LPC with LLM [PDF]
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PROGRAMME SPECIFICATION – POSTGRADUATE PROGRAMMES KEY FACTS Programme name Legal Practice Course (LPC) Award Masters’ Degree / Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice/ Postgraduate Certificate in Legal Practice School The City Law School Department or equivalent Professional Programmes Programme code LALMLPM01 (LLM)/ LAPDLPM01 (PGD)/ LACTLPO01 (PGC)/ LACTLPV01 (ex BVC APL) / LACTLPP01 (ex BPTC APL) Route code: PSLPCM (LLM)/ PSLPCP (PGD)/ PSLPSO (PGC)/ PSLPAV (ex BVC APL)/ PSLPAP (ex BPTC APL) Type of study Full Time Total UK credits 180 Total ECTS 90 PROGRAMME SUMMARY The Legal Practice Course (LPC) is part of the required training for qualification as a solicitor of England and Wales, and follows completion of the required academic stage of training (see further below). The Programme is taught at Master's level, and its structure and content fully meet the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) requirements. The course offers you two possible routes: 1) Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice (“The LPC”) If you successfully complete the compulsory taught element of the course (150 credits) you will be awarded the Postgraduate Diploma and be certified as having completed Stages 1 & 2 of the Legal Practice Course. This is the compulsory vocational qualification required to be completed as part of your training to become a solicitor and to eligible to be admitted to the Roll of Solicitors of England and Wales. 2) LLM in Legal Practice (“the LLM”) You may choose to complete an additional 30 credit practice-focussed dissertation, following the compulsory taught element of the course, in order to achieve a Master’s Degree. It is also possible to join the course for Stage 1 of the LPC only (the Postgraduate Certificate in Legal Practice), Stage 2 of the LPC only or one or more of the electives. The LPC (Postgraduate Diploma – 150 credits) The LPC consists of two stages. Stage 1 includes the Core Practice Areas, Skills, Solicitors’ Accounts, Professional Conduct & Regulation and the reserved area of Wills & Administration of Estates. Stage 2 includes the three Elective subjects selected by the 1 student from the range offered. Further details are set out below and in individual module specifications. When you successfully complete both stages of the LPC, you will be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice. This award allows you to enter into a training contract or the equivalent work-based learning phase of vocational training leading to full qualification as a solicitor. Successful completion of Stage 1 alone leads to the award of a Postgraduate Certificate in Legal Practice. If you complete Stage 2 alone, or individual Electives, at City Law School, you will receive a transcript of results. The LPC provides a foundation for qualification and work as a solicitor. It assumes as a starting point legal knowledge and understanding of the seven foundation areas of law as covered by a qualifying law degree or by a CPE or Graduate Diploma in Law course, and it is designed to support you in developing transferable knowledge and skills at a level appropriate to enter legal practice. The programme adds value to previous legal study and experience, developing skills and knowledge to professional entry level, and ensuring that you work through the type of tasks and transactions most commonly performed by a solicitor early in practice. There is no relevant Benchmark Statement, but fulfilment of the degree level Law Benchmark is assumed as a starting point for the Programme. Once you have completed the Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice you will explore knowledge related to legal practice from different perspectives to broaden your expertise and skills. You will also evaluate critically current practice in the Core Practice areas and the three electives that you study. As a result you will be able to provide appropriate critiques of knowledge and techniques in the practice of the law which will allow you to devise solutions to the sort of complex problems that you will be expected to deal with in your training contract or period of work based learning. The insight and skills that you acquire will be applicable to the broad range of environments that you might encounter during your career. Those students who only complete the necessary modules for the Postgraduate Certificate (Stage 1 of the LPC) will acquire the necessary insight, scholarly techniques and skills appropriate for successful legal practice. These will be acquired in the broad context of the Core Practice areas and will not be refined by the study of the more specific contexts which are considered in the electives Aims The Programme’s core aims are those set out in the SRA’s LPC Outcomes (September 2011): to prepare you for work-based learning, and to provide a general foundation for practice. In particular, at the end of the course, if successful you should be able, under appropriate supervision, to: research and apply knowledge of the law and legal practice accurately and effectively; identify and analyse the client's objectives and different means of achieving those objectives and be aware of the financial, commercial and personal priorities and 2 constraints to be taken into account, as well as the costs, benefits and risks involved in transactions or courses of action; perform the tasks required to advance transactions or matters and communicate conclusions in a clear, structured and persuasive way in writing and orally; understand the key ethical requirements contained in the SRA Principles of Regulation and Code of Conduct, understand where these may impact and be able to apply them in context; demonstrate your knowledge, understanding and skills in: o Professional Conduct and Regulation o the core practice areas (CPAs) of Business Law and Practice, Property Law and Practice, and Litigation o Wills and Administration of Estates and Taxation o Solicitors’ Accounts o the course skills of Practical Legal Research, Writing, Drafting, Interviewing and Advising, and Advocacy. demonstrate knowledge, understanding and skills in the three areas covered by your choice of electives; and reflect on your learning and identify your learning needs. The immediate LPC aim is to ensure that you are ready to perform skills and tasks under the supervision normally and properly accorded to a trainee. However, the course also aims to ensure that you are able to transfer skills learned from one context to another, and to advance your knowledge and understanding and skills to a higher level, to continue to learn independently as required for continuing professional development. The LLM (180 credits) You can develop your Legal Practice Course into a full LLM by undertaking an additional research-based dissertation module. The City Law School delivers the LPC at Master’s level; the dissertation enables you to earn the same credit as a conventional Master’s degree. The Dissertation module requires further research and analysis leading to the completion of a 7,500-10,000 word dissertation on an approved topic related to professional legal practice. Successful completion of the dissertation, following completion of the Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice (LPC) at The City Law School leads to the award of an LLM in Legal Practice. The course builds on the LPC, providing you with an opportunity to work individually to develop your expertise in a particular area of legal knowledge and/or professional skill, your skills in research, independent working and presentation and to demonstrate an ability to continue to advance your knowledge and understanding of professional legal practice through independent and reflective learning. The LLM Programme aims to support high quality entry into the legal profession, and successful specialisation within the legal profession. 3 You will write a dissertation examining an aspect of legal practice. You will be given a number of topics based on the LPC core practice areas and electives subjects. You will research a chosen area and write a 7,500-10,000 word dissertation on your findings. Your work should be based on a systematic and evaluative review of the current literature with a focus on legal practice and where relevant its enhancement. The approach will involve critical examination of material and consideration of different perspectives, which will help you to develop insight and practice-related techniques. Your work will be expected to demonstrate a sound scholarly base, with critical analysis and practice-focused insight. This LLM programme aims to enhance your ability to analyse, interpret and criticise substantive and adjectival law relevant to professional practice, and/or the skills required for professional legal practice. In particular, it will support you in: demonstrating initiative and personal responsibility in tackling and solving problems, acting autonomously in planning and implementing a task at a professional level enhancing your knowledge and understanding of, as appropriate, substantive law, procedural and evidential rules, and skills relevant to legal professional practice developing an integrated, analytical, problem solving and reflective approach to legal practice developing a practical understanding of how techniques of research, analysis and enquiry are used in gathering and interpreting legal knowledge and factual data relevant to legal practice analysing complex factual and legal information systematically and critically developing an ability to interpret the results of analysis in the light of existing or