Legal Practice Course (full-time) LLM
- Level(s) of Study: Professional
- Start Date(s): September 2024
- Duration: 1 year
- Study Mode(s): Full-time
- Campus: City Campus
- Entry Requirements:
More information
Introduction:
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100% of NTU's research submitted to the Law Unit of Assessment was assessed to be world-leading or internationally excellent in terms of research impact (REF 2021). -
96% of LLM Legal Practice Course (full-time) students are in employment and/or further study within 15 months after graduation (Graduate Outcomes Survey, 2020/21).
As a result of the introduction of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination, the last year of entry for the full time and part time LPC courses at NTU is September 2024. If you would like to complete your LPC at NTU please apply for entry in September 2024.
We are confident that our LLM Legal Practice Course (LLM LPC) will provide you with the best training currently available - we have an excellent reputation within the legal profession.
Our LPC is approved by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, and allows you to progress to qualifying work experience to become a solicitor.
Why study the LLM LPC at Nottingham Law School?
- Successful completion of all elements of the LLM LPC will result in the award of a Masters degree – an internationally recognised qualification.
- All our staff are experienced lawyers – many still practice - and you will benefit from their practical knowledge. Also, you will benefit from our visiting lecturers.
- We teach in small groups to encourage student participation.
- Every student has a personal tutor. We get to know our students and support and encourage you in both your studies and in your employment applications at the start of your legal career.
- We offer a multi-award-winning pro bono programme including NLS Legal, a Legal Advice Centre for the local community.
- Our dedicated and experienced careers consultants provide guidance and support to help you secure a training contract or other legal employment.
- The number of graduates obtaining a training contract or paralegal work is consistently high.
- The Professional Legal Practice module provides practical experience and commercial insight, which will ensure you hit the ground running at the start of your career.
- Studying with Nottingham Law School means that you have all the facilities a large Law School can offer plus the advantages of studying within a university environment which offers outstanding library, IT, support, sports, language and student union services.
- Scholarships worth up to half of the course fee are available.
- The assessment fee for the Legal Practice Course is included in the course fee.
- 100% of law students said the staff are good at explaining things (PTES 2023)
- 100% of law students said there is appropriate access to online library resources (PTES 2023)
- NTU is 3rd for number of PGT students studying Law (Latest HESA data 2021/22)
We know that with a changing job market we need to provide relevant legal experience, networking events and careers support for our students to give you the head start that you require at the beginning of your career.
Successful completion of the course enables you to proceed to a training contract and then be admitted as a solicitor. The job market is very competitive and whether you come to Nottingham Law School with a 2.1 or a 2.2 we can add value to enhance your CV and increase your employability.
What you’ll study
Successful completion of all the elements of our LLM LPC will result in the award of a Masters degree. As well as providing you with an internationally recognised qualification, you will leave us with enhanced insight into the legal profession and be better equipped to succeed. This course is also available on a part-time basis.
Students who do not wish to study for the full Masters award can still study for the award of a postgraduate diploma and receive their LPC award. However, all students will benefit from the enhancements made to the LPC.
Delivered from September to February.
Covers the compulsory elements of:
- Business (including Taxation and Business Accounts)
- Property
- Litigation (Civil and Criminal)
- Wills and Administration of Estates
- Solicitors' Accounts
- Professional Conduct and Regulation
- Skills: advocacy, interviewing, writing, drafting, and research.
Delivered from February to June.
Comprises of:
- Three elective subjects which you will select from a range of options.
- You will also be required to submit either a project of 5,000 words or a dissertation of 7,500 words to achieve a Masters degree.
Elective Modules
- Advanced Civil Litigation
- Advanced Commercial Property
- Advanced Criminal Practice
- Commercial Law
- Corporate Finance
- Employment Law
- Family and Child Protection Law
- Private Acquisitions
- Private Client
- Advanced Advocacy
View further information about each of the elective modules.
Please note that elective modules will only run if sufficient numbers of students opt for them. Consequently, we cannot guarantee that all modules will run.
During Stage One, the teaching of the Professional Legal Practice Module will also occur.
You can:
- Stop for a while after Stage One and re-join the course in a following year (although SRA rules impose time limits on how long you can wait); or
- Undertake the electives in part-time mode.
It is up to you which way you choose; most students like to complete the LPC as soon as possible, but some like to undertake electives once they have a better idea of their intended practice area. However bear in mind that the Solicitors Qualifying Examination will replace the LPC as the route to qualification as a solicitor and the LPC will be phased out.
