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Open Days
The University's undergraduate Open Days are a great opportunity to find out more about our undergraduate law degrees, see the University campus, and speak to current students and staff.
The University hosts three undergraduate Open Days per year which can be booked up to six weeks in advance.
Our Open Days will give you the opportunity to attend a variety of activities, including:
- Subject and service talks
- Teaching showcase sample lectures – sample lectures are presented by academics from a specific subject area, they are intended to be of general interest to a wide audience
- Tours of University facilities, including accommodation
- Information desks
Further information about the activities you can attend is available from the University's main website.
Law and Medical Ethics
This self-study online course for healthcare and allied professionals provides an overview of the main medico-legal concepts and issues in healthcare today.
Course overview
Edinburgh Law School is recognised as one of the leading institutions in the field of medical law and ethics and has been offering online courses in law and medical ethics since 2006.
This flexible online programme of short modules covers the fundamental aspects of contemporary health care and law for health care and allied professionals.
This programme aims to provide you with an overview of the main medico-legal concepts and issues in the practice of modern healthcare. It addresses the fundamental questions affecting health care and allied professionals today:
- What is legally valid consent?
- What principles and rules apply to the assessment of capacity?
- What standards of care does the law expect of your profession?
- When is it lawful to withhold or withdraw medical treatment?
- When is it permissible to breach patient confidentiality?
- What regulatory mechanisms are available to facilitate procreation?
- How have human rights changed the face of modern medicine?
The full programme of 10 modules, or the slightly shorter seven-module programme, will give you a comprehensive overview. If you prefer to focus on a particular area that reflects specific professional and personal interests, you have the option of studying an individual module or a combination of single modules.
Modules
The interface between law, medicine and ethics is a subject of great contemporary interest and relevance and new developments in medical practice and research are constantly in the headlines.
Advances in knowledge create new challenges, on an almost weekly basis, that lawyers, judges, medical professionals and members of the public find themselves struggling to address.
The aim of this module is to explore the critical relationship between the law, and the practice of medicine, in order to set the groundwork for discussions in the more topic-specific modules. In doing so, it will focus on the varied approaches to, and multi-layered interrelationships among, ethics, medicine and law, including basic ethical principles and key (legal) concepts relating to, among others, personhood, autonomy, human rights, sanctity of life, and quality of life.
Consent is the single most pivotal issue in contemporary medical jurisprudence, and the most obvious example of the centrality of patient autonomy, both in practice and in law.
This module looks at the variety of conditions, criteria and limitations relating to consent, including the different 'levels' of consent, what 'valid consent' requires, the implications of proceeding without it, and how these differ, depending on the 'type' of patient, or circumstance. In each of these contexts, the module investigates whether questions of consent are absolute or subject to limitations, and issues that arise in the application of principles to practical circumstances.
That patients exercise 'rights' to autonomy when providing consent only makes sense if there is a corresponding right to refuse, and so this module considers the nature and scope of the right to refuse or withdraw consent to medical treatment.
We will explore whether the right is subject to limitations, and specific criteria that apply. Mirroring the module on positive consent, a thorough understanding of refusal encompasses many of the same 'categories' of patient encountered in the previous session.
A key question to consider during this module is whether consent and refusal are two sides of the same coin? If so, does it mean that the criteria and principles applied to the former must be applied with equal weight and effect to the latter? In logic, there is no difference in the 'ability' to either consent or refuse. In law, however, we find that the two aspects are often treated distinctly, with higher thresholds being required by the courts in relation to refusals.
This module examines 'medical futility' and the 'duty to prolong life' in respect of patients with terminal conditions, or in a prolonged disorder of consciousness - like the permanent vegetative state (PVS) - and the complex issues surrounding euthanasia and physician assisted suicide (PAS).
The clash of values which arises when a medical assessment is countered by a patient's wishes is explored, as are the difficulties inherent in the 'sea-change' brought about by the subtle but significant shift in the role of health care professional from 'life saver' to 'quality of life provider'.
Euthanasia, in particular, is a subject about which a lot has been written, yet a great deal of confusion still characterises the debate, at least in part due to misapprehensions and unclear definitions. The terminology, and treatment of different classifications are of critical legal and ethical significance, drawing an important line between assisting a 'peaceful death', and 'painless killing', which have considerably different consequences for medical practitioners.
The law of tort (or personal injury), is a complex area of the common law, where rules abound and exceptions seem endless.
