2024/25 entry
LLM Legal Practice Course
About this course
LJMU's Legal Practice Course produces highly skilled, commercially aware and effective Trainee Solicitors, prepared for the demands of a Training Contract.
- Long running course with an established reputation
- Highly experienced team of tutors, including current practitioners
- Established links with the local legal profession, leading to job opportunities for graduates
- Commended pastoral support during your studies, personal tutors and subject tutors all offering an open door to deal with issues quickly and appropriately
- Generous funding scholarships available for home and overseas students
- Part-Time Study Option
The School of Law is dedicated to enabling its students to become highly effective trainee solicitors through our well respected Legal Practice Course (LPC). This LPC is trusted by the legal profession as a real predictor of your ability to meet the demands of legal practice. It is a practice-based programme - students engage in analysis and application, and workplace simulation, allowing them to develop the skills and competence required for day one of legal practice.
As an LPC student, you will join an established professional legal network and continue your professional development with experts across a variety of legal fields.
The LPC has been the prescribed course for graduates wishing to qualify as a solicitor since 1992, over 1300 lawyers have graduated from the LPC at LJMU.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority's introduction of the SQE now changes the route individuals must take to qualify as a solicitor. You can still take the traditional taught LPC here at LJMU, recognised by thousands in the legal profession, to enhance your personal development and your chances of securing employment within a very competitive legal profession.
Important dates:
The deadline for full-time applications (made via the central Applications Board) is Friday 16 August 2024. Part-time applications must be made through the LJMU online application form. The deadline for part-time applications is Friday 16 August 2024.
The programme starts on Monday 2 September 2024.
We provide extensive networking and work-placement opportunities, including enhanced work experience via our Solicitor Mentor Scheme. The dissertation element of the course provides the opportunity to enhance your career prospects through acquiring vocationally relevant knowledge. It will enable you to make a significant and measurable contribution to the body of legal knowledge in your chosen subject.
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Patrick's story
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Sinead's story
With an undergraduate degree in Geography from Edge Hill, Sinead studied for her Graduate Diploma in Law at LJMU and is now embarking on her Legal Practice Course.
"I chose LJMU because frie...
Fees and funding
There are many ways to fund postgraduate study for home and international students
Fees
The fees quoted at the top of this page cover registration, tuition, supervision, assessment and examinations as well as:
- library membership with access to printed, multimedia and digital resources
- access to programme-appropriate software
- library and student IT support
- free on-campus wifi via eduroam
Additional costs
Although not all of the following are compulsory/relevant, you should keep in mind the costs of:
- accommodation and living expenditure
- books (should you wish to have your own copies)
- printing, photocopying and stationery
- PC/laptop (should you prefer to purchase your own for independent study and online learning activities)
- mobile phone/tablet (to access online services)
- field trips (travel and activity costs)
- placements (travel expenses and living costs)
- student visas (international students only)
- study abroad opportunities (travel costs, accommodation, visas and immunisations)
- academic conferences (travel costs)
- professional-body membership
- graduation (gown hire etc)
Funding
There are many ways to fund postgraduate study for home and international students. From loans to International Scholarships and subject-specific funding, you’ll find all of the information you need on our specialist postgraduate funding pages.
Please be aware that the UK’s departure from the EU may affect your tuition fees. Learn more about your fee status and which tuition fees are relevant to you.
Rice-Jones Scholarship
The Rice-Jones Charitable Trust was set up by an individual who wanted to benefit postgraduate law students studying in the North-West of England. The lady's late husband and her father were both lawyers. This has inspired her to help students who show academic promise and a commitment to the legal profession, yet who may not have the financial support to undertake their studies. The Rice-Jones Charitable Trust is registered with the Charity Commission: charity 117189.
The Rice-Jones Scholarship will be offered to applicants who have accepted a place to study on a postgraduate law course including, but not limited to, the Graduate Diploma in Law, the Legal Practice Course, the Bar Professional Training Course or the Masters in Law.
For all 2023/24 applications, each award will total between 250 and 1500 towards study expenses. Awards granted will depend on the applications received.
Application information coming soon
Employability
Further your career prospects
LJMU has an excellent employability record with 96% (HESA 2018) of our postgraduates in work or further study six months after graduation. Our applied learning techniques and strong industry connections ensure our students are fully prepared for the workplace on graduation and understand how to apply their knowledge in a real world context.
The LPC is a prescribed stage in qualification as a solicitor in England and Wales. There are a very broad range of opportunities for employment within the legal profession. In 2018 there are over 142,000 practising solicitors and the Law Society Gazette currently has over 4800 vacancies listed. Students often worry whether they will find a training contract which will enable them to complete their qualification. The good news for students at LJMU is that, outside of London, the greatest number of training contracts are offered in the North West.
