Legal Practice Course - Keele University
Careers banner

Careers and Employability logo

Careers and Employability

Applications for the Legal Practice Course 2013/14

What is the legal practice course?

The LPC is currently the qualification that must be undertaken prior to taking up a training contract. The LPC is split into Stage 1 and 2. Stage 1 covers the three essential practice areas of Business Law and Practice, Property Law and Practice, and Litigation and the course skills Professional Conduct and Regulation, Taxation and Wills and Administration and Estates. Stage 2 is made up of three vocational electives.

Stages 1 and 2 can be undertaken with one provider over one year full time or two years part time. However, you can now choose to split Stage 1 and 2 and stagger the courses over five years. All of Stage 1 must be undertaken with the same provider but you can take the Stage 2 electives at three separate providers if you wish to. For more detail see the Student and Trainee section on www.sra.org.uk. 

How and when do I apply?

Applications to the full-time Legal Practice Course are handled by a central clearing-house: The Legal Practice Course Central Applications Board (CAB). Tel: 01483 301282.  All full time course providers are listed on this website with a full listing on the Students and Trainees section of www.sra.org.uk. 

You are encouraged to apply online via the above website but in exceptional circumstances paper versions of the form can be obtained by ringing or writing to CAB.

Apply in the autumn of your final year (or in the autumn of your Diploma in Law) for the next September's intake. Apply in the correct year, even if away travelling. The opening date for accessing and submitting completed application forms to the Central Applications Board is early October 2012.

What is on the form?

In terms of questions, the form is very straightforward.  In addition to personal and educational information, it will ask you to list three choices of institution, request 'other information' which is your opportunity to promote yourself and to ask you to nominate a referee.  Guidance on these three sections is given below, in 'What are the selectors looking for?'.

A reference MUST be provided. Your referee should be someone who teaches you/has taught you at university. In the Law school this would usually be your personal tutor. Nominate your referee on the application form and do remember to ask their permission in advance. They will then be contacted by email once you have submitted your application. Do allow sufficient time for your referee to complete the reference. The CAB will send you reminders if the referee has not responded.

If you have any disability or medical condition which affects your ability to complete the application form, contact CAB for assistance.

How do I choose a course?

A guide to courses and a selection of prospectuses are available in the K files in the Careers and Employability Resource Room and a list can be found at www.sra.org.uk. The Student and Trainee section of the website also includes assessments of each LPC.  You can place up to three institutions on the application form. Course selectors will pay attention to the order of your choices.  Issues to bear in mind when choosing a course include:

  • Location - where do you want to work? Some firms develop links with particular courses in their geographic area.
  • Electives - what options can you pursue? Ideally, you should be able to choose a course with electives that match your interests.
  • Orientation - does the LPC have a specific bias? A number of LPCs are tailored for a specific market e.g. City, Commercial, Public Services.
  • Style of delivery - how much contact time is there? How flexible is timetabling and attendance? What use is made of technology? It is critical to think about your learning and study styles and then consider which courses would suit you.
  • Teaching - how have the Law Society graded the course? What comments have they made on the facilities or teaching methods? See the LPC assessments in the Student and Trainee section of www.sra.org.uk.
  • Gradings - how have the Law Society graded the course? What comments have they made on the facilities or teaching styles? See the LPC assessments in the Student and Trainee section of www.sra.org.uk.
  • Reputation - how do solicitors in your intended area of practice/region regard the course?
  • Careers support - does the course have dedicated advisers/tutors? What kind of vacancy systems do they operate? Do they offer a service before the course begins?
  • Mentoring schemes - formal links with practising solicitors provide advice and support whilst a student. Find out what is available.
  • Cost - course fees do vary and it is worth checking exactly what they cover.
  • Selection criteria - do the selectors have a certain student profile in mind? Do you meet their criteria?

See our files in the Careers and Employability Centre for course information and the Solicitor Regulation Authority website for course listings and gradings.

