property, constitutional law, administrative law, and family law.

Criminal Law Dissertation Topics
Commercial Law Dissertation Topics
Company Law Dissertation Topics
Tort Law Dissertation Topics
Employment Law Dissertation Topics
EU Law Dissertation Topics
Intellectual Property Dissertation Topics
The English Legal System and Constitutional and Administrative Law Dissertation Topics
Family Law Dissertation Topics

Criminal Law Dissertation Topics

Criminal law covers a wide range of areas and is an interesting and often topical area, since it can take on a national, regional, or even international vent. It can be difficult to grasp some of the principles and subject areas and topics should be chosen very carefully. To help you to focus your law dissertation, here are some suggestions for topics that you should consider in the area of criminal law.

A critical examination of the need to reform homicide offences in England and Wales in view of the Law Commission’s proposals in this regard.
An investigation into the ‘war on terror’s’ impact upon on the construction and enforcement of international criminal law.
An analysis of the Sexual Offences Act 2003’s ability to determine consent regarding the offence of rape.
A critical evaluation of how complaints regarding the completion of investigations and the assessment of evidence are dealt with in the criminal justice system in England and Wales.
A critical discussion of the threat of criminal gangs’ activities impact upon public order and state interests in England and Wales.
An examination of the partial defences of diminished responsibility and loss of control’s sufficiency for defending against a murder charge in England and Wales.
An investigation of problems with identifying the nature, extent and distribution of crime.
A critical discussion of the law’s construction regarding both omissions’ liability and ‘Bad Samaritans’.
A theoretical assessment of criminal theory regarding the intersection between crime, criminality, and morality.
An assessment of the ability of the criminal law in England and Wales to deal with new manifestations of criminality and the rise and prevalence of acid attacks in particular.
An evaluation of the offence of joint enterprise criminality in England and Wales to determine whether there is a need for reform.
An assessment of the need to protect the anonymity of those accused of sexual offences based upon the need to balance the recognition of defendants and victim rights in England and Wales.

Commercial Law Dissertation Topics

Commercial law is often described as covering a wide area of study because it cannot really be dealt with in isolation within a single legal jurisdiction. Frequently, a commercial law dissertation will involve some kind of comparison with other countries. That said, there is a lot of focus on the jurisdiction of England and Wales as the commercial centre of choice, especially in relation to the matter of arbitration as a means of dispute resolution. With this in mind, some suggestions for commercial law topics are set out below.

A discussion regarding the ability of commercial law to support commercial transactions in England and Wales with a view to determining the need for reform.
Is the Vienna Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) better suited to international contracts than the law related to the sale of goods in England and Wales?
A critical assessment of the international commercial arbitration system as a cost effective and efficient means to administer justice in commercial disputes.
A comparative analysis of the recognition of the principles of commercial contracts in England and Wales and the approach taken in the European Union after Brexit.
An evaluation of the Lex Mercatoria in England and Wales as an appropriate choice of law for commercial arbitration proceedings.
An assessment of security over personal property when it comes to the matter of possessory and non-possessory forms of security and other legal devices.
An investigation of the emergence of new manifestations of international commercial law.
A critical discussion of the creation of a tripartite financial system in England and Wales and its role, if any, in the credit crunch.
An evaluation of European Union Sale of Goods law’s place in the law of England and Wales since the completion of Brexit.
A critical assessment of the passing of risk in the commercial law in England and Wales.
A legal assessment of the role of commercial law in sustaining public private partnerships based upon what happened with the Carillion Collapse.
An investigation of the sufficiency of England and Wales’ insolvency laws for dealing with instances of insolvency.
A critical assessment of the future of consumer protection in England and Wales in the post Brexit era.

