www.swansea.ac.uk Postgraduate Prospectus 2012

LAW: PROFESSIONAL LEGAL TRAININGThe School of Law provides vocational law training atthe highest level in order to provide the best learningexperience for students and practitioners. This includesthe delivery of the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) fornon-law graduates looking for a change of career, andthe Legal Practice Course (LPC) for law graduatesseeking to enter the profession. They also run a numberof training and professional development courses forpractitioners. The School is an accredited provider forHigher Rights of Audience Criminal, the CriminalLitigation Accreditation Scheme and Police StationRepresentatives Accreditation Scheme.The GDL and LPC will:• provide recognised legal qualifications that provide afoundation for a rewarding career in the legal profession• help you to gain transferable skills, including team working,communication, presentation, and analytical skills.Students also have the opportunity to gain practical experience ofinterviewing and advising clients by participating in the School’sPro Bono Law Clinic, a free legal advice service for students, runby students under the supervision of qualified local solicitors. TheLPC also offer a successful work experience programme which issupported by a number of local law firms.Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL)The GDL (also known as the Common Professional Examination orCPE) is a 36-week, full-time intensive course primarily intended fornon-law graduates wishing to undertake a career in law, althoughit should be noted that the programme is also suitable for thoseintending to undertake other careers where a sound knowledge oflaw is desirable.The course, which is designed to provide students with a thoroughknowledge of the core areas of law, commences with anintroductory block of lectures on the English Legal System, theacquisition of legal skills and the law of the European Union,whilst the foundation subjects of Contract, Tort, Public, Equity andTrusts, Land Law and Criminal Law are taught over a period oftwo semesters. An additional legal subject is studied by means ofa supervised research project.Successful completion of the course, which is recognised by bothprofessional legal bodies, enables students to progress to thevocational stage of training for both solicitors and barristers.Legal Practice Course (LPC)Postgraduate Diploma in LawThe LPC at Swansea is a high quality professional coursedesigned to prepare students for practise as a trainee solicitor inEngland and Wales. The course, which consists of two stages,runs full-time for 36 weeks and is the new style of LPC asvalidated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority in 2009.Stage OneCompulsory modules:• Business Law and Practice• Property Law and Practice• Criminal and Civil Litigation• Wills and Administration of Estates.Pervasive Areas:• Professional Conduct and Regulation• Solicitors Accounts.Skills:• Practical Legal Research• Interviewing and Advising Clients• Writing• Drafting• Advocacy in Court.Stage TwoStudents choose three optional modules,usually determined by the type of legalenvironment in which a student wishesto practise. A range of modules isavailable, including:• Advanced Commercial Law• Business Leases• Employment Law and Practice• Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence• Advanced Criminal Practice (AdvancedCriminal Advocacy available in Welsh)• Family Childcare Law and Practice.“I chose Swansea for my GDL study as it is one of the a fewproviders in the UK accredited by the Law Society, and enjoys avery good reputation both in terms of its teaching excellence andgraduates’ future careers prospects.I completed my LPC at Swansea and I have started a trainingcontract with a national law firm.“”Jing Xu, PGDip Legal PracticeI enjoyed my LPC at Swansea and the tutors were professionaland approachable. They supported me during my course and withhelping me find a training contract.”Rebecca Dunn, PGDip Legal Practice116MASTER'S TAUGHT MASTER’S DEGREES – – GRADUATE LAW: DIPLOMA INPROFESSIONAL LAW AND LEGAL LEGAL PRACTICE TRAINING COURSEEntry requirementsGDL: A degree in any non-law discipline(normally at 2.2 or above) is required.However, candidates with alternative,relevant qualifications or experience arealso encouraged to apply.Please note that prospective students whohold a degree from a non-UK or Republicof Ireland institution will normally be requiredto obtain a Certificate of AcademicStanding from either the SolicitorsRegulation Authority (www.sra.org.uk) orThe General Council of the Bar(www.barcouncil.org.uk). Applicationsmust be made through the CentralApplications Board (CAB) and can bemade online at: www.lawcabs.ac.ukLPC: Normally a minimum of a qualifyinglower second-class Honours degree inlaw, or a Graduate Diploma in Law (CPE)or a similar qualification such as FILEX.To be eligible to study the LPC, studentsmust have student membership of TheLaw Society and have a Certificate ofAcademic Standing from the SolicitorsRegulation Authority.English Language requirement:IELTS 6.5 or Swansea Universityrecognised equivalent.Scholarships and BursariesA range of postgraduate scholarshipsand bursaries is available.For details, please visit:www.swansea.ac.uk/scholarships/PostgraduateHow the courses are structuredTeaching is delivered through a combination of large group introductoryand interactive sessions, and small group sessions with the emphasison transactional work. Students are supported by a dedicated team ofexperienced professional practitioner tutors.For a full list of the compulsory and optional modules available, pleasecontact the Admissions Tutor.AssessmentThe Graduate Diploma in Law is assessed through a variety ofmethods, ranging from multiple-choice and unseen examinations tocoursework and mini-dissertations.The LPC is assessed by open and closed book examinations. Skillsand Pervasives are assessed simply as competent/not yet competentas they are completed.Further informationWebsite: www.swansea.ac.uk/lawContact the Admissions Tutor:Email: m.e.leyshon@swansea.ac.ukTel: +44 (0)1792 602374Visit the University: see page 182 for detailsApplications can be made online atwww.swansea.ac.uk/applyonline– see pages 184 – 185 for further informationFor details of Master’s degrees in Law, please seepage 114. For details about research degrees inLaw, please see page 52.117TAUGHT MASTER'S MASTER’S DEGREES – – GRADUATE LAW: DIPLOMA INLAW PROFESSIONAL AND LEGAL LEGAL PRACTICE TRAINING COURSE