Legal Practice Course (LPC)

Course Details

What is the LPC?

The LPC is the final stage of training to become a qualified solicitor. You study the LPC after successful completion of a qualifying law degree, or other recognised qualifications.

The LPC is recognised and well-respected and valued by law firms due to the level of practical preparation our students receive, beyond just theory. It’s a hands-on qualification and certifying means that you will be able to adapt to working life as a solicitor and thrive quickly.

We have designed our LPC to fit in with your life and plans - you can study full-time, part-time or take an accelerated course. Whatever you choose, all routes are designed to offer you the best possible preparation to practise law. At ULaw, we focus on the skills that employers are most interested in so that you can enhance your academic knowledge while preparing for the realities of life in legal practice.

Is the LPC the same as the SQE?

Not exactly. The SQE is the new route to becoming a solicitor, being gradually phased in by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). You can find useful, clear guidance and information surrounding the transition to the SQE on our SQE Hub or our free guide, An SQE Course for Everyone.

Am I still able to study the LPC?

A large majority of law students can still study the LPC, even with the (Solicitors Qualifying Examination) SQE being phased in over time. However, due to the reduction in available training contracts, and the SRA’s transitional arrangements, fewer students will be eligible to use the LPC route each year moving forward. If you have already started a qualifying law degree (QLD), GDL, MA Law or training contract there are transition arrangements in place until 31 December 2032 to qualify as a solicitor under the LPC route.

There’s no need to worry if your experience doesn’t match the requirements for the LPC. You’ll be able to qualify as a solicitor by following the new SQE path - find out more about the route available to you over on our SQE hub or download our guide, An SQE Course for Everyone.

If you’re not sure whether you can study the LPC based on these requirements, get in touch with our friendly team. We’ll advise you based on your own ambition and previous studies. 

Email [email protected] or call +44 (0) 800 289 997

Should students choose to study the LPC or SQE?

The SRA has advised that LPC students or graduates who have not secured a training contract can combine the SQE pathway’s two years of Qualifying Work Experience (QWE) and SQE2 assessment as an equivalent to a period of recognised training. On successful completion of this you would be admitted as a solicitor under the LPC route. You can find out more on the SRA website.

In more detail

You can still continue with the LPC route to qualify as a solicitor if you have completed, started, accepted an offer, or paid a non-refundable deposit for one of the following by 31 August 2021:

• Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) / Common Professional Examination
• MA Law
• Legal Practice Course (LPC)
• a period of recognised training (also known as a training contract)

For a qualifying law degree (QLD) and exempting law degree (ELD), such as our LLB, you must have completed, started, accepted an offer or paid a non-refundable deposit by 21 September 2021.

In most cases, for the QLD, ELD and CPE, the relevant course must have started at the latest on or before 31 December 2021.

If you started the full-time GDL or MA Law in September 2021, you should be eligible to commence the Legal Practice Course (LPC) in September 2022, once you have successfully completed your course.

What else should I know?

• The LPC is eligible for financial support such as a postgraduate student loan, bursaries and scholarships.
• If you already have a training contract in place, the LPC is the route we would recommend. If you don’t have a training contract arranged already, then the SQE may be more suitable for you because it is more flexible in terms of options for work experience.
• If your underlying law degree did not include the EU Law module you will need to study an extra module before the LPC. This standalone online module provides the additional training that you’ll need to qualify to complete the LPC and gives you the necessary skills and knowledge that you’ll need to study the LPC. Find out more ➔

More information about our LPC

As one of the longest providers of the LPC in the UK, we have continually evolved our course to meet the expectations of hiring law firms. We have a vast network in the legal industry and deliver training to 91 of the top 100 law firms, with exclusive relationships with 61 of the top UK law firms and many of the most prestigious US firms. Our aim is to prepare you fully for life as a trainee solicitor so that you move easily into your first role.

With a clear focus on your future career, we’ve designed our LPC to help you strengthen your prospects by learning the essential professional skills that legal employers are looking for, including commercial awareness and critical thinking.

This is why we have a 96% employment rate for full-time LPC students***. And with a wide range of elective modules to choose from, you can truly tailor your course to your specialist areas of interest.

You’ll study in small group workshops, taught by qualified lawyers who have extensive practice experience, and through online learning resources that allow you to access your study materials anytime from anywhere

Why choose ULaw for your LPC?

You’ll receive:

• A career-focused approach to learning, developing commercial awareness, critical thinking and the professional skills that legal employers are looking for.
• Course options to suit your own areas of interest through a wide choice of elective subjects.
• The opportunity to add a free Masters to your skills and achievements and you could be eligible for a postgraduate student loan. Students starting the LPC in January 2025 can study the LPC LLM in Professional Legal Practice.
  
• Flexible study – We understand that everyone’s circumstances are different. That’s why we offer a wide range of study modes (full-time, part-time, on campus, online) across our courses to provide you with the greatest choice and flexibility you need to succeed in your studies. 
  
