The University of Winchester’s School of Law’s successful efforts to embed real-world learning into its courses has seen it nominated for a top legal industry award.
Winchester has been shortlisted for the University Commercial Impact Award at the LexisNexis Legal Awards 2026.
This recognises university law departments that have made a significant commercial impact on the legal landscape and excelled in equipping students with commercial awareness and business acumen.
Winchester Law School’s entry highlighted its development of Professional Practice Pedagogy founded on a clear principle: Winchester law graduates must not only understand the law but also be capable of applying it effectively to modern legal work.
In client interviewing assessments, for example, students are required not only to establish the legal issues but also understand the client’s broader commercial aims and consider the wider business environment in which their advice will be implemented.
An expanded portfolio of assessments, including an incident response to a cyber-attack, requires students to combine legal reasoning with commercial understanding, ethical judgment and effective interpersonal communication.
This ensures the development of well-rounded, commercially attuned graduates who think critically and respond strategically to complex legal problems.
Feedback from employers consistently highlights that Winchester law graduates stand out as confident communicators with strong client awareness and the ability to analyse legal problems through a commercial lens.
Jonathan Whettinghsteel, Partner and Head of Family, Dutton Gregory Solicitors, said: “I cannot think of any University that better equips its students for a future career in law. Students attending the University of Winchester get so much more than a qualification through their degree. They get an arsenal of skills and experiences that will make them fantastic contributors to the world into which they graduate.”
Rachel Brooks, partner at Foot Anstey Solicitors said: “University of Winchester students stand out amongst others for producing future-ready lawyers that law firms like ours increasingly rely on.
“Courses at the School of Law embed real-world, hands-on experiences directly into the curriculum. Students are assessed according to a variety of practical legal skills in client interviewing, negotiation, cross-examination and mooting. These are skills that many organisations typically expect to see develop only after a graduate has joined the workplace.”
Almost all (97 per cent) of law graduates from Winchester are in employment and/or further study according to the Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025 and the Law courses are ranked in the top 10 in the UK for student satisfaction with academic support according to the National Student Survey 2025.
LexisNexis Legal Awards celebrate excellence, innovation, and outstanding contributions across the UK legal profession and highly regarded in the industry. This is the second year that the awards have included the University Commercial Impact category.
Dr Emma Nottingham, Head of the School of Law at the University of Winchester, said: “We are delighted to be shortlisted for this award as it not only highlights the hard work and innovation of academics but showcases our courses before a wide range of senior legal professional who could potentially employ our students.”
Dean of the Faculty of Law Crime and Justice, Bill Davies said : “This nomination recognises Winchester’s ongoing commitment to preparing our students for the world of work by devising learning opportunities which give them the key skills that employers are looking for – including commercial awareness. It is also testament to the hard work of the law staff in ensuring that at Winchester we go the extra mile for our students, to help them to succeed.”
The winners of the awards will be announced on 16 April at a ceremony at the Park Plaza London Riverbank.
The University of Winchester’s Legal Advice Centre (pictured) offers free legal advice sessions to the community. The Centre was established in partnership with the Winchester office of Dutton Gregory LLP Solicitors. The public can book an advice session with a qualified lawyer who will provide initial oral legal advice on family law matters for free, ‘pro bono’. Our Law students volunteer to be on hand to assist and observe.
In partnership with The College of Legal Practice, the University of Winchester offers an LLM (Law Masters) which will include preparation for the Solicitors Qualifying Exams (SQE). The SQE is a rigorous two-part test of competency which all aspiring solicitors in England and Wales are required to pass by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).
The University of Winchester opened a new Moot Court (pictured above) this year at the King Alfred Centre which gives students the chance to try cases in realistic surroundings.
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