This module focuses on the role of the law of negligence in the medical context, essentially as a means of providing compensation to patients who have suffered a 'legally-recognised harm'. The criteria for a 'successful' negligence action will be considered, as well as the availability of different defences.
In an action in negligence the patient is required to bear the burden of proving a substantial number of fundamental elements, including who is liable, the existence of a duty of care, the establishment in law of a 'causative' fault, and the relevant standard by which a breach of duty should be judged. In many cases, the volume and quality of information provided to a patient, and how it affected their ability to consent, is a major and determining factor.
The Hippocratic Oath requires that medical practitioners bind themselves in the following manner: "[a]ll that may come to my knowledge in the exercise of my profession or outside of my profession or in daily commerce with men, which ought not to be spread abroad, I will keep secret and never reveal."
Today, most medical schools no longer require students to take the traditional Oath, yet the idea of treating patient health information as secret is generally accepted as a fundamental ethical principle underpinning the doctor/patient relationship. In the United Kingdom, the General Medical Council undertook a comprehensive review of its guidance on patient confidentiality and this is as strong an indication as any of how important the issue is in the medico-legal world.
In this module, we examine the principles that form the content of the duty of confidentiality, when the duty arises, the circumstances which constitute exceptions, and indeed whether there can be a duty to breach confidentiality. Consideration of the tensions between 'rules intended to protect patient privacy', on the one hand, and new obligations arising from freedom of information legislation, on the other, will form a key part in the discussions.
Over the years there have been significant additions to the statutory control of the health care professions, including the Health Act1999, the National Health Service Reform and Health Care Professions Act 2002, the Health and Social Care Act 2008, and the Health and care Act 2022.
One of the most remarkable aspects of this statutory reform is that the government is now able to make changes to the regulation of the health care professions by issuing Orders in Council, as opposed to negotiating the more public legislative processes inherent in the passage of Acts of Parliament.
In this module, we look at reasons why this legislative programme has come about, issues of access to health care, and the role of human rights. Discussions will focus on regulatory and legislative controls that are more or less specific to the medical profession, including relevant provisions of the Human Rights Act 1998, and an assessment of their effect on medical practice. This module also considers how approaches to funding affect the availability of treatment, and how questions of access are interpreted and enforced for EU citizens in light of EU law.
For most of its history, biomedical research has been conducted in a relatively unregulated environment, with research justified solely on the basis that the activity ultimately benefits mankind.
Research subjects often felt obliged to participate, with little or no hope of personal benefit. In this module, we will look at how attitudes, conditions, standards and safeguards have developed and changed over the last hundred years, including the emergence of substantial human rights protections, and protocols for protecting 'vulnerable' patient-subjects.
Today, modern medical research is guided by a literal profusion of codes of practice, professional association and research committee guidelines, international protocols and national legislation. Research purposes, effectiveness and methods now have to be stringently justified, subject to broad principles and high standards of good clinical practice.
The guiding pieces of legislation in the fields of mental capacity and mental health are contained in the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Mental Health Act 2007 (both effective in England and Wales) and the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 and the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000. This session provides an appreciation for the similarities and differences between the statutes, an understanding the legislative regimes, and their effect on fundamental elements of medical practice. It will be critically important for anyone dealing with the treatment of patients lacking the capacity to provide a valid consent for themselves.
Alongside general issues of mental health law, two particularly significant areas of relevance to the medical profession that arise from the legislation will be explored in this module: the manner in which the law provides for consent to be given (or withheld) for proposed medical treatment of 'incompetent' patients by third parties (substitute decision-makers); and the effect that the legal recognition of 'advance directives' might have on the decision making and discretionary 'powers' of medical practitioners.
Genetics is a fast moving area of medical and scientific research, the results from which are challenging our ideas about who we are, and the roles that science and medicine can, should and will play in our lives.
The availability of genetic information and diagnosis, as a consequence of the advances in genetic research and testing, have wide ranging implications, including issues for individual patients, and by extension, their genetically-related family members.
In this module, various approaches to assisted reproduction are explored, as are the 'reproductive torts' - forms of negligence action related to issues of reproductive counselling. The material also provides an overview of the basic structure and nature of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008, and the revised powers and procedures relating to assisted reproduction that are vested in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. We will also be looking into issues like surrogacy – commercial or otherwise – and the genetics issues that arise in reproduction and the law.
Course format
This programme of modules is designed to be taken online on a 'self-access' basis. This means that you can access course materials whenever you like, and work through the materials at your own pace.