Assessments are designed to integrate with the course as a whole. The main assessment periods occur at the end of both Stage One and Stage Two.
You will be assessed by written examination in each of the three compulsory and elective subjects (your own prescribed materials being allowed in the exams).
The nature of each skill assessment will be determined by the skill to be demonstrated. Other suitable methods of assessment are employed to cover Professional Conduct and Regulation, Solicitors' Accounts and Wills and Administration of Estates.
Your project or dissertation will be marked according to the University's protocols for Masters awards.
Throughout the course there will be numerous opportunities to receive feedback on your progress.
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
This course will be taught, and you are required to attend in person, on two full days each week in Small Group Sessions (SGS) held on either Tuesdays and Wednesdays or Wednesdays and Thursdays Lectures will be held on Fridays and these will be recorded so that attendance is not compulsory – you can view the lectures at a convenient time. This format gives you the option to be on campus for either two or three days each week. Exceptionally you may be required to attend examinations or induction events on any day of the week but you will receive notice of these dates well in advance.
To gain the LLM, you’ll need to complete a Dissertation or a Legal Project. The LLM component of this course needs to be completed in conjunction with the LPC.
If you have already successfully completed the LPC or BPTC, you can complete our LLM Legal Practice (distance learning) course which provides 60 Masters-level credits, leading to the award of an LLM.
Lecture Capture
Having listened to student feedback, Nottingham Trent University have implemented a Lecture Capture procedure. Available in all teaching rooms that have a capacity of at least 50 students, significant investments have been made to provide our students with this audio-visual facility on all of our campuses. Where possible, the majority of lectures will be available for our students to access as recordings that are synchronised with presentation slides. This provides students with a great tool for recapping on lectures and revision.
Further information
You will take three electives. Your can choose from a range of subject combinations, which have been specifically combined to align with potential practice areas.
View the full list of Legal practice Course (LPC) full-time elective modules
Please note that whilst you have an excellent choice of electives, you must choose 3 electives from 4 pre-determined blocks of elective subjects.
Careers and employability
The Solicitors Qualifying Exam
The Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) was introduced in September 2021 and is a new common assessment that those wishing to qualify as a solicitor must pass. We have designed a range of SQE preparation courses to prepare you to sit and pass the SQE centralised assessments. Find out more about the SQE and what it means for you.
Your future career
We have a dedicated Employability team who will support you in your search for a training contract; the number of Nottingham Law School graduates gaining a training contract or paralegal work is consistently high.
At Nottingham Law School we don't view the LPC in isolation. It leads to a training contract and we can provide the support required to give you the best possible start to your legal career:
- Our Employability Team provide seminars with advice about training contract applications and interview techniques.
- We will review your training contract applications and formulate individual career plans. We also provide a practical interview preparation service.
- We provide a mentoring scheme with trainees from local law firms to provide support and guidance and a personal view of what to expect from life in the profession.
- Employability and commercial awareness are given appropriate focus, which provides a true bridge into practice.
- We maintain regular contact with firms specialising in all areas of law.
There are opportunities to get involved with pro bono projects and NLS Legal, which enable you to gain practical legal work experience.
Our aim is to provide reliable, high quality legal advice and information to the local community and individuals in need. It also provides practical experience for you to undertake your professional legal training at Nottingham Law School.
Course skills
The course skills are advocacy, interviewing, research, writing and drafting and these are often seen as providing the most demanding, and hopefully rewarding, elements of the course. We give particular attention to the written skills of research and writing and drafting; we take seriously the concerns of many firms about the capacity of trainees to handle this type of work in the early part of their training contracts.
Theoretical material is kept to a minimum, and the emphasis is normally on practice and feedback to develop the skills you will need on entering the profession.
Learn a new language
Alongside your study you also have the opportunity to learn a new language. The University Language Programme (ULP) is available to all students and gives you the option of learning a totally new language or improving the skills you already have.
Learning a new language can:
- enhance your communication skills
- enrich your experience when travelling abroad
- boost your career prospects.
Campus and facilities
Entry requirements
As a result of the introduction of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination, the last year of entry for the full time and part time LPC courses at NTU is September 2024. If you would like to complete your LPC at NTU please apply for entry in September 2024.
The Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE), introduced in September 2021, is the new route to qualification as a solicitor and anyone who would like to qualify as a solicitor can do so by passing the SQE assessments. If you fall within the SRA’s transitional arrangements you can choose whether to qualify via the LPC or SQE route.
On application to the LPC you will be asked to provide confirmation from your qualifying law degree or GDL provider that you started your qualifying law degree or GDL before the relevant date referred to the transitional arrangements and are therefore eligible to qualify as a solicitor via the LPC route.
What are we looking for?
You will need one of the following options:
- a Qualifying Law degree (2.2 or above).
- Graduate Diploma in Law / CPE with an undergraduate degree (2.2 or above).
- Chartered Institute of Legal Executives qualification.
All applicants should provide evidence in their personal statement of their commitment to a career in law and will be required to provide a full reference in support of their application.
We specify these minimum entry requirements, but we will assess you individually on your ability to benefit from the course. We sometimes offer places on the basis of non-standard entry qualifications, and industrial or professional experience.
Getting in touch
If you need any more help or information, please contact us at Ask NTU or call on +44 (0)115 848 4200.
SRA Information - changes to Education and Training Regulations
The SRA has recently put in place proposals to simplify the training regulations.
These proposals have resulted in the removal of the requirements for students:
- to apply for a Certificate of Completion of the Academic Stage of Training
- to enrol with the SRA prior to commencing the LPC.
Please read the SRA revisions document
Please note that these changes could impact considerably upon you and it is your responsibility to ensure that you understand your revised obligations in respect of the LPC.
If you are in any doubt about how these changes affect you, please consult the SRA website.
Read our guidance on what the SQE means for you.
Accredited Prior Learning (APL)
Applications from students who have successfully completed either a Bar Vocational Course (BVC) or Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) within five years of enrolment to our Legal Practice Course may be considered for exemption from attendance and assessment in the following:
- Stage One - Litigation; Advocacy; Drafting
- Stage Two - Two Vocational Electives.
- It is important for such students to contact the Course Leader as promptly as possible prior to their application to the Central Applications Board to allow their APL application to be considered.
We await confirmation from the SRA of any exemptions available to students who have completed a Bar Training Course.
Students who transfer to Nottingham Law School to undertake Stage Two having successfully completed Stage One at another institution will be awarded the Professional Diploma.
Recognition of Prior Learning
NTU may admit a student with advanced standing beyond the beginning of a course, through an assessment of that student's prior learning, whether it is certificated or uncertificated. Our Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer Policy outlines the process and options available to these prospective students, such as recognising experiential learning or transferring to a similar course at another institution, otherwise known as credit transfer.
All prospective students who wish to apply via Recognition of Prior Learning should initially contact the central Admissions and Enquiries Team who will be able to support you through the process.
Getting in touch
If you need more help or information, get in touch through our enquiry form
As a result of the introduction of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination, the last year of entry for the full time and part time LPC courses at NTU is September 2024. If you would like to complete your LPC at NTU please apply for entry in September 2024.
You will need one of the following options:
- a Qualifying Law degree (2.2 or above).
- Graduate Diploma in Law / CPE with an undergraduate degree (2.2 or above).
- Chartered Institute of Legal Executives qualification.
All applicants should provide evidence in their personal statement of their commitment to a career in law and will be required to provide a full reference in support of their application.
English Language Requirements
If English is not your first language you need to show us that your language skills are strong enough for intensive academic study. We usually ask for an IELTS test and we accept some alternative English language tests. For this course you will need:
- IELTS 6.5 (5.5 in reading, writing, listening and speaking).
What is a Qualifying Law degree?
A Qualifying Law degree (QLD) is a degree recognised by the Bar Standards Board and the Solicitors Regulation Authority which enables you to progress on to further legal training to become a solicitor or barrister.
A Qualifying Law degree covers the seven foundations of Legal Knowledge:
- Law of Contract and problem–solving
- Law of Torts and Case Analysis
- Public Law and Human Rights
- European Union Law and Report writing
- Law of Trusts and Applied Legal Analysis
- Criminal Law with Mooting
- Land Law and Professional Advice
If you have not covered the above in your undergraduate degree and want to progress on to the LLM LPC or LLM BTC, you will need to complete our Postgraduate Diploma in Law (PGDL) conversion course before you begin your legal training.
SRA Information - changes to Education and Training Regulations
The SRA has recently put in place proposals to simplify the training regulations.
