Solicitor Level 7 Apprenticeship LLB (Hons) / PGDip
- Level(s) of Study: Postgraduate taught / Undergraduate
- Start Date(s): September 2024
- Duration: Six years
- Study Mode(s): Distance learning
- Campus: City Campus
- Entry Requirements:
More information
Introduction:
This six-year, distance learning apprenticeship is intended for post-A level school leavers, paralegals, chartered legal executives and those seeking a career change, who wish to qualify as a solicitor. Applicants will need to be sponsored by an employer to undertake an apprenticeship.
The apprenticeship combines practical experience in a legal firm with academic study through our law degree. You will gain hands-on legal skills in the work place, backed up by the theoretical knowledge essential to apply your skills to legal cases.
Completion of the apprenticeship will gain you an LLB law degree, (for those who commence prior to the start of year 5), Postgraduate Diploma qualification and prepare you to undertake the new Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE). Successful completion of Stages 1 and 2 of the SQE allows you to formally qualify as a solicitor.
It is the ideal opportunity for you to work as you learn and achieve advanced academic qualifications as you qualify to become a solicitor.
What you’ll study
In Stage 1 of the apprenticeship, learners’ study for an LLB Law Degree through a range of undergraduate law modules. This includes the six foundation subjects traditionally found in a law degree and a range of optional modules allowing learners to design their studies to suit them. In Stage 2, learners focus on preparation for the Solicitors Qualifying Examinations (SQE), 1 and 2, incorporating the required six Fundamentals of Legal Knowledge and the five Legal Skills. Successful completion of the apprenticeship will lead to the award of a Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Legal Knowledge. Having passed the SQE and undertaken qualifying work-based learning, you will be qualified as a solicitor.
Duration: 6 years
Solicitor Apprenticeship Stage 1 - LLB (Hons) Law
Year One
Law of Contract and Problem Solving
Develop your understanding of the law of contract. You will study the underlying theories and classifications of contracts and learn how to apply your knowledge to solve legal problems.
Law of Torts and Legal Reasoning
The law of torts concerns civil wrongs, and in this module you will learn to interpret case law, determine relevant legal principles, and assess the merits of legal reasoning.
Legal and Professional Environment
Gain a foundational knowledge and understanding of the legal system in England and Wales. Develop transferable intellectual, employability and professional skills.
Year Two
Public Law and Research Skills
Examine and research constitutional law concepts to develop an understanding of the relationship between the individual and the state. Exploring the protection of liberties and fundamental rights of the individual within the UK.
International, European and Comparative Law and Group Presentation Skills
Gain an international and comparative perspective on the establishment, development and operation of international and European Union law, while developing team working and presentation skills.
Criminal Law with Mooting
Expand your knowledge of criminal law and develop practical mooting skills that will enhance your employability. You will learn how to argue within a ground of appeal, how to research and write skeleton arguments, and how to use legal language effectively.
Year Three
Land Law and Professional Advice
Apply rules to solve legal problems in relation to land ownership. You will study the distinction between real and personal property and begin to draft professional advice in a property law context.
Law of Trusts and Advanced Legal Reasoning
Acquire high-level knowledge of the law of trusts and examine decided cases in detail. Learn how to apply your legal knowledge to the classification of property, creation and dispositions of property interests and management of trust property.
Year Four
Optional module
Choose one optional module from the list below.
Independent Legal Research Project
You will plan, research and write your own project on a chosen legal subject. You will be allocated a project supervisor who will provide guidance throughout the process and expertise in your chosen area. You will be asked to reflect on the skills that you have acquired during the course and how these have enhanced your employability.
or
Law in Practice
This module has been designed to enable you to use legal and law-related work, paid or voluntary, for academic credit towards your degree. You will undertake at least 35 hours’ work either in one of our pro bono projects or with a law firm, advice agency, or other voluntary organisation in the UK or abroad.
Optional Modules
Choose two of the following optional modules below.
Company Law
Acquire high-level knowledge of company law. You will solve legal problems and study a number of topics, including limited and unlimited liability, shareholder rights, and the dissolution of companies.
Employment Law
Learn to apply your legal knowledge to solve employment law problems. You will study both collective employment law and individual employment law.
Evidence
Study the rules and principles of evidence in legal proceedings, and learn how to apply the law of evidence to factual situations.
Family Law
An introduction to the principal themes of English Family Law including marriage, divorce law, civil partnership, cohabitation, protection against domestic violence, and parental responsibility.
