Training contracts

BPP Law School: Law - solicitor training contracts

BPP Law School - preparing you for practice

BPP Law School is a leading provider of professional legal education, located in Birmingham*, Bristol*, Leeds, London (Holborn and Waterloo) and Manchester.

BPP Law School offers undergraduate, postgraduate and professional programmes designed in consultation with law firms, including:

• LLB (Honours) and LLB (Business Law) (Honours)
• LLB (Honours) (GDL Conversion)
• Graduate Certificate in Commercial Law
• LLM (Commercial Law)
• LLM (Financial Regulation and Compliance)
• LLM (International Business Law)
• LLM (Professional Legal Practice)
• Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL)
• Legal Practice Course (LPC)
• Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) (formerly BVC)
• Bar Transfer Test
• LLB and GDL Revision Programme
• Law Summer School

BPP offers you flexibility and many different study modes. With full-time, part-time and distance learning programmes available, and live lectures also recorded in MP3 format for you to download and on DVD, you can study at a time and in a way that is convenient for you. We now have January start dates for the LLB and LLB (Business Law) in London and via distance learning, the full-time and part-time GDL in all locations and the full-time LPC in Leeds and Manchester.

BPP has the skills and resources to offer the individual support needed to prepare you for the realities of legal practice; academics and practitioner tutors, first-rate facilities, award-winning pro bono projects and a specialist careers service.

Studying at BPP equips you with the knowledge and experience to secure a training contract or pupillage and begin your legal career.

*Subject to SRA approval.

LLB (Honours) and LLB (Business Law) (Honours) - Undergraduate degree in Law (full-time, part-time, and distance learning) - London (Waterloo)

The LLB and LLB (Business Law) are undergraduate honours degrees in law which qualify you to begin your legal training – so you can go on to take either the Legal Practice Course (LPC) to be a solicitor, or the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) to be a barrister. Of course, it isn’t just for prospective lawyers – an LLB is a useful and respected degree in its own right that demonstrates academic excellence and can prepare you for a whole host of professions.

Studying the LLB (Honours) and LLB (Business Law) (Honours) with BPP gives you:

> the opportunity to complete the programme in two years meaning you can start your legal career sooner
> an admissions process based on a diagnostic test and interview, and not the UCAS points system
> the use of Client Information Packs in teaching, bringing the law to life by simulating the work of a lawyer in practice
> teaching from leading academics and experienced practitioners
> three start dates per year – September, January and May - and you can accelerate or decelerate the pace of or even take a break from your studies, in line with the level of workload that you are able to handle

For further information on our LLB programmes, please visit our website

Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) - (full-time, part-time and distance learning (online and in school options) - Leeds, London (Holborn and Waterloo) and Manchester)

The GDL is a conversion programme enabling graduates in any non-law subject, overseas law graduates, those holding non-qualifying law degrees and non-graduates with significant vocational experience to convert to a career in law. After completing the GDL you can progress to the Legal Practice Course (for intending solicitors) or the Bar Professional Training Course (for intending barristers).

Studying the GDL with BPP gives you:

> lectures that are available in four formats – live in the lecture theatre, on DVD and as MP4 and MP3 files. At BPP we use technology to complement rather than replace traditional face-to-face teaching – the four lecture formats give you the freedom to enhance your learning and make use of all options, and to study when is convenient for you
> a higher ratio of tutorials to lectures than any other leading provider – one hour of tutorial to every hour of lecture. So you have the support to succeed.
> an optional ‘GDL Extra’ programme, so you can specialise early in areas related to practice. We also offer an optional Company Law programme
> flexibility in study options - whether you study part-time or full-time, you can choose either live or online tutorials for total flexibility. In addition, there are catch-up tutorials which are a repeat of the live ones, and online tutorials are also recorded allowing you to review them again later
> two start dates per year in September and January, giving you more choice in deciding when you want to study
> You have the opportunity to convert your GDL to an LLB by completing two additional modules via distance learning or a combination of face-to-face and distance learning

For further information on our GDL, please visit our website.

Legal Practice Course (LPC) - (full-time and part-time - Birmingham*, Bristol*, Leeds, London (Holborn and Waterloo) and Manchester)

The LPC is the vocational stage of training for those intending to practise as a solicitor. At BPP, we view the LPC not only as a qualification but as the start of your career. Studying the LPC with BPP will enable you to fully develop the key legal, business and commercial skills required to be an effective trainee. By choosing BPP you will be in good company as we are an exclusive LPC provider to many leading law firms.

Studying the LPC with BPP gives you:

> a wide range of electives, allowing you to specialise in your chosen area of law
> personal tutor support and guidance to increase your confidence and assist you in realising your potential
> the opportunity to gain legal experience and put what you learn into practice through our award-winning pro bono centre
> lectures in three formats – live in the lecture theatre, as audio files for download onto your MP3 player and as audio-visual MP4 files – giving you the freedom to study when convenient for you and to access the recordings for revision purposes
> an extensive range of manuals, practitioner texts and statutes and online resources required for the programme included in the programme fees
> business and commercial awareness training to prepare you for the realities of practice, whether in a large City firm, a small to medium-sized firm, a not-for-profit organisation or an in-house company legal department
> 14-16 hours of teaching per week taught by experienced solicitors in small group sessions
> the opportunity to graduate with an LPC, which is taught at masters level, and a masters degree – LLM (Professional Legal Practice) - by studying an extra two modules over as little as four months

For further information on our LPC, please visit our website.

Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) (formerly known as BVC)
(full-time and part-time - Leeds and London (Holborn))

The BPTC (formerly the Bar Vocational Course or BVC) brings new demands to the vocational stage of training for intending barristers. An essential step to being called to the Bar and completing a pupillage, the BPTC can be studied either full-time, or part-time on one weekend every month – so you don’t even have to live in the city to get all the benefits.

Studying the BPTC with BPP gives you:

> mock and real advocacy in addition to conference assessments with actors and tutors who continue to work in practice, meaning your training is professionally up-to-date and you get a realistic experience of work as a barrister
> a strong focus on advocacy classes which are recorded and fed back on to prepare you for life at the Bar
> an extensive range of textbooks, online resources and practitioner books required for the programme included in the programme fees, so you can begin to reference professional texts and to build your own practitioner library as soon as you start your training
> the opportunity to graduate with a BPTC, which is taught at masters level, and a masters degree – LLM (Professional Legal Practice) - by studying an extra two modules over four months

For further information on our BPTC, please visit our website.

LLM (Commercial Law), LLM (Financial Regulation and Compliance) and LLM (International Business Law) – Masters degrees in law (full-time and part-time - London (Holborn))

A masters in law (LLM) demonstrates a high level of expertise, allowing you to specialise in areas of particular interest and opening up new career possibilities – both inside and outside law. BPP's LLMs are designed to give you a competitive advantage in the specialist areas of commercial, financial regulation and compliance or international business law in either the UK or overseas. Our LLMs benefit from BPP's close relationships with major city and international law firms and provide you with an ideal balance between an academically rigorous programme and preparation for the realities of practice.

Studying an LLM with BPP gives you:

> seminars with a maximum of 16 students, ensuring you have the support needed to succeed
> a comprehensive speaker programme with talks from eminent academics, experienced practitioners and specialists involved in commercial, financial regulation and compliance and international business practice
> a focus on development of self-study and research
> a variety of options designed by practising lawyers and leading academics, ensuring you study topical legal areas that are of interest to you

The LLMs offer a diverse range of subjects including Advanced Corporate Law, Business Tax Law, Commercial Law, Financial Regulation and Compliance, Fraud and Financial Crime, International Banking Law, International Dispute Resolution and Islamic Financial Law.

BPP Law School was the first higher education institution to be designated a ‘Centre of Excellence’ in the field of investment regulation and compliance by the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI), which means we can offer a specialised LLM (Financial Regulation and Compliance). If you complete this programme you will be eligible for full SII membership and will qualify for the award of the CISI Diploma in Investment Compliance* in addition to your masters degree.

* subject to passing an exam

For further information on our LLM programmes, please visit our website.

Bar Transfer test:

The Bar Transfer Test (formerly the Bar Aptitude Test) is the transfer test for solicitors and qualified lawyers from other jurisdictions who wish to qualify to practise at the Bar of England and Wales. It is the Bar equivalent of the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test.

The Bar Transfer Test applies to:

• European Union lawyers
• solicitors admitted in England and Wales or Northern Ireland
• Northern Ireland barristers
• Scottish advocates
• Hong Kong barristers
• practitioners in other jurisdictions

LLB and GDL revision programme

Our revision programme is led by experienced academics and practitioners with relevant expertise to support and prepare you to your highest ability for these notoriously difficult exams. Although we cannot guarantee success, we will determine, explain and clarify the pertinent areas of law most commonly examined on a standard LLB/GDL programme and provide structured answers to the most commonly encountered problems and essay questions within each subject area.

BPP’s LLB and GDL revision programme gives you:

> an examination techniques session and drop-in centre where you can bring past essays and assignments for expert tutors to feedback on
> presentations by guest speakers providing advice on legal careers
> a 20% refund on revision programme fees upon registration on our LPC, BPTC or one of our LLMs

Summer School

With a mix of sample sessions and social activities, our one week Summer School provides the opportunity to meet our tutors and careers advisors and experience our facilities first-hand. It’s a real taste of life at BPP Law School, without commitment – ideal for anyone trying to make an informed choice about their next step in legal education.

Attending the summer school at BPP gives you:

• a daily specialist careers session
• an introduction to advocacy
• an introduction to the English Legal System and
legal skills
• classes on European Union Law
• classes on Public Law (Constitutional and Criminal Law)

For further information on our Summer School, please visit our website.

Funding

To widen the diversity of the legal profession, BPP operates a scholarship scheme for exceptional individuals demonstrating a strong desire and level of commitment to qualifying as a lawyer. Qualification for the scheme is based on a number of criteria including academic ability and financial need. Please visit our website at:
www.bpplawschool.com/funding_and_scholarships for further details of the generous scholarships available

For further information on our scholarship programme please visit our website.

Open Days

To help you make an informed choice about choosing the right law school, we encourage you to visit us at one of our open evenings or Saturday open days held throughout the year. These sessions provide a fun and interactive way to:

• experience a lecture
• find out more information about your chosen programme
• obtain specialist careers advice
• meet current BPP students and members of our alumni who are now working in practice
• see the quality of BPP's facilities and resources

All open evening and day dates can be found on our website. If these dates are not suitable, please contact Admissions who will arrange a personal tour at your convenience.

Contact:

Admissions
BPP Law School
68-70 Red Lion Street
London
WC1R 4NY
Tel: 0845 075 3484
Fax: 020 7404 1389
Email: admissions@bpp.com  
Website: www.bpplawschool.com

Apply:

Full programme details can be found here.
If you would like to apply please visit our website or contact admissions on 0845 077 5566 or via email.