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The Legal Practice Course (LPC) is the final steppingstone in my legal studies before commencing a training contract or a full-time job. It took us so long to get here, but what’s it like to actually study this course?
Please note that the LPC has now been replaced by the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) – you can find out more about the SQE via LawCareers.Net’s SQE hub. So, for those who don’t meet the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s transitional arrangements, you must take the SQE to qualify as a solicitor.
At the moment, I’m currently studying four modules with The University of Law. For the first semester, we’re studying dispute resolution, real estate, business law and practice and introduction to professional practice.
Dispute resolution
This module focuses on the procedure of a case progressing, whether that be to court or to encourage the parties to settle before a trial begins, through alternative dispute resolution. This module involves learning how to:
- draft witness statements;
- fill out certain forms that need to be filed at court; and
- act professionally when acting for your client.
This module is evidently hugely beneficial to a trainee, as you’ll need to know the steps taken before going to court when acting for either party.
Real estate
Undergrad students and conversion students, don’t fear. This isn’t really like land law (phew). The first workshops focus on freehold land and purchasing property. This means you go through investigation of title and conducting searches, all the way to completion. The second part of this module is leasehold land, and reading through leases and knowing what implied terms there are in the lease and how to negotiate responsibilities between landlord and tenant.
Business law and practice
This is a module focused on directors’ duties, understanding what a partnership is, finding out about the insolvency process, and learning about share capital and how a company treats its members. I personally found this module very interesting. The tax calculations can be hard, but none of us are here for an easy time!!
Introduction to professional practice
This is a module focused on the practical skills you’ll need as a trainee solicitor. You have workshops on writing, drafting, research, interviewing and much more. Each is completed with a standalone exam, which you either pass or fail. There’s nothing very academically challenging here in terms of content, but it’s about acquiring the right skills and being able to apply them to legal scenarios.
The most challenging thing about this course is the volume of content. There’s a LOT of reading and a LOT of preparation for each week. There’s not really any breathing space, with mocks given in the weeks that you have off. It’s quick paced and requires great organisation skills. However, keep a lovely folder that’s perfectly organised and you should be completely fine!
What about next semester?
The next semester is when you get to choose your electives. I’ve chosen family law, private client, advanced real estate and competition law. I’m very excited to find out about these specialisms because I think they’ll give me a baseline knowledge for the seats I’ll take when going into practice. I can provide an update on these modules later in the year!