Intellectual Property Law
An introduction to intellectual property law, its rationales, economic function and international influences. You will gain an awareness of design law and study the law of copyright and patents.
Medical Law
Understand the legal and ethical issues surrounding the provision of medical treatment and care, and apply the law to solve medico-legal problems.
Solicitor Apprenticeship Stage 2 - PGDip Applied Legal Knowledge
Year Five
Professional Conduct, Public and Administrative Law and Legal Systems
This module builds upon the knowledge and understanding of substantive law acquired during your legal studies, in particular, Legal & Professional Environment and Public Law . This module enables you to gain and apply practical legal knowledge and understanding of the following areas of law, practice and procedure of the following areas: ethics, professional conduct and regulation, legal services, procedures relevant to constitutional and EU law, public and administrative law.
Dispute Resolution in Contract and / or Tort
This module will enable you to gain and apply practical legal knowledge and understanding of the following areas of law, practice and procedure: core principles of contract law; the core principles of tort; and the principles, procedures and processes involved in dispute resolution and the Rule of Civil Procedure.
Property Law and Practice
This module builds upon the knowledge and understanding of substantive law acquired during earlier studies, in particular, contract, land and trusts. This module will enable you to gain and apply practical legal knowledge and understanding of the processes and procedures in the following areas of law, practice and procedure: land law, trusts law, contract law, the core knowledge areas of freehold real estate law and practice, the core knowledge areas of leasehold real estate law and practice, the core principles of planning and the core principles of property taxation.
Business Law and Practice
This module builds upon the knowledge and understanding of substantive law acquired during earlier years, in particular, contract law and also aims to further develop problem-solving skills and your commercial and professional awareness. You will also gain knowledge and understanding of the following areas of law, practice and procedure: business organisations, taxation of business organisations, contract law, ethics, professional conduct and regulations, including money laundering.
Wills and the Administration of Estates and Trusts
This module builds upon the knowledge and understanding of substantive law acquired during your earlier legal studies. The module enables you to gain and apply practical legal knowledge and understanding of the following areas of law, practice and procedure in the following areas of law: wills and intestacy, probate and administration practice, taxation, taxation and in particular Inheritance Tax and the practical application of trusts law.
Criminal Law and Practice
This module enables you to gain and apply practical legal knowledge and understanding of the following areas of law, practice and procedure: core legal principles relating to a range of criminal offences, the procedure and processes involved in advising a client at the police station and the procedure and processes involved in criminal litigation.
Year Six
You will study the five practical Legal Skills required for SQE 2 through the following modules:
- Advanced Legal Skills in Criminal Practice
- Advanced Legal Skills in Dispute Resolution
- Advanced Legal Skills in Property Practice
- Advanced Legal Skills in Wills and Administration of Estates
- Advanced Legal Skills in Business Practice
Duration: 2 years
Solicitor Apprenticeship Stage 2 - PGDip Applied Legal Knowledge
Year Five
Professional Conduct, Public and Administrative Law and Legal Systems
This module builds upon the knowledge and understanding of substantive law acquired during your legal studies, in particular, Legal & Professional Environment and Public Law . This module enables you to gain and apply practical legal knowledge and understanding of the following areas of law, practice and procedure of the following areas: ethics, professional conduct and regulation, legal services, procedures relevant to constitutional and EU law, public and administrative law.
Dispute Resolution in Contract and / or Tort
This module will enable you to gain and apply practical legal knowledge and understanding of the following areas of law, practice and procedure: core principles of contract law; the core principles of tort; and the principles, procedures and processes involved in dispute resolution and the Rule of Civil Procedure.
Property Law and Practice
This module builds upon the knowledge and understanding of substantive law acquired during earlier studies, in particular, contract, land and trusts. This module will enable you to gain and apply practical legal knowledge and understanding of the processes and procedures in the following areas of law, practice and procedure: land law, trusts law, contract law, the core knowledge areas of freehold real estate law and practice, the core knowledge areas of leasehold real estate law and practice, the core principles of planning and the core principles of property taxation.
Business Law and Practice
This module builds upon the knowledge and understanding of substantive law acquired during earlier years, in particular, contract law and also aims to further develop problem-solving skills and your commercial and professional awareness. You will also gain knowledge and understanding of the following areas of law, practice and procedure: business organisations, taxation of business organisations, contract law, ethics, professional conduct and regulations, including money laundering.
