Legal Practice Course LLM

Northumbria University

Northumbria’s LPC provides vocational training across a range of subjects and practical skills, which enables you to apply your legal knowledge in a practical context. This highly successful course offers flexible learning options to allow you to choose a specialism that is right for you.

All LPC students are guaranteed either a placement with a legal firm or a mentor, who is a recent LPC graduate either undertaking a training contract or a newly qualified solicitor. Our placements offer a range of opportunities and can accommodate individual preferences in legal practice. These can include placements in small or large firms, commercial or high street firms or in-house with companies such as Virgin Money and Sage group.

The course has a high staff/student ratio meaning you will have regular contact with highly qualified and experienced practitioners.

The course is taught in two blocks: in stage 1, the three core practice areas of Business Law and Practice, Property Law and Practice and Litigation are taught and assessed, along with Wills and Administration of Estates, Solicitors' Accounts and Professional Conduct. The skills of Legal Writing, Interviewing and Advising, Drafting, Research and Advocacy, are taught and assessed in the context of the core subjects.

In stage 2, you will choose three elective modules which you will decide on in consultation with your tutors, ensuring your LPC is tailored according to your interests and career plans.

Please note, optional module choices will be grouped and will run in designated blocks, meaning some module combinations will not be possible. Although every effort is made to ensure that these modules are offered, there may be occasions, for example due to staff sabbaticals, where a module may not be offered or module running order may change.

Dean's Awards - LPC Northumbria Law School is pleased to announce that we have established a Dean's Awards Fund to provide scholarships of up to £1,000 for selected applicants for the 2018 LPC and LLM LPC intakes.

Solicitors Regulation Authority Studying law? Or thinking of studying law? Thinking of becoming a solicitor?

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has announced it will be introducing the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE). The earliest date for introduction is September 2020.

This will be a national assessment for anyone who wants to qualify as a solicitor in England and Wales. It will provide a fair and consistent assessment for all candidates regardless of whether they have taken a law degree or qualified through new routes like the solicitor apprenticeship.

If you have already started your law degree or an exempting law degree, or will do so before the SQE is introduced, you will be able to finish and qualify in the same way as before or qualify under the new system.

Under the current system you must complete both the academic and vocational stages of training as well as meeting the character and suitability requirements to become a solicitor. The academic stage is achieved by either a) a qualifying law degree or b) a non law degree in a different subject and completing the Common Professional Examination. The vocational stage comprises:

• the Legal Practice Course

• a two year period of recognised training

• the Professional Skills Course

So what will qualifying look like for solicitors after 2020?

• having a degree or equivalent

• two stages of the SQE assessment

• having a two year period of work experience

• meeting the character and suitability requirements to become a solicitor

The SRA will be providing information and guidance about how to qualify in the new system so keep checking its website.