• Access to award-winning careers support to help you with your training contract applications with over 3,000 pro bono opportunities as soon as you accept your place.

Our Employment Promise - get a job in nine months or your fees back, up to 50% as cashback and 50% as credit towards another course**.

LPC at-a-glance

There are two stages to studying the LPC. 

• Stage one: completing four compulsory modules;
• Stage two: choose from a selection of focused modules, depending on your areas of interest and which version of the course you’re studying.

**Terms and conditions apply. Visit our Employment Promise page for details.

***96% of full-time UK LPC graduates in work were in highly skilled employment 15 months after graduating (2021/22 Graduate Outcomes data). Contains HESA Data: Copyright Jisc 2024.

Important Information for international students

If you require a visa to study in the UK and wish to progress on to one of our on-campus vocational courses, please refer to our UK visa requirements page for information about applying for a Student Route visa.

Find out more ➔

Course structure - All LPC courses

Stage 1 modules

• Introduction to Professional Practice (Professional conduct within this module carries 15 credits) 
• Business Law and Practice Knowledge and Skills (30 credits)
• Dispute Resolution Knowledge and Skills, including Criminal Litigation (30 credits)
• Real Estate Knowledge and Skills (30 credits)

Stage 2 modules

Students choose 3 electives for the LPC, and students on the LLM LPC may study a 4th elective. The University offers the following electives and students can choose electives from one of two practice areas. Either select electives appropriate for corporate and commercial practice or choose electives for commercial and private client practice.

 

Electives available to students starting the LPC in September 2024

 

Corporate and Commercial Practice Electives

• Banking and Debt Finance Law & Practice
• Mergers and Acquisitions Law & Practice
• Advanced Real Estate Law & Practice
• Commercial Dispute Resolution Law & Practice
• Commercial Law & Practice
• Employment Law & Practice
• Intellectual Property Law & Practice

Commercial and Private Client Practice Electives

• Advanced Real Estate Law & Practice
• Commercial Dispute Resolution Law & Practice
• Commercial Law & Practice
• Employment Law & Practice
• Intellectual Property Law & Practice
• Advanced Criminal Law and Practice
• Family Law & Practice
• Immigration Law & Practice
• Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence Law & Practice
• Private Client Law & Practice

 

Electives available to students starting the LPC in or after January 2025

 

Corporate and Commercial Practice Electives

• Mergers and Acquisitions Law & Practice
• Commercial Law & Practice
• Employment Law & Practice
• Intellectual Property Law & Practice

Commercial and Private Client Practice Electives

• Commercial Law & Practice
• Employment Law & Practice
• Intellectual Property Law & Practice
• Advanced Criminal Law and Practice
• Family Law & Practice
• Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence Law & Practice
• Private Client Law & Practice

 

Please note:

1. All elective choices on all modes are subject to demand and timetabling constraints, and we cannot guarantee that all subjects will be available at any campus, including the online campus. To enable us to run appropriate transactional style workshop activities the minimum number of students required for a class is usually 10.
2.  It may be necessary for attendance students to study some electives online if there are insufficient numbers to run a class on campus. Online classes may either be delivered using streaming or at the online campus. In streamed classes students from different campuses all attend a timetabled class which is conducted online. The tasks will be carried out in the same way as they would be in a physical classroom, with students working on tasks together at the same time. If you study at the online campus you work asynchronously on tasks over a one week period. You still benefit from discussions with your fellow students but these take place via discussion boards rather than in a face to face discussion. You can find more guidance about the learning method and model used by the online campus here.

 

Assessment – attendance course

Assessed through a range of assessments, including oral assessments in Interviewing and Advocacy, and open book exams. Students can choose whether to sit these exams on campus as traditional handwritten exams or to sit them online using remote proctoring.

If you choose to study your LPC with a Master’s you will also be assessed with a written report and an oral assessment.

LLM in Professional Legal Practice (optional)

To receive an LLM in Professional Legal Practice students starting in September 2024 may choose to study either of the following taught modules:

• Law and Business module
• Or an additional elective module of your choice

Students starting in or after January 2025 will study an additional elective module.

All LLM students will also undertake a self-study Professional Practice Research Report module.
If you choose not to complete the LLM in Professional Legal Practice you will be issued with a Postgraduate Diploma (PgDip) and will still have completed the vocational stage of training requirements.

What about the SQE?

The SQE is being phased in to become the new centralised way to qualify as a solicitor in England and Wales

Find out more

Course Start Dates

January 2025

• Legal Practice Course (LPC)
  • Full-time: Birmingham, Leeds, London Moorgate and Manchester

September 2025

• Legal Practice Course (LPC)
  • Full-time: Birmingham, Leeds, London Moorgate and Manchester

Online

Study LPC Online starting January 2025 or September 2025