Birmingham City University : Graduate Diploma in Law / Common Professional Examination - GDL/CPE

• Faculty of Education, Law & Social Sciences

• School
• School of Law

• Campus
• City North

• Duration
• Full Time: 1 year
  Part Time: 2 years

• Fees
• 2012/13 Full-time UK/EU Student: £4,995 (inclusive fees for the whole GDL)
  2012/13 Part-time UK/EU Student: £2,500 per year* (£625 per module)
  2012/13 Full-time International Student: £9,600 (inclusive fees for the whole GDL)
  
  *Year 2 fees will be calculated on a pro-rata basis.
  The fees stated do not include text books or the cost of funding an internahip in the US if you choose to do one.

Overview

The GDL (also referred to as the Common Professional Examination) is a one year full-time law conversion course for graduates of any discipline who do not have an LLB awarded by a University of England and Wales. It is accredited by the Joint Academic Stage Board which represents the Solicitors Regulation Authority and Bar Standards Board of England and Wales. Upon completion, you are eligible to undertake the Bar Professional Training Course if you want to qualify as a barrister, or the Legal Practice Course if you want to qualify as a solicitor. If you do not intend to qualify as a solicitor or barrister, the GDL/CPE can also be a stepping stone into more advanced legal study at Masters level.

We have an established record of providing the GDL and have excellent links with Birmingham Law Society and professional practice in the area. Our innovative approach to legal education is demonstrated by our very successful American legal placement scheme and our active Student Mooting Society.

GDL/CPE courses at all institutions necessarily have a degree of similarity in content and assessment. However, the GDL/CPE at Birmingham City University focuses on supporting you to develop relevant legal skills as well as knowledge content and at the same time offers you a unique opportunity to apply for our US internship scheme, either as part of our American Legal Practice option module* or as an extra curricular activity. Those who participate in the scheme will have the opportunity to work on 'real' cases with 'real' clients, combining the academic with the practical.

We have active student-led Legal and Mooting Societies. Our Student Mooting Society is one of the most successful in England. Our students have reached five finals in the past six years and have regularly beaten teams from some of the country’s most prestigious universities. In the past 10 years, we have beaten eight of the elite Russell Group of universities, including Cambridge, Oxford, Nottingham, Leicester and Warwick.

Our first-class facilities include two mock courtrooms and a comprehensive law library (with many resources accessible online) and numerous e-learning resources accessible on-line to assist face-to-face teaching.

As well as strategic partnerships with respected legal firms such as Irwin Mitchell, Challinors and Squire Sanders and Dempsey, the School of Law also works closely with voluntary organisations in the legal sector such as local citizens advice bureaux and the Legal Ombudsman Scheme based in Birmingham city centre.

Our GDL is taught by an outstanding team of professional staff with extensive practice experience and a friendly, open door policy giving you all the support you need. We place our students at the centre of everything we do. This is evidenced through the outstanding results that our students achieved in 2010/11 with over 25 per cent gaining a distinction and over 20 per cent receiving a commendation, with an overall course pass rate of 95 per cent.

The School of Law also provides the Legal Practice Course (LPC) which is very highly rated.

Should you complete your GDL and LPC with us you will qualify for the LLB Legal Practice award and may be offered a reduction in the LPC fee. We are currently awaiting confirmation of bursaries for 2012/13.

A bursary for graduates of Birmingham City University may be available. Please check this web page regularly for any updates.

*The American Legal Practice module is currently awaiting final approval by the Joint Academic Stage Board, but the ability to engage with the placement scheme as an extra-curricular activity will be available to GDL/CPE students regardless.

Prospective students interested in the American Legal Placement scheme should be aware that the fees stated do NOT include the cost of funding a placement in the US which will vary according to placement. Although the University strives to place all willing and capable students, we cannot guarantee a placement. Please contact us to find more about the cost and the process of being allocated a placement.

Course Structure

For the first three weeks of the course all students attend the induction sessions, which are designed to introduce you to the university, the course and to begin your training in Legal Skills, Legal Research and the English Legal System (this is part of the Legal Method module). After the induction period you receive weekly lectures and fortnightly seminars in relation to the 'foundation' modules, as well as the ability to attend clinic sessions on particular topics. Part-time students complete four of the 'foundation' modules plus the Legal Method module in the first year.

You will also be required to study a ninth module on an area of law that is not prescribed by the professional bodies in addition to the foundation subjects. This either requires you to complete a project in an area of law that interests you or to undertake the American Legal Practice module*.