Wills and the Administration of Estates and Trusts
This module builds upon the knowledge and understanding of substantive law acquired during your earlier legal studies. The module enables you to gain and apply practical legal knowledge and understanding of the following areas of law, practice and procedure in the following areas of law: wills and intestacy, probate and administration practice, taxation, taxation and in particular Inheritance Tax and the practical application of trusts law.
Criminal Law and Practice
This module enables you to gain and apply practical legal knowledge and understanding of the following areas of law, practice and procedure: core legal principles relating to a range of criminal offences, the procedure and processes involved in advising a client at the police station and the procedure and processes involved in criminal litigation.
Year Six
You will study the five practical Legal Skills required for SQE 2 through the following modules:
- Advanced Legal Skills in Criminal Practice
- Advanced Legal Skills in Dispute Resolution
- Advanced Legal Skills in Property Practice
- Advanced Legal Skills in Wills and Administration of Estates
- Advanced Legal Skills in Business Practice
Completing your Apprenticeship
To achieve the apprenticeship, all apprentices must complete an End-Point Assessment (EPA). The EPA is an independent assessment that ascertains whether an apprentice is competent in their occupation.
Gateway
Gateway is the period of time between the end of the off-the-job training (practical period) and the beginning of the assessment period when EPA will take place.
At Gateway, the apprentice, employer and training provider will review the apprentice’s knowledge, skills and behaviours to determine whether they are ready to take their EPA. This is normally done at a Gateway review meeting which takes place near the end of the apprenticeship. At this meeting, all three parties will check that the mandatory aspects of the apprenticeship have been completed and that the apprentice is ready to take their final assessment(s).
Apprentices must meet the Gateway requirement set out in the assessment plan before taking their EPA.
End-Point Assessment
This apprenticeship is non-integrated. This means that the end-point assessment is administered and assessed by an external organisation. For this apprenticeship standard there is one End-Point Assessment Organisation, Kaplan SQE Limited.
Details of the assessment elements can be found in the assessment plan.
The end-point assessment for this apprenticeship is part 2 of the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s (SRA) centralised assessment which is the Standardised Practical Legal Examination.
Successful achievement will satisfy the SRA’s regulatory framework for qualification as a solicitor, subject to the SRA’s usual tests of character and suitability.
Further information on what you'll study
Please be aware that all optional/elective modules are subject to availability, and NTU reserves the right to amend, change or withdraw modules at its discretion.
Don’t just take our word for it, hear from our students themselves
How you’re taught
In Stage 1 you will spend four years on our LLB (Hons) Law by Distance Learning course, with Years 5 and 6, respectively, spent on preparation for the SQE Stages 1 and 2.
The overall aim of this apprenticeship is to develop professionals who will, amongst other things, be able to: provide legal advice to clients; progress legal matters and transactions; apply legal knowledge and commercial awareness to produce practical, workable solutions to legal problems; and use the full range of legal skills, including research, interviewing and advising, advocacy, negotiation and drafting.
You will be engaged in studying legal theory and practice through lectures, seminars, role play and independent study, which will amount to 20% of the apprenticeship. For the balance of the apprenticeship you will be engaged in work-based learning. You will be allocated an Academic Mentor for your studies and mentored by a senior colleague in your workplace. You will have access to online course materials, the PebblePad eportfolio tool, library resources and student support services.
Route 1
Weekend release – 4 study weekends per academic year for the duration of the course
Teaching Weekends Friday – Sunday
Route 2
Weekend release – 9 study weekends in total over the duration of the course
Teaching Weekends Friday – Sunday
Case Studies
Lottie Tyler
Lottie Tyler, 26, works for the Crown Prosecution Service while studying on her degree apprenticeship. Lottie mentions her favourite thing about the degree apprenticeship “is that it has allowed me to continue working whilst learning about subjects that are directly applicable to my work”, as well as the fact it will allow her to progress her career. Read more below to hear why Lottie chose to do an apprenticeship.
Read moreHow you’re assessed
You will be assessed through a range of assignments, applied projects and presentations and examinations.
It is the application of the knowledge you have acquired during the course that will enable you to think strategically and bring about change within your organisation.
Level 5 & 6
- Internal assessments replicating the assessments for stages 1 and 2 of SQE by incorporating multiple choice questions as well as short question and answer style assessment within exams
- Stages 1 and 2 of SQE, the End Point Assessments which are set by the SRA and administered by Kaplan
Careers and employability
Successful completion of the apprenticeship, having passed the SQE and undertaken qualifying work-based learning, you will be qualified as a solicitor.