Company Law Dissertation Topics

There are numerous areas of interest in company law for producing an effective dissertation. Topics can include the Companies Act 2006’s effectiveness, incorporation’s benefits, limited liability, lifting the veil of incorporation, the raising of capital, and shareholder dividends payment. In addition, acquisitions, mergers and takeovers as well as aspects of insolvency, including administration, winding up and the emergence of rescue culture could prove fantastic topics for producing successful dissertations. Therefore, if you are interested in an area company law as a subject for your law dissertation, a number of potential topics are listed below:

A critical examination of the shareholder versus stakeholder basis of corporate governance.
An investigation of the importance of the non-executive director in the respective corporate legal systems of England and Wales and the United States of America.
An exploration of the transplantation of corporate legal regimes: does it promote better corporate governance?
The protection of minority shareholders’ rights based upon remedies of unfair prejudice and the basis for bringing proceedings under the Companies Act 2006 and the case law of England and Wales.
What are the arguments for and against ‘stakeholder theory’ and to what extent are they still valid?
A critical study of the legal and governance restraints on excessive executive director remuneration from the perspective of corporate governance in England and Wales and the United States of America.
A critical assessment of the law on corporate manslaughter from victims’ families’ perspective.
As assessment of the ability of Insolvency law in England and Wales to promote and deliver corporate rescues.
A critical analysis of the regulation of public companies in England and Wales when compared to the United States of America.
An assessment of the need for company law’s reform regarding directors’ duties in the wake of the Carillion Collapse.
An assessment of the need for the reform of mergers and acquisition law in England and Wales to enhance stakeholders’ understanding to support the achievement of long-term economic stability.
The need to reform the taxation rules of England and Wales and the United States of America to ensure multinational organisations pay their fair share of tax.

Tort Law Dissertation Topics

Tort law effectively defines what is considered a legal injury. This area of law is important because it establishes the circumstances whereby an individual may be held liable for another party’s injury due to either intentional acts or omissions or even accidents. Tort law is potentially a wide area of study for a law dissertation since includes areas as diverse as different forms of negligence and trespass to both land and the person. Therefore, in view of Tort law’s complex nature, here are some suggestions to help you formulate an effective law dissertation for you to complete:

A critical assessment of the importance of foreseeability and policy in establishing a duty of care.
A critical analysis of the rules regarding the recovery of economic losses in tortious actions.
To what extent is it true to say that there is still a growing compensation culture in the jurisdiction of England and Wales when compared to the position in the United States of America?
Where does the decision of the House of Lords in Gregg v Scott leave the loss of a chance in England and Wales?
To what extent is the rule in Bolam v Friern Hospital Management Committee still the standard for assessing the notion of reasonable care in professional negligence cases?
When it comes to matter of occupiers’ liability under the Occupiers Liability Acts of 1957 and 1984 respectively, when is a trespasser not a trespasser?
An investigation of the jurisprudence of England and Wales that serves to limit what may be recovered where some form of psychiatric harm is proved.
The impact of the House of Lords’ decision in Chester v Afshar on the law of Informed Consent when it comes to instances of medical negligence.
Why might the duty of care afforded to children be considered to be a step too far regarding the recognition of tortious liability?
An investigation of the need to account for policy considerations in tortious claims.
An assessment of the need for reform of the rules to determine causation in the event of their being multiple and consecutive causes of the claimant’s loss.
A critical discussion regarding the need to reform the law on nuisance in England and Wales.
An exploration of the need to reform the rules to establish a duty of care regarding the tortious liable to public body defendants in cases of negligence.

Employment Law Dissertation Topics

Where someone elects to write their law dissertation in relation to some aspect of Employment law, the focus typically seems to be on some aspect of unfair dismissal. Topics that are directly involved typically include unfair dismissal at common law, unfair dismissal under the Employment Rights Act 1996, and exclusions from unfair dismissal. In addition, employment law dissertations will also often consider the common law termination of a contract, the acquiring of employment rights, including analysing the calculation of continuous employment and interruptions in work, and, finally, the effectiveness of employment tribunals. Consequently, to impress an examiner with a law dissertation in employment law, there is a need to recognize that there are a lot of other interesting areas of study to consider, like the examples that are set out below:

A critical review of the approach to discrimination under the law of England and Wales.
An analysis of the extent to which a claim for wrongful dismissal provides more effective redress than a claim for unfair dismissal.
A comparative and critical review of the law related to the position of disabled people in positions of employment in England and Wales and the United States of America respectively.
A critical evaluation of the key legal aspects of the employee and employer relationship.
How does the legal position of casual and agency workers in England and Wales compare with the European Union?
What are the key legal issues associated with the use of Contracts of Employment in England and Wales in view of the increasing prevalence of’ zero hours’ contracts?
An evaluation of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 to determine the extent to which it still protects the rights of employees.
To what extent is there still a role for trade unions to play in the application of principles of employment law in England and Wales when compared with the position in the United States of America?
How could the reference of disputes to Employment Tribunals be reformed to improve the position of employees and employers respectively?
Critically analyse the role of indirect discrimination in discrimination law in the context of the employment relationship.
How will employment law in England and Wales be impacted upon by Brexit?
A critical analysis of whether the circumstances for when a contractor becomes an employee still effectively apply to the modern understanding of employment relationships.
What does the recent decision in Uber BV v Aslam mean for the future development of employment law in England and Wales?

