Legal Practice Doctor of
- Level(s) of Study: Postgraduate research
- Start Date(s): January 2023
- Duration: Between 4 and 8 years
- Study Mode(s): Part-time
- Campus: City Campus
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Entry Requirements:
More information
Introduction:
The programme has been designed to provide those who work in the broad area of the public and human service professions an opportunity to study part-time for a doctorate.
After the Legal Services Act 2007, how do you stand out from the crowd?
A professional doctorate is a research degree designed for those in professional practice to deepen their understanding and engagement with practice. You may be interested in conventional legal doctrinal research, perhaps in a practice-based area such as funding of litigation; or the law in action in areas such as insolvency law or legal education by rigorous socio-legal data collection and analysis.
In the NTU programme, you will have the advantage of working with and sharing discussion with colleagues from other disciplines, principally social practice and education for additional and unusual insight into their own work and working practices. Exposure, in this multi-disciplinary setting, to challenging theoretical frameworks; philosophies and forms of enquiry is intellectually stimulating and personally inspiring.
Research projects
A suitable research project for the professional doctorate will have a close relationship with your own practice and identity as a lawyer. It may involve investigating or implementing change at an organisational or wider level. It will involve you in making decisions about what and how to research, and in exploring the implications of that research, not only for your practice, but for yourself.
Consistent with the approach used successfully by Nottingham Law School for almost twenty years, you will be encouraged to engage in a process of continuous reflection on yourself, your practice and your research throughout the programme. We expect you to become expert in your chosen field of investigation, developing and demonstrating your autonomy and confidence as a researching professional through discussion, reading and research investigation.
Programme aims
- Provide students with an opportunity to explore both the complex relationships between knowledge, theory and practice, and also the intricate nexus of understanding the world and changing it.
- Develop students' ability to design and implement a research project at the boundaries of knowledge of their professional and educational fields.
- Provide students with an opportunity to develop their judgement, foresight and problem analysis by applying theoretical and philosophically tuned forensic skills to the research material derived from their investigations.
- Provide students with an opportunity to develop as both reflective and reflexive practitioners who have the intellectual and personal adaptability to be able to deal with the complexities of organisational change and ambiguity.
- Provide students with an opportunity to develop communication skills which enables participants to communicate effectively with both academics and practitioners from the world of education and the communities in which people live, and to act as mediators between the constituencies involved.
In order to meet these aims the programme of study has been structured around the process of research.
Admission to the programme will be by application and interview. International students are welcome (subject to English language requirements). You do not have to be a qualified lawyer to achieve the D Legal Prac award, but should be involved in some form of legal practice, e.g. in the in-house, academic (including vocational), regulatory or not-for-profit sectors.
Contact details
Doctoral School Administrator
Telephone: +44 (0)115 848 8154
Email
What you’ll study
Careers and employability
This programme provides a doctoral qualification for practising lawyers and those working in related professions such as legal educators, aiding personal and professional development.
Campus and facilities
How to apply
How to apply
Visit the Doctoral School's step by step guide to make an application.
The normal benchmark for the Doctorate in Legal Practice admission will be professional qualification plus seven years post-qualification experience (PQE).
Applicants are requested to include a short statement about their proposed project. For example this might include:
- Provisional title
- The topic or area of law or legal practice to be investigated and how this is linked to your own professional practice
- The problem or hypothesis to be tested (the research question(s) or problem to be addressed)
- The methods and techniques to be used in the research – for example, might empirical methods such as interviews or surveys be involved? If so, do you have any previous experience of such methods?
- A brief bibliography of any sources you have already consulted or identified as of relevance
- How your proposed project might relate to existing discussion, debate, research or literature.
Should I apply for the Doctorate in Legal Practice or a part-time PhD?
For more information
Please contact the Doctoral School Administrator, by email or telephone +44 (0)115 848 8154.
Apply online through our NTU applicant portal.
Application advice
Apply early so that you have enough time to prepare – processing times for Student visas can vary, for example. 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.
Writing your personal statement
Be honest, thorough, and persuasive – we can only make a decision about your application based on what you tell us:
Would you like some advice on your study plans?
Our international teams are highly experienced in answering queries from students all over the world. We also have members of staff based in Vietnam, China, India and Nigeria and work with a worldwide network of education counsellors.
- Complete this simple form to keep in touch with the International Office.
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