Campus and facilities
Entry requirements
What are we looking for?
You'll need to be in current employment in a legal capacity and have secured your employer's agreement to support you through the degree apprenticeship.
Individual employers will have a selection criteria for their apprentices, however an apprentice will also require the following:
Route 1 – LLB (Hons) Law
You will need one of the following:
- A-level: BBB excluding General Studies; or
- A-level: BB excluding General Studies and AS-level: BC taken at the same sitting; or
- BTEC Extended Diploma: DDM; or
- ACCESS qualification indicating academic strength; or
- A pass in the law units and skills elements of a Foundation Degree; or
- Relevant employer-led work experience; or
- Pass in CILEx Level 6 Law and Practice course or Professional Skills course; or
- Pass in CILEx Level 3 Professional Diploma in Law and Practice; or
- Pass in CILEx Level 3 Certificate in Law and Practice; or
- Pass in CILEx Law School Certificate in Criminal Prosecution, Criminal Justice Administration or DWP/DH prosecutions; or
- CPS Level 3 Certificate in Criminal Prosecution.
And
- GCSE Maths and English at grade C /4 or above (or equivalent)
If you have not achieved these GCSE (or equivalent) grades or you do not have copies of your certificates to evidence this level you will be required to complete our online functional skills assessment during the application process and must achieve:
- Maths function skills Level 1 and must be willing to gain Level 2 Maths by the end of your first year of study
- English functional skills Level 1 and must be willing to gain Level 2 English by the end of your first year of study
Learning will be provided by Nottingham Trent University as part of your apprenticeship to equip you with the knowledge needed to pass Level 2 in English and Maths by the end of your first year of study but please note that you will need to be prepared to commit to the additional learning required and longer teaching hours during your block weeks on campus.
Route 2 – PGDip Applied Legal Knowledge
You will need the following:
- A minimum 2.2 law degree or equivalent
- GCSE Maths and English at grade C/4 or above (or equivalent)
If you have not achieved these GCSE (or equivalent) grades or you do not have copies of your certificates to evidence this level you will be required to complete our online functional skills assessment during the application process and must achieve:
- Maths function skills Level 1 and must be willing to gain Level 2 Maths by the end of your first year of study
- English functional skills Level 1 and must be willing to gain Level 2 English by the end of your first year of study
Learning will be provided by Nottingham Trent University as part of your apprenticeship to equip you with the knowledge needed to pass Level 2 in English and Maths by the end of your first year of study but please note that you will need to be prepared to commit to the additional learning required and longer teaching hours during your block weeks on campus.
Other qualifications and experience
We consider equivalent qualifications and combinations, we may also consider credits achieved at other universities and your work/life experience through an assessment of prior learning. This may be for year one entry, or beyond the beginning of a course where applicable, for example, into year 2. Our Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer Policy outlines the process and options available for this route. Where necessary, applications will be referred to the Course Leader for consideration. NTU will liaise with the employer to determine their requirements.
All successful applicants must meet the criteria for Apprentices set by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA).
Contextual offers
As well as assessing your application and qualifications, we use contextual data and information to make offers for this course. Depending on your circumstances, we may make you an offer up to two grades below the standard entry criteria. Find out how we assess your application.
Getting in touch
If you need more help or information, get in touch through our enquiry form
Unfortunately apprenticeships at NTU are not open for EU or international applicants.
Fees and funding
To undertake an apprenticeship you must be employed - as such, your employer will pay your tuition fees.
If you or your employer have any questions regarding the fees and funding available for this apprenticeship, please see our Apprenticeships pages, contact our Apprenticeships team at apprenticeships@ntu.ac.uk, or call +44 (0)115 848 2589.
Unfortunately English apprenticeships are not available for EU or international students.
How to apply
If you’re currently employed and have an agreement with your employer to study an apprenticeships at NTU – apply today! Just click the Apply button at the top of the page and follow the instructions for applying. Make sure you check the entry requirements above carefully before you do.
If you are not currently employed but would like to undertake an apprenticeship at NTU, you can browse current opportunities available with employers on our Apprenticeship Vacancies page as well as sign up for notifications of new vacancies once released.
For more information on apprenticeships at NTU, contact our Apprenticeships team at apprenticeships@ntu.ac.uk or call +44 (0)115 848 2589.
Unfortunately apprenticeships at NTU are not open for EU or international applicants.