Our teaching emphasises participation and student-centered learning. Small class sizes and an ‘open door’ policy ensure your individual study needs are met. A variety of teaching methods are employed including lectures and workshops. You are also able to take advantage of our video-equipped courtrooms to develop your skills in a realistic setting.

*Please see comments in the Overview section regarding the availability of this module.

Modules

The course at all institutions is overseen by the Joint Academic Stage Board (which represents the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Bar Standards Board of England and Wales) and is based on eight 'foundation' modules plus one further module on another area of law. At Birmingham City University you are required to complete the following modules:

• Legal Skills and Research
• Law of Tort
• Law of Contract
• Criminal Law
• Constitutional and Administrative Law
• Law of the European Union
• Land Law
• Equity and Trusts
• Independent project or American Legal Practice module

Please note: the American Legal Practice module is offered as an option for the additional area of study in 2012 subject to the approval of JASB (please see comments in the Overview section).

Assessments

Assessment is through a combination of examinations and coursework designed to provide a balance between professional Body requirements and assisting your learning through innovative assessment.

Study Commitment

Contact hours:

Full-time: 14 hours per week class contact time.
Part-time: 7 hours per week class contact time.

Days and times of attendance:

Induction Period (first three weeks of the course):

Full and part-time students may be required to attend two days per week (Tuesdays and Thursdays).

Normal Teaching Pattern:

Full-time students attend 9.30 to 17.30 on Tuesdays and 9.10 to 16.00 on Thursdays. Part-time Year 1 students attend 9.30 to 17.30 on Tuesday. Part-time Year 2 students attend 9.10 to 16.00 on Thursday.

Please note: It is very likely that this will remain the same for 2012/13, but this cannot be guaranteed at present.

In order to accommodate the American Legal Practice option module it is possible that one of the teaching days will change for September 2012 for students opting to take this module. Any change will be confirmed as soon as possible.

Additional Support:

Additional support sessions are provided by the course team and other university departments (for example careers sessions, subject clinics etc) to ensure you have the best possible learning experience. However these sessions often have to be timetabled on other days of the week when normal teaching sessions do not occur.

There is no part-time evening attendance option and we do not offer the course on a distance learning basis. 

Private Study

The study of law requires a good deal of reading and independent study and it is your approach to this, as well as the teaching sessions, that will largely shape how well you do. The course is designed to support you in your private study through the use of e-learning resources, easy contact with tutors, ample feedback opportunities and additional support through the University's Centre for Academic Success.

In terms of the amount of private study required in addition to face-to-face teaching time, we would expect that preparation for lectures and seminars is likely to require an additional 24-36 hours as a full-time student and 12-18 hours as a part-time student.

Further Studies

Options for further study at our University include:

• Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice (LPC)
• LLM International Business Law
• LLM International Human Rights
• MPhil/PhD research degrees

Employment Opportunities

 A GDL not only prepares you for a career in law, but equips you with a range of transferable skills that will enable you to enter a number of professions and developing these skills is a focus of the course at Birmingham City University.

Many of our graduates go on to become solicitors or barristers, while others pursue other law related careers both in private or public sector organisations. Others use the skills they have developed to go into areas such as journalism, insurance and accountancy.

Many legal sector employers encourage applications from GDL students as, often, they have had more life and work experience than the average LLB graduate and can bring with them knowledge and skills from a different sector.

Qualifying as a Solicitor or Barrister of England and Wales

If you wish to qualify as a solicitor, after completing the GDL you will need to complete the Legal Practice Course (LPC). Once you have completed the LPC, you must complete a two-year training contract with a firm of solicitors. You will be qualified as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales upon completion of the two-year training contract.

If you wish to qualify as a barrister, after completing the GDL you will need to complete the Bar Professional Training Course (prior to September 2010 this was known as the Bar Vocational Course). You are “called to the Bar” once you complete the Bar Professional Training Course and are then entitled, without further training, to use the title Barrister of England and Wales. However, if you wish to practise in England and Wales you must also complete a one-year pupillage with a barristers’ chamber.

Solicitors provide clients with legal advice often during times of extreme stress such as arrest, divorce, moving house or bereavement. They also represent clients in corporate or commercial transactions. As a solicitor, you may work in a firm with other solicitors or set up your own practice, or you might work in central or local government, an in-house legal department, the Crown Prosecution Service or the magistrates’ courts.

