Course summary
Our Bar Practice Course (BPC), previously known as the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC), is designed to help you secure pupillage and prepare you for life as a barrister. You can expect high standards of teaching by qualified practitioners with unparalleled experience in delivering advocacy. Choose our BPC LLM and make your pupillage applications stand out, working on real life pro bono legal cases. WHY CHOOSE OUR BPC? When you study the Bar Practice Course with us you will receive:
- Up to 50 hours advocacy training, so you're fully prepared for the Bar: test your skills in front of real barristers and judges at prestigious mooting competitions organised by our Advocacy Committee and also at mock trials in court.
- Tuition in small classes alongside the brightest students: we require all students to undergo a live selection process before being offered a place.
- Access to an engaging and innovative online learning environment, plus face-to-face Lecturer and peer support when you need it mos
- Flexible study options to suit you: choose to study with us full-time or part-time at a number of locations across the UK.
- Success in pupillage applications and beyond with our Future Pupil Programme, part of our award-winning Careers and Employability Service, available from the moment you accept your place.
- A choice of three pathways to success with our Bar Practice Course LLM: complete real-life legal work experience via our Pro Bono clinics, write a dissertation or study additional modules and sit the exams after you finish your Bar Practice Course.
- Exclusive access to our Synap learning and revision tool: complete multiple-choice questions to monitor and review your progress.
- Complete real-life work experience via our Pro Bono clinics - you will advise, manage and represent clients on a variety of cases in legal areas. You will also be paired with a Master’s Supervisor, who will guide you through a reflective learning process so that you can complete your reflective assessment and obtain your Master’s Degree.
- Study additional modules - increase your knowledge of legal practice areas which are of interest to you and can help shape the direction of your career. You will sit the exams once you’ve finished your Bar Practice Course.
- Write a dissertation - immerse yourself in an area of law and become expert in it, allowing you to demonstrate your knowledge in your applications to chambers and beyond.
Modules
Knowledge areas: Civil litigation, evidence and resolution out of court; criminal litigation, evidence and sentencing. Core skills: Advocacy, including examination-in-chief, cross-examination and civil applications; conferencing; drafting; opinion writing; professional ethics; legal research. Mock trials: We give you as many opportunities as possible to hone your essential advocacy skills and put what you learn into practice: Participating in mock trials in real courtrooms with real judges and senior barristers; online advocacy skill demonstrations with feedback from practising barristers; visits to the High Court, Magistrate’s Court, Crown Court and County Courts. Master of Laws (LLM) You can complete your Master of Laws (LLM) qualification via three routes: Complete real-life work experience via our Pro Bono clinics; study additional modules and sit the exams once you’ve finished your Bar Practice Course; write a dissertation.
Assessment method
There are 10 assessments in total with practice assessments held for every module spread across the course. Some prizes, sponsored by chambers, are available for the highest-scoring student in each subject.
Professional bodies
Professionally accredited courses provide industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.
- The Bar Council
Entry requirements
To be eligible to take up your place, you must comply with the requirements for commencing a bar course set out by the Bar Standards Board (BSB). The Academic Stage Handbook gives you full information about these requirements. You will be required to pass the Bar Course Aptitude Test (BCAT) before you start your studies. You will need either a qualifying law degree (QLD) 2:1 minimum or an undergraduate degree in any other subject (2:1 minimum*) and a Graduate Diploma in Law/CPE For qualifying law degrees, all offers based on predicted grades will be conditional upon achieving a 2:1 or above. Applicants who meet the basic eligibility criteria may then be invited to attend a selection interview at one of our campuses. * For non QLD applicants with a 2:2, offers based on predicted GDL grade will be conditional upon achieving distinction or commendation ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT You must be fluent in English and you will need to be able to demonstrate your oral and written English is equivalent to: - IELTS (academic) - Score of 7.5 in all four areas - Pearsons (academic) - Score of 73 in all four areas SELECTION EVENT In order to be considered for a place on the BPC, applicants will be required to attend a selection interview at one of our campuses or via Skype. At the interview you will undertake: - A 5 minute 'plea in mitigation' in the magistrates' court - you will be given 40 minutes to prepare - A 10 minute interview INNS OF COURT You must join an Inn of Court before you can start the BPC. The closing date for application to an Inn of Court is 12 weeks before your course is due to commence.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
| Republic of Ireland | £14900 | Whole course |
| EU | £14900 | Whole course |
| International | £14900 | Whole course |
| England | £14900 | Whole course |
| Northern Ireland | £14900 | Whole course |
| Scotland | £14900 | Whole course |
| Wales | £14900 | Whole course |
| Channel Islands | £14900 | Whole course |
Additional fee information
BPC LLM - £17,450 (outside London)
Sponsorship information
For more information on scholarships available exclusively to University of Law postgraduate students, please visit our postgraduate scholarships page: https://www.law.ac.uk/study/scholarships-bursaries/
Provider information
The University of Law
2 Bunhil Row
London
EC1Y 8HQ