You can log in to the course 24/7, so you can fit your learning around work and personal commitments.
Each module contains interactive quiz material, providing feedback so that you can check your progress and deepen your understanding. These quizzes can be taken as often as wished so that you can revisit specific areas of interest if desired.
To further aid your practice, each module has a ‘Take-home Toolkit’ which is a document that you can print off or download for future reference.
Each module should take between 5 and 10 hours to complete and you will have two weeks to complete each module. This allows you to go back through each module and concentrate on particular topics.
Certificate
After completing your module(s) please contact our online learning team who will be able to issue you with an e-certificate of completion on evidence that you have successfully completed all of the interactive quizzes for the modules which you have registered for.
Professional accreditation bodies may impose requirements over and above those of the School of Law.
Course start date and fees
This course can be taken at any time and is offered throughout the year.
You can book a single module or variety of modules depending on your interests. We offer discounted fees for 7 and 10 module bookings.
Please note that 7 and 10 module bookings are temporarily closed as we are in the process of moving to a new online learning platform. If you would like to be informed when 7 and 10 module bookings reopen please contact us at llm.online@ed.ac.uk
Single module bookings are still open.
- Single module: £115
You will have two weeks access for each module you book. - Seven modules: £645 (Includes free ebook of Mason and McCall-Smith's Law and Medical Ethics)
You will have 14 weeks access to your modules. - Ten modules: course £920 (Includes free ebook of Mason and McCall-Smith's Law and Medical Ethics)
You will have 20 weeks access to your modules.
Book online
You can book and pay online using the University's online store, ePay, or request to pay by invoice.
| Module | Fee | Online booking |
|---|---|---|
| Ten modules | £920 | Temporarily closed |
| Seven modules | £645 | Temporarily closed |
| Module 1: Introduction to Law and Medical Ethics | £115 | Book online |
| Module 2: Consent to Medical Treatment | £115 | Book online |
| Module 3: Refusal of Medical Treatment | £115 | Book online |
| Module 4: Withholding and Withdrawing Care | £115 | Book online |
| Module 5: Medical Negligence | £115 | Book online |
| Module 6: Patient Confidentiality | £115 | Book online |
| Module 7: Human Rights and Medical Practice | £115 | Book online |
| Module 8: Research and Ethical Approval | £115 | Book online |
| Module 9: Mental Capacity and Mental Health | £115 | Book online |
| Module 10: Genetics, Reproduction and the Law | £115 | Book online |
Paying by invoice
If you would like to be invoiced for the course fees please contact us. Please note we can only invoice for seven and ten module bookings.
Contact us
If you have any questions about the online Law and Medical Ethics course please contact us.
Trainee CPD
Edinburgh Law School is accredited by the Law Society of Scotland to provide mandatory ethics to trainees.
Trainee continuing professional development (TCPD) is a requirement, by the Law Society of Scotland, for the professional qualification of trainee solicitors during your traineeship. During your two-year traineeship you are required to undertake a minimum of 60 hours (of which 40 hours must be from a licensed provider and include at least four hours on ethics).
The mandatory ethics course takes 4 hours and is taught by way of presentation, exercises and group discussion.
The course costs £200 per trainee.
Contact us
Please contact us at law.cpd@ed.ac.uk if you have any questions about our trainee CPD courses.
CPD and short courses
Online CPD courses are a flexible study option for you to extend your knowledge and understanding of the law in your working practice, develop your skills and confidence, and progress in your career. We also provide Trainee CPD (TCPD) for trainee solicitors in Scotland.
Edinburgh Law School is recognised as one of the leading institutions in the field of medical law and ethics and has been offering online courses in law and medical ethics since 2006.
This online course covers all of the fundamental aspects of contemporary health care and law required to assist all areas of counsel, issues in staff and patient management, and assist successful patient contact.
Find out more about our online Law and Medical Ethics course
Edinburgh Law School is a world-leading centre for the study of European Law. In 1968, we established the UK’s first research centre dedicated to European legal affairs, the Europa Institute.
This online course provides an introduction to the law of the European Union (EU) with a focus on its applicability in the domestic setting(s) of the United Kingdom.
Trainee continuing professional development (TCPD) is a requirement, by the Law Society of Scotland, for the professional qualification of trainee solicitors during your traineeship. During your two-year traineeship you are required to undertake a minimum of 60 hours (of which 40 hours must be from a licensed provider and include at least four hours on ethics).