It is also the case that the skills you develop and demonstrate during your LPC are transferable to many different roles. Nationally, LPC graduates have been recruited into various careers including: banking and finance, civil service, editorial roles, insurance, and management roles in industry and retail.
The student experience
Discover life as a postgraduate student at LJMU.
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This course is currently undergoing its scheduled programme review, which may impact the advertised modules. Programme review is a standard part of the University’s approach to quality assurance and enhancement, enabling us to ensure that our courses remain up to date and maintain their high standard and relevancy.
Once the review is completed, this course website page will be updated to reflect any approved changes to the advertised course. These approved changes will also be communicated to those who apply for the course to ensure they wish to proceed with their application.
Please see guidance below on core and option modules for further information on what you will study. The core options (stage 1) are prescribed by the SRA and students are required to pass three elective option modules as part of the LPC.
Core modules
Business Law and Practice incorporating Tax
20 credits
This module aims to foster a strong understanding of Business Law and Practice, focusing on primary source materials, constitutional documents, and relevant agreements. It also emphasizes developing essential skills for identifying, analysing information, and applying it to address client needs, including transactions related to Business Law and Practice, taxation, and business accounts.
Litigation
20 credits
This module is designed to prepare students for employment in a solicitors' practice, focusing on civil and criminal litigation. It aims to help students identify the crucial stages in the litigation process.
Property Law and Practice
20 credits
To deal with a conveyancing transaction from initial instructions until post completion whether in freehold or leasehold property.
Professional Conduct and Regulation Incorporating Solicitors’ Accounts
10 credits
This module aims to equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to identify and adhere to the core duties of professional conduct, professional ethics, and the Solicitors' Accounts Rules. It also covers relevant law and issues related to compliance with money laundering regulations and financial services regulations as they apply to solicitors' firms. Successful completion of this module is a requirement for passing Stage 1 of the LPC program.
Written Legal Skills
10 credits
Students will demonstrate their competence in the legal skills and Wills & Administration of Estates, as prescribed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority as component parts of the Legal Practice Course. Students will develop a thorough and critical understanding of the skills that underpin the practice of law at a professional level.
Oral Legal Skills and Probate
10 credits
This module provides opportunities for students to develop a thorough and critical understanding of the skills that underpin the practice of law at a professional level.
Students will demonstrate competence in the legal skills and Wills & Administration of Estates, as prescribed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority as component parts of the Legal Practice Course.
Dissertation
60 credits
The core dissertation module runs across the year and is a supervised piece of independent study.
Optional Modules
Advanced Criminal Litigation Law and Practice
10 credits
This module aims to advance students' knowledge of legal procedure and practice, focusing on complex matters at the police station, youth offender representation, bail arguments, trial preparation, sentencing, and appeals. It also covers additional areas like immigration and motoring offenses, with an emphasis on advanced advocacy in the youth and Magistrates Court.
Advanced Personal Injury Law and Practice
10 credits
This Personal Injury elective expands upon students' prior understanding of civil litigation. It equips them with the knowledge and skills needed for personal injury practice, covering clinical negligence, disease, and fatal accident cases. The module enhances their abilities in fact and evidence analysis, including expert medical evidence, as well as quantum assessment. Students further develop their knowledge of case management, negotiation, and civil litigation procedures, especially in multi-track litigation. The elective focuses on multi-track litigation, clinical negligence, disease, and fatal accident cases, while providing opportunities to hone negotiation, legal research, and advocacy skills.
Employment Law and Practice
10 credits
This module aims to provide students with comprehensive knowledge and practical understanding of employment contracts, employment protection rights, discrimination matters, and the commercial aspects of employment, considering both the employee and employer viewpoints. It also focuses on enhancing students' analytical and research capabilities, with a specific emphasis on employment-related transactions and problem-solving techniques. Moreover, the module extends the application of negotiation, research, writing, drafting, and advocacy skills within the realm of Employment Law.
Family Law and Practice
10 credits
This module prepares students for family law practice by equipping them with the essential knowledge and skills required at every stage of family law work. It covers various crucial aspects, including domestic violence protection, private child law, marital separation, divorce, and advising unmarried couples.
General Commercial Law and Practice
10 credits
In this module, students will gain a solid understanding of General Commercial Law and Practice within the framework of Mergers and Acquisitions. They will work with primary source materials, sale and purchase documents, and other relevant agreements. The module also hones key transferable skills, such as information identification and analysis, which are essential for addressing client needs and conducting transactions within the realm of General Commercial Law and Practice. The topics covered include Company and Business Sales, Standard Terms and Conditions of Sale, Websites and Online Contracts, Intellectual Property, and Employment Matters.
