Legal Practice Course and LLM in Legal Practice

The Legal Practice Course (LPC) is a requirement for anyone who wishes to practise as a solicitor in England or Wales.  This professional qualification is a key element in the vocational training to become a solicitor.  The Law Society of England and Wales sets standards for LPC providers and dictates the core structure of the course ensuring quality and consistency across providers.

At Aberystwyth you will learn the ethical basis, knowledge and skills of being a solicitor through solving problems within a professional context.  We have developed scenarios to ensure that you can respond to clients' legal requirements within the context of the professional and ethical structure of being a solicitor.  Teaching is interactive and transactional involving large and small group sessions where you are expected to work in a variety of patterns to reflect the professional environment.

The teaching team in the Centre for Legal Practice are firmly of the view that a direct teaching approach is more beneficial to students.  Consequently, we deliver a high level of face to face teaching, in excess of 400 hours over the course.  This is far greater than many other providers who have moved towards 'Independent Learning Exercises' and online lectures.  Aberystwyth has embraced the changes which are being applied to the LPC nationally and is already validated for LPC3 from September 2010 onwards.  This will allow the Centre to take advantage of the flexibility offered by LPC3 while maintaining a strong focus on face to face teaching and continuing to provide a highly personal and professional qualification.

Following successful completion of the Diploma stage students can, if they wish, opt to complete a dissertation of 20,000 words focusing on a particular aspect of Legal Practice in order to study for the award of an LLM in Legal Practice.  This dissertation requires students to demonstrate substantial knowledge of the legal profession generally, as well as the specific topic selected, and provides students with the opportunity not only to focus on particular practical issues but also to address any relevant theoretical dimension.