IT and Media Law
Body
Christopher Boniface, Research Fellow in IT Law
Paolo Cavaliere, Senior Lecturer in Digital Media and IT Law
Rachael Craufurd-Smith, Reader in EU Law
Judith Rauhofer, Senior Lecturer in IT Law
Burkhard Schafer, Professor of Computational Legal Theory
Lachlan Urquhart, Senior Lecturer in Technology Law and Human-Computer Interaction
Journal articles
Harmonising liability: Exploring carrier responsibilities in transportation contracts and their application to autonomous vehicle services under the UAE Law
Hussein, S.; Muhammad, N.; Al-Ahmad, H.; Schafer, B. et al. In: Law, Innovation and Technology. p. 1-36. View article
Stakeholders’ views of online surveillance capabilities: A comparative analysis of the debates in UK, Finland and Norway
Leppänen, Anna Ritta.; Flinterud, Guro.; Long, Amy.; O’Neill, Megan; Boucht, Johan.; Schafer, Burkhard.; Houtsonen, Jarmo. In: Security Journal. 09.09.2024. View article
AI and the iterable epistopics of risk
Crabtree, Andy.; McGarry, Gary. Urquhart, Lachlan. In: AI and Society. Vol.40, No.3, 20.07.2024, p. 1425 - 1438. View article
Freedom of expression after disinformation: Towards a new paradigm for the right to receive information
Cavaliere, Paolo. 11.07.2024. View article
On manipulation by emotional AI: UK adults’ views and governance implications
Bakir, Vian; Laffer, Alex; McStay, Andrew, Miranda, Diana.; Urquhart, Lachlan. In: Frontiers in Sociology, Vol.9, 07.06.2024, p. 1-18. View article
How do you solve a problem like Alexa?
Atabey, Ayça; Schafer, Burkhard; Urquhart, Lachlan. In: Jusletter IT, March, 30.03.2023, p. 185-198. View article
Undue influence from the family in declining COVID-19 vaccination and treatment for the elderly patient
Lee, See Muah; Frets, Neal Ryan; Tirtajana, Irene et al. In: Asian Bioethics Review, 11.04.2023. View article
What the Dickens: Post-mortem privacy and intergenerational trust
Schafer, Burkhard; Briggs, Jo; Moncur, Wendy et al. In: Computer Law and Security Review, Vol. 49, 105800, 07.2023, p. 1-9. View article
When brand distinctiveness is in the AI of the beholder: Trademark law for autonomous intelligent shopping agents
de Amstalden, M. & Schafer, B. In: New Zealand Yearbook of International Law, Vol. 18, 05.01.2023, p. 51-84. View article
Policing the smart home : The internet of things as ‘invisible witnesses'
Urquhart, Lachlan; Miranda, Diana ; Podoletz, Lena. In: Information Polity: An International Journal of Government and Democracy in the Information Age, Vol. 27, No. 2, 06.06.2022, p. 233-246. View article
Tempting the fate of the furious : Cyber security and autonomous cars
Mclachlan, Scott; Schafer, Burkhard; Dube, Kudakwashe et al. In: International Review of Law, Computers and Technology, Vol. 36, No. 2, 2022, p. 181-201. View article
Incorporating ‘fashion identity’ into the right to privacy
Onitiu, Daria. In: Law, Technology and Humans, Vol. 4, No. 1, 24.05.2022, p. 102-116. View Article
The truth in fake news : How disinformation laws are reframing the concepts of truth and accuracy on digital platforms
Cavaliere, Paolo, In: European Convention on Human Rights Law Review, 11.10.2022, p. 1-43. View article
Book chapters
Is AI ethics all fluff?
Zerilli, J. In AI Morality. David Edmonds (Ed). Oxford University Press. 2024. View chapter
In space, nobody can copyright your scream
Schafer, B. The Institutions of Extraterrestrial Liberty. ed / CS Cockell. Oxford University Press, 2023, p. 384-410. View chapter
Of wicked wizards and indigo jackals: Legal regulation of privacy and identity in cultural comparative perspective
Schafer, B. Informationelle Menschenrechte und digitale Gesellschaft. ed. / B Buchner & T Petri. Mohr Siebeck, 2022, p. 27-45. View chapter
SCRIPT Centre
The SCRIPT Centre explores the synergetic relationship between law, technologies, commerce and society.