What are the selectors looking for?

Selection varies by institution, but academic performance and evidence of commitment to a legal career are important. Factors considered will include:

  • Academic achievement. Some courses have a distinct preference for an achieved or anticipated 2:1 and will look carefully at A level or equivalents whilst others will look primarily at work experience.
  • Evidence of motivation. This could include legal work experience, voluntary work with a legally related organisation or client interviewing at university. The more competitive courses will be very unlikely to offer a place to a student who has not had legal work experience as it is very difficult to be convincing regarding career ambitions without it.
  • Skills profile. Both study skills and work skills are critical to getting through the LPC.  Recruiters for the course will be looking for evidence of skills such as organisation, presentation, customer care, commercial awareness and more... These skills could have been developed in a variety of contexts. Analyse the skills you have developed and highlight the relevant ones.

The factual information that you give alongside the 'other information' will give selectors the facts that they need for the recruitment process. Ensure that you are clear regarding why you wish to be a solicitor and how you have developed the skills to undertake the LPC and practise in the profession. You are being judged as a potential professional so make sure that the form is appropriately presented in terms of structure, grammar, spelling and language.

Funding

The fees for the full-time course are likely to be in the region of £7,500 - £13,000. Living expenses are additional. Materials may be included in the fees but this will vary.  

Most students undertaking the LPC are self-funding. Sources of support are:

  • Funding by large commercial / corporate law firms who have made training contract offers.  See Applying for Training Contracts for information on identifying law firms.

  • Law Society Bursaries allocated on the basis of excellence and need allocated via Charities and Trusts. The Law Society Diversity Acccess Scheme supports those with particular obstacles to overcome in order to qualify. See: http://juniorlawyers.lawsociety.org.uk/node/140#lsschemes Information on whether the schemes will run and the application process should be available on the Junior Lawyers Division website from January 2013
  • Some LPC Providers will have scholarship competitings available as do some legal publications. Watch the legal press, LPC providers' websites and careers emails for news of these.

  • High Street Loan Schemes have been a common source of finance for those considering the LPC. Several banks offer special schemes for the LPC with discounted interest rates and deferred repayment options. Given recent changes in the banking system, there is no central listing and lending criteria are strictly applied. Some LPC providers recommend specific banks and you can contact local branches directly.

  • Professional and Career Development Loans. These are available from  high street banks in co-operation with the Skills Funding Agency. You can borrow between £300 and £10,000 for vocational education.  See www.direct.gov.uk then use the search facility for more information.

  • The Junior Lawyers Division (JLD) helpline can provide all prospective and current students with information regarding financial help. Call them on 08000 856 131.

Joining the law society

You must be a member of the Law Society prior to the commencement of the LPC. If you apply to the full-time LPC through the Central Applications Board, the board will give the SRA your details and you will automatically be sent an enrolment form. If you apply individually you must contact SRA for a form.

You should ensure your application has been received by 1 August in the year you intend to start the LPC. If you anticipate that that there may be any character and suitability issues requiring consideration, your application must be received by the SRA no later than 1 April of the year in which you intend to start the LPC. Ask for advice on this if you are uncertain regarding what this terminology actually means.
SRA's Student Enrolment for guidance on application requirements: www.sra.org.uk/students/student-enrolment.page.

Certificate of completion of the academic stage

The university automatically notifies the SRA that you have achieved your qualifying law degree.  This is necessary for entrance to the LPC. Please ensure the law office has your up to date personal details.  

Additional information

It is essential that before embarking on the LPC, you are committed to a career as a solicitor and have made a positive decision to pursue law. Given the current level of competition for training contracts, it is vital to gain as much relevant work experience as possible and to apply for training contracts in plenty of time. For some firms the application deadlines will be as early as two years prior to starting LPC. The Careers and Employability Service provides comprehensive advice, workshops and information on legal and other careers as well as the LPC and individual courses.

 

Updated: 1 October 2012