These proposals have resulted in the removal of the requirements for students:
- to apply for a Certificate of Completion of the Academic Stage of Training
- to enrol with the SRA prior to commencing the LPC.
Please read the SRA revisions document
Please note that these changes could impact considerably upon you and it is your responsibility to ensure that you understand your revised obligations in respect of the LPC.
If you are in any doubt about how these changes affect you, please consult the SRA website.
Read our guidance on what the SQE means for you.
Accredited Prior Learning (APL)
Applications from students who have successfully completed either a Bar Vocational Course (BVC) or Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) within five years of enrolment to our Legal Practice Course may be considered for exemption from attendance and assessment in the following:
- Stage One - Litigation; Advocacy; Drafting
- Stage Two - Two Vocational Electives.
- It is important for such students to contact the Course Leader as promptly as possible prior to their application to the Central Applications Board to allow their APL application to be considered.
Students who transfer to Nottingham Law School to undertake Stage Two having successfully completed Stage One at another institution will be awarded the Professional Diploma.
Recognition of Prior Learning
NTU may admit a student with advanced standing beyond the beginning of a course, through an assessment of that student's prior learning, whether it is certificated or uncertificated. Our Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer Policy outlines the process and options available to these prospective students, such as recognising experiential learning or transferring to a similar course at another institution, otherwise known as credit transfer.
All prospective students who wish to apply via Recognition of Prior Learning should initially contact the central Admissions and Enquiries Team who will be able to support you through the process.
Help and support
If you have any questions about your qualifications or about making an application to the University please contact our international team for advice.
Fees and funding
Home fees for 2024 entry
| Study route | Fees |
|---|---|
| 1 year (full-time) | £12,450 |
Please note, the assessment fee for the Legal Practice Course is included.
Discounts available for 2024 entry
| Professional Courses Alumni Discount | £1000 |
| University of Nottingham and University of Lincoln fee concession | £750 |
Discounts are applicable to applications for 2024 entry only. More details, including terms and conditions, can be found on the NLS funding page.
Funding your studies
Preparing for the financial side of student life is important, but there’s no need to feel anxious and confused about it. We hope that our funding pages will answer all your questions.
Please take a look at our postgraduates’ guide funding page for information about sourcing grants, bursaries and scholarships, and much more.
Career Development Loans may be available. For further information, please visit the Gov.uk website.
This course is eligible for the government postgraduate loan scheme.
Getting in touch
For more advice and guidance, you can contact our Student Financial Support Service.
Tel: +44 (0)115 848 2494
International / EU fees for 2024 entry (2024 entry to be confirmed)
| Study route | Fees |
|---|---|
| 1 year (full-time) | £12,450 |
Discounts available (2024 discounts to be confirmed)
| Professional Courses Alumni Discount | £1000 |
| University of Nottingham and University of Lincoln fee concession | £750 |
Discounts are applicable to applications for 2024 entry only. More details, including terms and conditions, can be found on the NLS funding page.
Scholarships available
We offer prestigious scholarships to new international students holding offers to study on eligible courses at the University.
Funding your studies
Please visit our postgraduate fees page for further information on course fees.
For information on how to pay your fees to the University please visit our international fee payment page.
Getting in touch
For more advice and guidance, you can contact our Student Financial Support Service.
Tel: +44 (0)115 848 2494
How to apply
Applications for this course are made online via the Central Applications Board. For further information on application you can also contact the Central Applications Board at: applications@lawcabs.ac.uk
Application closing date
Please note this course can reach its maximum capacity prior to the course start date, which will result in early closure. We encourage you to submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.
Keeping up to date
After you’ve applied, we’ll be sending you important emails throughout the application process – so check your emails regularly, including your junk mail folder.
You can get more information and advice about applying to NTU in our postgraduates’ guide. Here you’ll find advice about how to write a good personal statement and much more.
Getting in touch
If you need any more help or information, please complete the Ask NTU form.
Good luck with your application!
Applications for this course are made online via the Central Applications Board. For further information on application you can also contact the Central Applications Board at: applications@lawcabs.ac.uk
For advice on applying for a visa please visit our visa information page
For advice on how to write a good personal statement please visit our personal statement page.
Application closing date
Please note this course can reach its maximum capacity prior to the course start date, which will result in early closure. We encourage you to submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment
Keeping up to date
After you’ve applied, we’ll be sending you important emails throughout the application process - so check your emails regularly, including your junk mail folder.