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Legal Practice Course
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The Legal Practice Course (LPC), also known as the Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice, is the vocational stage for becoming a solicitor in England and Wales. The course is the successor to Law Society Finals and is more vocational in its syllabus. The LPC can be taken in many different formats including full-time and part-time, on week days, evenings, and weekends.
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The Legal Practice Course (LPC), also known as the Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice, is the vocational stage for becoming a solicitor in England and Wales. The course is the successor to Law Society Finals and is more vocational in its syllabus. The LPC can be taken in many different formats including full-time and part-time, on week days, evenings, and weekends. 7,076 students enrolled on the full-time LPC in September 2004, and 1,728 on the part-time course. The full-time course lasts a year, and fees range from £6,000-£11,000. A small proportion of students may have their fees and some living expenses paid for by future employers under a training contract.
The course is usually taken after a law degree, but a large minority take the course after studying a different subject at university and taking a conversion course called the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL/CPE). The LPC is regulated through the Law Society of England and Wales. Like the GDL/CPE, the LPC can be applied to through the Central Applications Board.
The LPC is also offered to LLB graduates at some Australian universities, as an alternative to an articled clerkship.
Course content
The course content can be broadly classified into four phases of learning. These are (a) core foundational subjects; (b) compulsory subjects; (c) optional subjects and (d) practical skills.
Skills
Skills comprise advocacy, interviewing and advising, writing, drafting and research, accounting, taxation, trusts and tax planning.
Compulsory 'core' subjects
Generally taught in the first (and longest) part of the course, the compulsory modules are generally, Criminal Litigation, Business Law and Practice, Property Law and Civil litigation.
Optional 'elective' subjects
In the shorter second part of the course, students choose optional subjects from a list chosen by the providing institution.
Topics vary from institution to institution, but widely available are: further criminal, further personal injury, family law, employment law, further probate and private client, commercial law, welfare law and commercial property law.
Pervasive topics
Some topics recur throughout the teaching of all course topics and can come up in all examinations. These include: professional conduct, investment business under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, European Community Law, Revenue Law, Business Accounts, Solicitor's Accounts, European Law and Human Rights Law.
Length of course
The course generally lasts nine months and has substantially less holiday than an undergraduate course. Emphasis is placed on class room teaching alongside independent study.
Eligibility
Different institutions require different grades before accepting candidates onto their course. Institutions will often interview students with third class degrees before accepting them while only some will interview before accepting a candidate with a lower second.
It is common to find students with a lower second on the LPC, however as typical recruitment policies for most (commercial) firms specify an upper second as the minimum required degree mark, students with lower second class degrees often have trouble securing funding for the LPC or employment afterwards.
Prestige of different institutions
LPC providers are rigorously inspected by the Law Society with the intention of maintaining high standards throughout the sector. Some providers are notably more expensive than others and will often be able to spend more money on both staff and facilities.
University providers (on average considered to be the cheaper providers) generally allow their students access to university libraries, IT resources as well as societies, fitness facilities and the student union.
It is believed that local solicitors are marginally more likely to employ students who have studied the LPC locally as they can show that they have regional links - and are unlikely to move away after completing the training contract.
Pass rates
In 2005, a total of 6,554 people passed the LPC, an overall rate of 84%, representing a 3% rise from the previous year. It is possible to sit all LPC exams three times before failing the course. It is necessary to pass all subjects.
For information on 2008 LPC pass rates and the numbers being awarded distinctions and commendations by each of the providers see
Timing of applications
Law students generally apply in the Autumn term of their last year, whereas CPE students apply early in the CPE course.
How to apply
All applications are controlled by the Central Applications Board, PO Box 84, Guildford, Surrey, GU3 1YX (telephone 01483 301282). They will provide an application form. Generally academic references will be needed. Alternatively, one can apply online.
Before starting the LPC, one must become a student member of the Solicitors Regulation Authority. This must be done by 1 August - and it costs £135.
Funding the LPC
The Law Society has a bursary scheme, this is available for some candidates who have already taken the LPC. Upon securing and commencing a training contract the recipient individual gets their fees paid through Law Society funds.
It is not uncommon for law firms to provide sponsorship to LPC students as part of a job offer. Generally sponsorship is only offered by wealthy commercial practices, although a limited number of legal aid sponsorship packages (funded by the Law Society of England and Wales) do exist.
Banks do offer preferential bank loans to post-graduate students. This is an expensive option with loans of up to £25,000 being available. Information on career development loans run by the Department for Education can be found in Job Centres.
Controversy surrounding LPC
Relevancy
The LPC has been criticised by some professionals as being too broad. All students have to take the compulsory subjects detailed above; regardless of whether they want a 'high street' career, or a 'commercial' one. The broad basis of the course could be seen as bringing increased legal awareness to future professionals.
Length
The process of becoming a solicitor has been described as, 'lengthy, demanding and academically difficult.. The LPC adds an extra year onto the process of qualifying.
Discrimination
It has been argued that the Legal Profession is too 'white, male and middle class' The relatively high cost of the course makes becoming a solicitor difficult for those from disadvantaged backgrounds, many students incur further debts on top of their undergraduate loans.
Commercial Bias
A further controversy surrounds the fact that commercial legal practices are far more likely to be able to provide financial sponsorship for the LPC, this means that students from disadvantaged backgrounds have a strong financial incentive not to go into legal aid work such as crime, family and civil liberties - as legal aid firms cannot afford to sponsor the LPC. Commentators such as Clare Dyer (journalist at The Guardian) have spoken of a legal aid 'crisis' in regard to trainees.
Elective Element
The elective element of the LPC has been criticised as 'unnecessary' - as it lengthens the course and burdens students with extra costs. . The elective element is the part of the course that allows students to specialise in line with their future career.
List of LPC providers
Aberystwyth University (formerely part of the University of Wales)
Anglia Ruskin University
Bournemouth University
BPP Law School, London (Holborn and Waterloo)
BPP Law School, Leeds
BPP Law School, Manchester
Bristol Law School,
Cardiff Law School
Birmingham City University
The College of Law, Birmingham
The College of Law, Chester
The College of Law, Guildford
The College of Law, London (Bloomsbury and Moorgate)
The College of Law, York
De Montfort University
University of Exeter (will run at the University of Plymouth from September 2006)
University of Glamorgan
University of Hertfordshire
University of Huddersfield
Inns of Court School of Law
Kaplan Law School
University of Central Lancashire
Leeds Metropolitan University
Liverpool John Moores University
London Metropolitan University
Manchester Metropolitan University
Northumbria University
Nottingham Law School
Oxford Institute of Legal Practice
University of Plymouth
University of Sheffield
Staffordshire University
Swansea University
Thames Valley University
University of Westminster
University of Wolverhampton
See also
External links
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