Legal Practice Course - PG Dip

Program Overview

The Legal Practice Course (LPC) at London Met is a practical and interactive program designed to prepare students for a career as a solicitor. The course covers a wide range of legal topics and skills, and is taught by experienced lawyers with extensive practice experience. Students benefit from small group classes, online tests, and revision lectures, as well as dedicated facilities and a professional mentor. The program also includes a focus on helping students obtain a training contract and legal work experience.

Program Outline

Year 1 Modules:

• Advocacy Skills (core, 0 credits)
• This module focuses on the development of the skills of a presenting advocate including the ability to formulate and present a submission and to conduct or respond to cross-examination.
• The module aims to provide students with the opportunity to develop or improve their advocacy skills.
• Business Law and Practice (core, 24 credits)
• This module focuses on the law and practice of starting, running and winding-up businesses, including sole traders, partnerships and private limited companies.
A proportion of the module is devoted to the study of the construction and interpretation of business accounts.
• The module aims to equip students with the knowledge and confidence required to work on transactions on the first day of their training contract as a solicitor.
• Drafting Skills (core, 2.25 credits)
• This module focuses on the skill of drafting legal documents.
It aims to provide students with the opportunity to develop or improve their legal drafting skills.
• Interviewing Skills (core, 5.5 credits)
• The module aims to provide students with the opportunity to develop or improve their interviewing and advising skills.
• Legal Writing Skills (core, 2.25 credits)
• The module aims to provide students with the opportunity to develop or improve their legal writing skills.
• Litigation (core, 39.5 credits)
• This module focuses on the law and practice of criminal and civil litigation procedure, evidence and advocacy.
The module aims to equip students with the knowledge and confidence required to work on transactions on their first day of their training contract as a solicitor.
• Professional Conduct and Regulation (core, 1.5 credits)
• The module aims to provide students with the opportunity to develop or improve their knowledge of the rules of professional conduct governing solicitors and the regulation of money laundering and financial service provisions.
• Property Law and Practice (core, 24 credits)
• This module focuses on the law and practice of buying and selling residential and commercial freehold property and leasehold property.
A proportion of the module is devoted to the study of the construction and interpretation of solicitors' accounts, which is taught and assessed as a separate module, but based on the mechanics of freehold residential property transactions.
• The module aims to equip students with the knowledge and confidence required to work on property transactions on the first day of their training contract as a solicitor.
On completion of this module students should have a clear understanding of the various stages in a conveyancing transaction and of the legal and practical issues which are relevant to each stage.
• Research Skills (core, 2.75 credits)
• This module teaches the skill of practical legal research.
• The module aims to provide students with the opportunity to develop or improve their practical legal research skills to the standard required of a trainee solicitor.
• Solicitors Accounts (core, 6 credits)
• This module focuses on the Solicitors’ Accounts Rules and the accounting principles used by solicitors in practice.
The module aims to provide students with the opportunity to develop or improve their understanding of accounting principles and the rules that apply to solicitors.
• Wills and Administration of Estates (core, 2 credits)
• This module focuses on the law and practice of probate and intestacy.
It is assessed through the skill of interviewing.
• The module aims to equip students with the knowledge and confidence required to work on transactions on the first day of their training contract as a solicitor.

Year 2 Modules (Option, 13.5 credits):

• Advanced Business Law and Practice
• This module focuses on advising commercial clients in a partnership, company procedural and European competition context.
• Child Law and Practice
• This module offers a balance between the teaching of substantive law, practice and practical skills and focuses on common types of cases dealt with by child law lawyers.
• The aims of the Child Law and Practice elective are to prepare students for work-based learning in a child law department; and provide a foundation for practice generally and child law work in particular.
• Civil and Commercial Mediation and Alternative Dispute Resolution
• This module focuses on identifying the overall nature of the various methods of ADR, progressing that ADR method through a series of steps and decisions including, where appropriate, drafting documentation.
• Commercial Law and Practice
• This module focuses on advising the commercial client in relation to commercial contracts.
• This module aims to equip students to act as a trainee solicitor for commercial clients in order to negotiate and advise upon commercial contracts.
• Corporate Law and Practice
• This module focuses on advising the corporate client on fund raising, acquisitions and joint ventures and becoming and operating as a public company.
• Employment Law and Practice
• This module covers most aspects of contentious employment law including unfair dismissal, redundancy and equality law.
It also includes the procedural steps to bring or defend proceedings in the Employment Tribunal.
• The module aims to teach students how to act for clients who want to bring or defend proceedings in the Employment Tribunal.
• Family Law and Practice
• This module offers a balance between the teaching of substantive law, practice and practical skills and focuses on common types of cases dealt with by family lawyers.
• The aims of the Family Law and Practice elective are to prepare students for work-based learning in a Family Law department; and to provide a foundation for practice generally and Family Law work in particular.
• Housing Law and Practice
• This module aims to equip students to act as a trainee solicitor for landlords and tenants in the process of litigious housing law matters.
• Immigration Law and Practice
• It focuses on advising the immigration law client on their rights and responsibilities and acting for them in the immigration courts.
• Intellectual Property Law and Practice
• This module focuses on advising the commercial client on their intellectual property law rights and responsibilities.
It enables students to effectively apply law to specific scenarios in relation to four main aspects of intellectual property, namely copyright, patents, trademarks and design rights
• This module aims to equip students to act as a trainee solicitor for commercial clients in respect of their intellectual property law rights and responsibilities.
• Private Client Law and Practice
• This module focuses on advising the private client in respect of wills, probate and the administration of estates.

Assessment:

Assessment methods are designed to reflect how solicitors work today, and include skills assessments and open book examinations.

Teaching:

The classes are highly interactive in their small groups of three-hour sessions and are supplemented with online tests, revision lectures and materials. Although some lectures that cover more complex subjects will be available online, the emphasis is on face-to-face teaching and individual feedback. This is in accordance with overwhelming student feedback that prefers the benefits from live contact with tutors and fellow students. Materials and case studies are provided within the course fee.

Careers:

London Met is focused on helping its LPC students obtain a training contract and legal work experience. You will be designated a professional mentor to provide individual advice and guidance.

Other:

• The majority of London Met's LPC tutors are qualified lawyers with extensive practice experience.
• This is a competitively priced Legal Practice Course provided by a London university with flexible study options.
• Upon completion of the LPC, there is an option to apply for a top-up LLM in Legal Practice by completing Legal Research Methodology and Legal Practice Dissertation modules.