EU Law Dissertation Topics

The law of the EU has been recognised as an ever-expanding area with a considerable amount of academic interest, especially in view of the UK’s recent Brexit from the Union. To illustrate, a growing interest has developed regarding the effect that EU law will continue to have upon the UK constitution. This is because there has not only been some considerable overlap between EU law and both the constitutional and administrative law of England and Wale, but also due to the fact that EU law has served to impact virtually every area of life in the UK. Consequently, as the examples of potential law dissertation titles set out below serve to illustrate, there is plenty of scope for an effective law dissertation:

Critically assess the freedom of movement recognised under EU law and their impact upon the development of England and Wales’s law prior to Brexit: will this freedom still have a role to play in England and Wales in the future?
In view of the direct effect of EU law and the recognition of state liability in individual Member States, is there a need for an EU Constitution?
How important are enforcement actions against EU Member States as part of the European law-making process?
Is integration in the EU best explained by the concept of Federalism or Neo-Functionalism and to what extent has the law enacted and implemented to date achieved this?
What are the most significant tensions between social policy and trade in the EU and what efforts have been undertaken to resolve them to date?
How has the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of 1950 contributed to the recognition of human rights internationally?
To what extent does the EU regulation of transport overlap with the regulation of state aid in the EU?
How have Articles 101(1) and (3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union improved international trade and competition within the EC?
What affect will the law of the European Union have upon the recognition of Parliamentary Sovereignty in the UK in the wake of Brexit?
What are the key aspects of the law of the EU that the UK should look to retain in the wake of Brexit?
Why is it important for the rights of citizens from EU Member States to be recognised in the UK once Brexit has been completed?
What impact will the UK’s Brexit serve to have upon the ongoing development of the law of the EU in its remaining Member States?

Intellectual Property Dissertation Topics

The law as it relates to intellectual property covers the creation, use and protection of trademarks, patents and copyright, together with other ancillary rights. In view of the array of intellectual property rights that it is possible for a given author to protect, there are clearly many topics that you could choose from for the completion of your law dissertation. As you can see from the examples that are presented below, there are a number of interesting areas that you could cover related to the recognition and/or the application of different intellectual property rights within the jurisdiction of England and Wales, the EU or even on a more global basis.

Critically evaluate the recognition of intellectual property rights impact upon economic relations between Member States within the EU.
To what extent are intellectual property rights effectively protected on the Internet in the jurisdiction of England and Wales?
How may it be said that passing-off in the context of trademark law is insufficient for providing protection for authors of creative works within the EU?
Analyse whether a right of confidence has been created in the jurisdiction of England and Wales that is effective for protecting an individual’s intellectual property rights.
Can the current, overly stringent patent system still be an incentive for innovation in the UK since Brexit from the EU was completed?
Does the copyright law of England and Wales provide a more effective balance between the needs of intellectual property rights holders and users than under the law of the United States of America?
Does the Fair Use principle provide an effective exemption to the application of England and Wales’ copyright law when compared to the position in the United States of America?
How will European law serve to impact upon the recognition of intellectual property rights in the UK now that Brexit has been completed?
Which of the legal systems of England and Wales, the EU, or the United States of America most effectively protect intellectual property rights holders against peer-to-peer file sharing? Why?
To what extent are indigenous people’s rights to intellectual property more effectively protected in the EU than in the United States of America?
What more could be done at a global level to improve the law to provide those people from less developed countries, particularly in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, with greater protection of their intellectual property right?
Is there a need for intellectual property to be recognised in social media posts? Why?