Visit the SCRIPT Centre website
Edinburgh Centre for Data, Culture & Society
The Edinburgh Centre for Data, Culture & Society (CDCS) aims to support data-led research across the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. As new technologies enable us to develop novel methods, scale up our questions, and tackle interdisciplinary challenges, research is moving in exciting directions. CDCS helps its community stay at the forefront of developments in data-driven research, and highlights the vital contributions its researchers have to make to contemporary cultural debates and social issues.
Visit the Centre for Data, Culture & Society website
Vacancies
Body
With over 1500 students and 150 members of academic, research and professional services staff, Edinburgh Law School is a diverse, vibrant and inclusive community dedicated to providing research and teaching with local and global reach and impact.
Please see our current vacancies below.
As Lecturer in Criminal Law, you will have an established teaching and research profile in the subject area and a commitment to promoting the student experience. You will develop and deliver teaching and assessment (including dissertation supervision) across undergraduate and postgraduate levels in the Law School. You will play a full part in the collegiate life of the School and will develop and execute an ambitious and impactful research agenda within the field of criminal law, leading to internationally excellent publications in line with the School’s REF strategy.
People have always been at the heart of our work. As part of the University, you are a part of our community. We are looking for people with drive, determination, and a passion for what they do. We are a place where everyone is welcome and offer a range of policies and benefits designed to support you in building the right meaningful/personalised flexibility for you.
A career with us has a range of other benefits that can be tailored to your lifestyle:
- Professional development and subject matter expertise
- Opportunities to develop new skills and broaden your experience
- Leading-edge research
- Opportunities for publication
This post is fixed-term (three years) and full time (35 hours per week); however, we are open to considering flexible working patterns. We are also open to considering requests for hybrid working (on a non-contractual basis) that combines a mix of remote and regular on-campus working.
The salary for this post is £50,253 per annum.
We are proud to be a diverse Law School. With over 1400 students and 150 members of academic, research and professional services staff, Edinburgh Law School is an international, vibrant community dedicated to providing research and teaching with local and global reach and impact. Our Law School would not be the community it is without our staff and students and we particularly welcome applications from candidates belonging to groups that have been traditionally under-represented in the subject.
Click here for more details and to apply.
The closing date for applications is 21st May 2026.
In order to provide students on the Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Legal Practice (DPLP) with real-life insight into the realities of legal practice, Edinburgh Law School employs tutors and course organisers who are experienced legal practitioners to teach and assess across the programme. Offering the opportunity for qualified solicitors to participate in a range of teaching, assessment and learning design activities on core and elective courses, these roles are ideal for those who are looking to broaden or develop their experience of legal education, as well as being involved in training the next generation of Scottish legal professionals.
DPLP tutors are typically qualified Scottish solicitors with at least four years post-qualification experience and appropriate practical experience in course subject matter. They may already be an experienced tutor on a Scottish University School of Law UG, DPLP and/or TCPD course(s).
For the academic year 2026/27, we are seeking tutors across a range of courses:
Core courses:
- Company and Commercial
- Private Client
- Financial Services and Related Skills
- Conveyancing
- Civil Court Practice
- Criminal Court Practice.
Elective courses:
- Scottish Contemporary Public Law
- Human Rights Law
- Personal Injury Law
Any elective tutoring is subject to student demand for particular courses being as expected which will be confirmed November 2026.
Applicants for DPLP tutor roles for 2026-27 are asked to download and complete the Tutor Application form below and submit this along with an up-to-date CV to Law.HR@ed.ac.uk no later than 12pm on Monday 15th June. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and we may hold interviews before the closing date. We therefore encourage early applications where possible.
Download the full Tutor Job Description (pdf)
Download the Application Form (doc)
DPLP Tutors are paid at UoE grade 7. Salary scales can be viewed here. Teaching hours vary by course, but tutoring one course normally requires a commitment of around 2-3 contact hours per teaching week, plus preparation. Assessment marking volume varies by course. If you would like more information on the requirements of a specific subject, please contact Law.Diploma@ed.ac.uk.
Further details about applying for tutoring work at Edinburgh Law School.
Please read all the information to ensure you are eligible to be offered work.
If you would like to be considered for work in the first instance please complete an application form and provide a CV. The information that you provide on this form will allow the School to assess your skills and experience.
Further vacancies may be posted as and when they arise.
Once the School has considered your application and CV you will be invited to a short interview to establish whether you meet with the criteria required to perform the role; e.g. interpersonal skills, communication skills, subject knowledge and understanding of the role.
In order to comply with immigration legislation, before any work begins, it will be necessary for you to provide documentary evidence of your right to work in the UK. Full details of acceptable documents found on the University webpages.