Barristers are specialists in advocacy - the act of presenting cases in court under instruction from a solicitor or another designated professional. Typically, the duties of a barrister may include preparing briefs (cases) for court, presenting arguments in court, examining and cross examining witnesses and preparing legal documents. Most barristers work on a self-employed basis, from chambers, although an increasing number work in private and public organisations.

To qualify as either a solicitor or barrister of England and Wales, you must first of all complete either an LLB or GDL from a university in England and Wales.

If you wish to qualify as a solicitor, after completing the LLB or GDL you will need to complete the Legal Practice Course (LPC). Once you have completed the LPC, you must complete a two-year training contract with a firm of solicitors. You will be qualified as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales upon completion of the two-year training contract.

If you wish to qualify as a barrister, after completing the LLB or GDL you will need to complete the Bar Professional Training Course (prior to September 2010 this was known as the Bar Vocational Course). You are “called to the Bar” once you complete the Bar Professional Training Course and are then entitled, without further training, to use the title Barrister of England and Wales. However, if you wish to practise in England and Wales you must also complete a one-year pupillage with a barristers’ chamber.

Figure: Routes to qualification as a solicitor or barrister within England and Wales

Qualification as an Overseas Lawyer

Many of our international students join the School of Law with the intention of practising law, normally in their home country.

Our GDL is recognised by some overseas legal professional bodies, particularly in Commonwealth countries. However, it is not as widely recognised as the LLB.

If you intend to practise in your home country, you should contact your local Law Society or Bar Council to ensure the GDL is recognised. The majority will require you to undertake additional training after graduation before being authorised to practise law.

Some overseas Law Societies and Bar Councils will offer exemptions from all or part of their own training requirements if you qualify as a solicitor or barrister of England and Wales. For example, the Malaysian Bar recognises both solicitors and barristers of England and Wales – to be authorised as a solicitor and advocate of Malaysia you would have to complete a pupillage in Malaysia.

Entry Requirements

The GDL is primarily aimed at non-law graduates, so a good bachelor degree is usually a minimum requirement. The bachelor degree must be conferred by a University in the UK or Ireland (see below for overseas qualifications). We normally look for a 2:2 classification or above, although we will consider applications from those who fall below this. There are exceptions made to the requirement for a bachelor degree for some legal executives and other mature applicants.  However, you need to contact the Solicitors Regulation Authority (if you want to become a solicitor) or the Bar Standards Board (if you want to become a barrister) for them to make a decision about whether you would be eligible. If you are eligible to join the GDL they will issue you with a letter – without this authorisation you are unable to enrol on the GDL.

Although we may accept applicants with a third class degree onto the GDL course, intending barristers should note that they will require at least a second class degree in order to obtain a place on the Bar Professional Training Course.

Overseas degree – Certificate of Academic Standing

If you have an overseas degree you must obtain a Certificate of Academic Standing from either the Bar Standards Board (for intending barristers) or the Solicitors Regulation Authority (for intending solicitors). The Bar Standards Board (BSB) will only issue a Certificate of Academic Standing if your overseas degree is at least equivalent to a UK second class honours degree. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) will only issue a Certificate of Academic Standing if your overseas degree is at least equivalent to a UK bachelor degree. The rules of equivalence applied by the BSB are stricter than those applied by the SRA. If you intend to undertake the Bar Professional Training Course upon completion of the GDL, it is essential that a Certificate of Academic Standing is obtained from the BSB and not the SRA.

If you wish to qualify as a solicitor you should obtain a Certificate of Academic Standing from the SRA by emailing: cau@sra.org.uk

If you wish to qualify as a barrister you should obtain a Certificate of Academic Standing from the BSB via their website or by telephoning +44(0) 20 7611 1444.

International students may also require IELTS 6.5, or equivalent.

Further information can be found at Information for International Enquirers.

Application Details

Full-time applications must be made through the Central Applications Board (CAB).

Part-time applicants please apply online or contact us for an application form.

International enquirers may contact the International Office for further help and advice, or visit http://www.bcu.ac.uk/international/how-to-apply.

Enquiries

Prospective students from the UK or EU may enquire online by using the Course Enquiry Form or call +44 (0)121 331 5595.

Prospective students from non-EU countries may enquire via the International Enquiry Form or call +44 (0)121 331 6714.

Further Information

If you would like to visit the University and/or talk to one of the GDL/CPE tutors then please check the website for details of open days. It may also be possible to arrange an informal visit. If this is of interest please contact Gemma Tyler, Admissions and Enrolments Officer on +44(0) 121 331 6371 or email gemma.tyler@bcu.ac.uk