Both Manchester and Newcastle are good for Law. Manchester's contact hours are 10-12 hours a week, which suits some as Law is to an extent a self-study subject. Those hours are the same as Law at Exeter (according to their website), another very good uni for Law. The main issue with Manchester is the amount of students who attend it, which is why there is varying satisfaction levels. However, it does depend on the various schools in a university and some may drag the university's rankings down more than others. In various threads on TSR there are those studying Law at Manchester and they speak highly of the law school. I can only really offer advice as to Manchester as I'll be doing Law there. Pick what is best for YOU though.