The English Legal System and Constitutional and Administrative Law Dissertation Topics

Essentially, the topic of the English Legal System and Constitutional and Administrative Law may be divided into three key areas. First, the nature of the constitution may be considered in areas including, but not limited to, the recognition and application conventions and the rule of law. Second, it is necessary to evaluate the roles of the legislature, executive and parliament in the context of the recognition of the separation of powers, which could include legislation’s passage through Parliament, the delegation of legislation, the relationship between Parliament, the crown and the Royal Prerogative, and the executive, legislative and judiciary’s relationship. Finally, Judicial Review is another significant area of interest that could include the basis for intervention, such as ultra vires and illegality, procedural irregularity, irrationality, proportionality, and the nemo judex rule. Therefore, as the examples of potential law dissertation topics set out below show with regard to the English Legal System and Constitutional and Administrative Law, there are clearly a number of interesting areas that could be covered.

Why should England and Wales’ legal system be fused so that there is one legal profession rather than solicitors and barristers?
To what extent do the different conceptualisations of Parliamentary Sovereignty affect the relationship between the courts and Parliament in England and Wales?
Taken as a whole, does the UK need a single constitution for Northern Ireland, Scotland and England and Wales to adhere to?
How has the recent introduction of the Criminal Cases Review Commission improved the position regarding miscarriages of justice in England and Wales?
How could the system of Judicial Review in England and Wales be reformed to improve its application?
Critically analyse the extent to which the view that the legitimacy of the law is based upon its effectiveness is agreeable within England and Wales’ jurisdiction.
Are select committees a useful and helpful check on government activities?
What role does natural justice play in the UK Constitution?
Are conventions still a valid part of the UK Constitution?
Why does the UK’s Brexit from the EU have to mean the end of the recognition of Parliamentary Sovereignty?
How will Brexit serve to impact upon the development of England and Wales’ legal system as a means of regulating the activities of national and local government, as well as interrelated public bodies?
In what ways will the relationship between constitutional and administrative law in England and Wales be affected by Brexit?

Family Law Dissertation Topics

Family Law is considered to cover a wide range of topics regarding the family and marriage, including moves to harmonise married and unmarried couples position, the influence of the Human Rights Act 1998, nullity, void and voidable marriages, the effects of a decree, statutory rights relating to marriage, the registration of marriages, and the case for reform. Other topics that may be of interest include the Child Support Act 1991, financial orders for children, the enforcement of financial obligations to a child or children, the award of maintenance and the enforcement maintenance payments arrears and the enforcement of financial obligations in the Magistrates court. With this in mind, as the examples of potential law dissertation topics set out below show with regard to the subject of Family Law, there are clearly a number of interesting areas that could be covered in a law dissertation.

Following the Government’s current research on domestic violence, consider whether and how the law related to spousal abuse needs to be reformed in England and Wales to provide greater protection for the victims.
What was the purpose behind the Civil Partnership Act 2004’s enactment and to what extent has it been effectively interpreted and applied by the courts to fulfill the aforementioned purpose?
To what extent are the social and legal foundations of marriage, civil partnerships and parenting now considered to be effectively interrelated in England and Wales so as to account for the modern concept of the family and all its connotations?
Is the “Best Interest” test outdated when it comes to applying the current law to dealing with children’s particular circumstances in the jurisdiction of England and Wales?
Have the amendments to the Child Support Act 1991 under the Child Maintenance and Other Payments Act 2008 improved the position regarding child maintenance? If not, why not?
Critically analyse the development of the law related to divorce. Is it a product of the increased divorce rate in England and Wales or has it caused it?
Critically analyse the role of the local authority in achieving the effective provision of child welfare.
To what extent is it true to say that married women’s rights in property are still not effectively recognised within the jurisdiction of England and Wales?
Discuss whether and how the role of various available orders (i.e. contact, prohibited steps orders) serve to further the recognition of the paramountcy principle regarding children under the provisions of the Children Act 1989.
Family law – Is it time for reform?
To what extent are the rights of children currently effectively protected under the law of England and Wales?
How could the recognition of the right to a family life under Article 8 of the Human Rights Act 1998 be improved upon in England and Wales?
What could be done with the law as it relates to adoption to effectively reform it in the best interests of all potential stakeholders in England and Wales?

Law Dissertation Topics

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