Housing Law and Practice
10 credits
This module is designed to prepare students for legal practice in the areas of residential tenancy law, local authority duties towards individuals in need of housing, and possession claims by secured lenders against residential borrowers. Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of the rights, responsibilities, and remedies of residential tenants and their landlords, excluding long-leaseholders. The module also covers the legal obligations of local authorities when addressing the needs of homeless individuals and others requiring alternative housing solutions.
Private Client Law and Practice
10 credits
Be able to understand the nature of work undertaken in a private client department within a law firm.
Commercial Property Law and Practice
10 credits
client goals
Teaching
An insight into teaching on your course
Study hours
The course does not follow the standard University calendar and runs from the beginning of September until June with only two weeks holiday at Christmas and two weeks at Easter/Spring Holiday.
Teaching methods
Much of the course is taught through small group skills-based teaching (maximum group size 20), supplemented with large group sessions, directed reading and self-study exercises and preparation.
Applied learning
Considerable emphasis is placed on practice and you will acquire a range of essential lawyers skills by carrying out realistic transaction-based tasks.
Assessment
How learning is monitored on your programme
To cater for the wide-ranging content of our courses and the varied learning preferences of our students, we offer a range of assessment methods on each programme.
Our academic team have designed your assessed work around the needs of the legal profession to ensure that you fulfil your potential at this important stage of your development. The form of assessment for the LPC element of the course is prescribed by the SRA and must be supervised. This means that core and option subjects are largely assessed by open-book examinations. Skills are assessed by way of coursework for drafting, practical legal research and writing, or by live role play assessment for advocacy and interviewing and advising. The LLM assessment is in two parts. An initial 2000 word research proposal followed by a 10,000 word dissertation.
Course tutors
Our staff are committed to the highest standards of teaching and learning
Fiona Fargher
Programme Leader
A principal lecturer at LJMU's Law School, Fiona is the programme leader for the LPC. She is module leader for the Criminal Litigation module on the LPC and teaches Advocacy, Criminal Litigation, Family Law and Practice and Legal Research modules on the LPC. She also teaches Criminal Law, Family Law and Legal Research on the GDL and Independent Learning in Law, Family and Media Law on the LLB. Fiona formerly worked as criminal defence and family lawyer in Merseyside, Cheshire and the Thames Valley and as a consultant trainer with Merseyside Police, delivering training on courtroom skills and human rights. A member of Liverpool Law Society, Fiona has taught on the LPC since January 1995 and is proud to have contributed to the academic development of more than 1000 lawyers during her career to date at LJMU.
The School of Law offers a stimulating and rewarding environment for postgraduate study.
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School facilities
What you can expect from your School
The School is based in the Redmonds Building, in the heart of the bustling Mount Pleasant Campus and Liverpool's growing Knowledge Quarter. Redmonds is shared by three Schools within the Faculty of Arts, Professional and Social Studies Liverpool Screen School and the School of Law - and Liverpool Business School, making for a rich blend of student learning experiences. The building is home to high quality lecture theatres and seminar rooms, social spaces, and a cafe. It is only a short walk from LJMU's Aldham Robarts Library, which contains all the resources you will require for your studies.
Entry requirements
You will need:
Qualification requirements
Undergraduate degree
- To have completed the academic stage of training as prescribed by the SRA. This is normally evidenced by the possession (actual or predicted) of a qualifying law degree or the Common Professional Examination/Graduate Diploma in Law
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- A minimum second class honours average of at least 50% actual or predicted in the Common Professional Examination/Graduate Diploma in Law
International requirements
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IELTS
- IELTS 6.5 (minimum 5.5 in each component)
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Other international requirements
- International students applying to study a full-time taught Masters, MRes, MPhil or PhD at LJMU should check if they require an Academic Technology Approval Scheme or ATAS certificate. Contact International Admissions Team for more details
- International students entering on a Student visa cannot study part-time
Further information
- Extra Requirements
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RPL
- RPL is not accepted on this course
Application and selection
Securing your place at LJMU
LAWCABS is the official application route for this full-time programme. Further information on the application process can be found here https://www.lawcabs.ac.uk. To apply for the part-time programme you are required to complete an LJMU online application.
The University reserves the right to withdraw or make alterations to a course and facilities if necessary; this may be because such changes are deemed to be beneficial to students, are minor in nature and unlikely to impact negatively upon students or become necessary due to circumstances beyond the control of the University. Where this does happen, the University operates a policy of consultation, advice and support to all enrolled students affected by the proposed change to their course or module.