Please note, this course has limited places due to accreditation regulations.
Why study this course?
London Met's Legal Practice Course (LPC) postgraduate diploma is designed to prepare you for employment as a trainee solicitor by providing a solid foundation in the skills and knowledge required in this career. Approved by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), this course can be studied full-time or part-time in the day or the evening.
Our law courses are ranked ninth in the UK for teaching quality in the Guardian University Guide 2023.
More about this course
If you have completed the academic stage of legal training, the Legal Practice Course postgraduate diploma will provide you with the professional stage of training required to qualify as a solicitor. London Metropolitan University has a long-standing reputation for training solicitors and was one of the first universities to be validated to run the LPC.
The course imitates the nature of the work you would encounter in legal practice and follows clients through various legal transactions and court hearings. It builds on the substantive law that you will have already learnt and includes the study of both law and procedure in the major areas of practice.
You’ll also learn the everyday skills of practical legal research, interviewing and advising, writing, drafting and advocacy. This will prepare you for your subsequent professional training and practice as a solicitor.
The majority of London Met's LPC tutors are qualified lawyers with extensive practice experience. You will find all of our tutors to be friendly and approachable.
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. You learn by doing on this course.
The course has dedicated facilities, including an LPC resource room (LC2-33) with a dedicated LPC room containing practitioner text and IT resources and teaching rooms with audio-visual recording facilities. Materials and case studies are provided within the course fee.
The careers team will also be on hand to help you in your career development, whether you are seeking a training contract, applying for work placements or other pro bono opportunities to enhance your employment prospects.
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.
Assessment
Assessment methods are designed to reflect how solicitors work today, and include skills assessments and open book examinations.
Professional accreditation
This LPC course is approved by the SRA.
Fees and key information
Apply nowEntry requirements
You will be required to have:
- a qualifying law degree awarded by a SRA approved provider with at least second class honours that must include having adequately passed assessments in the seven Foundations of Legal Knowledge: Public Law, Obligations I (Contract), Obligations II (Tort), Criminal Law, Land Law, Equity and Trusts and Law of the European Union, or;
- if you’re a non-law graduate, a Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) or Common Professional Examination (CPE) having obtained overall average marks 50% or above
Applicants are required to provide a copy of the award certificate and transcript of results for their entry qualification. Additionally, applicants with a Law degree are also required to provide a letter from the awarding University to confirm that they hold a qualifying law degree. Further information on what a qualifying law degree is can be found on the SRA website.
Accelerated study
If you have you completed the Bar Vocational Course (BVC) or Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) in the last five years, then you can apply for prior learning credit. This will allow you to study a portion of our LPC within one year (part-time) and with a certain amount of flexibility regarding class times.
If you have successfully completed the BVC/BPTC then you are also eligible to apply for exemption from attendance and assessment in the following subjects and skills which are part of the LPC: litigation, advocacy, drafting, practical legal research (BVC graduates only) and two of the three vocational electives.
To apply for the accelerated study route, please complete the part-time online application form and upload a copy of your qualification certificates, academic transcripts and evidence of completion of the academic stage of training.
Accreditation of Prior Learning
Any university-level qualifications or relevant experience you gain prior to starting university could count towards your course at London Met. Find out more about applying for Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL).
English language requirements
To study a degree at London Met, you must be able to demonstrate proficiency in the English language. If you require a Student visa (previously Tier 4) you may need to provide the results of a Secure English Language Test (SELT) such as Academic IELTS. This course requires you to meet our standard requirements.
If you need (or wish) to improve your English before starting your degree, the University offers a Pre-sessional Academic English course to help you build your confidence and reach the level of English you require.
Modular structure
The modules listed below are for the academic year 2023/24 and represent the course modules at this time. Modules and module details (including, but not limited to, location and time) are subject to change over time.
Year 1 modules include:
- This module currently runs:
- autumn semester
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.
- This module currently runs:
- autumn semester - Monday morning
- autumn semester - Monday evening
- autumn semester - Monday afternoon
- autumn semester - Tuesday afternoon
- autumn semester - Wednesday evening
- autumn semester - Thursday afternoon
- autumn semester - Thursday afternoon
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.
- This module currently runs:
- autumn semester
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.
- This module currently runs:
- autumn semester
The module aims to provide students with the opportunity to develop or improve their interviewing and advising skills.
- This module currently runs:
- autumn semester
The module aims to provide students with the opportunity to develop or improve their legal writing skills.
- This module currently runs:
- autumn semester - Tuesday morning
- autumn semester - Tuesday evening
- autumn semester - Tuesday afternoon
- autumn semester - Thursday morning
- autumn semester - Thursday evening
- autumn semester - Thursday afternoon
- autumn semester - Friday morning
- autumn semester - Friday afternoon
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.
- This module currently runs:
- autumn semester
The module addresses main aspects of professional conduct and regulation, including in relation to client care as well as aspects of money laundering and financial services relevant to legal practice.
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.
- This module currently runs:
- autumn semester - Monday morning
- autumn semester - Monday evening
- autumn semester - Monday afternoon
- autumn semester - Monday afternoon
- autumn semester - Tuesday morning
- autumn semester - Wednesday evening
- autumn semester - Thursday morning
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. Students should have sufficient knowledge of the law and sufficient experience through practical exercises to deal confidently and effectively with a straightforward transaction from the taking of instructions through to registration and to be able to find solutions to any difficulties which may arise.
- This module currently runs:
- autumn semester
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.
- This module currently runs:
- autumn semester
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.
- This module currently runs:
- autumn semester - Tuesday evening
- autumn semester - Tuesday afternoon
- autumn semester - Tuesday afternoon
- autumn semester - Thursday evening
- autumn semester - Thursday afternoon
- autumn semester - Friday morning
- autumn semester - Friday afternoon
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.
This module focuses on advising commercial clients in a partnership, company procedural and European competition context.
- This module currently runs:
- spring semester - Thursday afternoon
- spring semester - Friday afternoon
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.
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.
- This module currently runs:
- spring semester - Monday afternoon
- spring semester - Tuesday morning
- spring semester - Thursday evening
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.
This module focuses on advising the corporate client on fund raising, acquisitions and joint ventures and becoming and operating as a public company.
- This module currently runs:
- spring semester - Friday morning
- spring semester - Thursday morning
- spring semester - Monday evening
- spring semester - Monday evening
The Employment Law and Practice 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.
- This module currently runs:
- spring semester - Friday morning
- spring semester - Wednesday evening
- spring semester - Tuesday evening
- spring semester - Thursday morning
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.
- This module currently runs:
- spring semester - Thursday afternoon
- spring semester - Thursday evening
This module aims to equip students to act as a trainee solicitor for landlords and tenants in the process of litigious housing law matters.
- This module currently runs:
- spring semester - Friday afternoon
- spring semester - Wednesday evening
- spring semester - Tuesday afternoon
- spring semester - Tuesday evening
This module aims to equip students to act as a trainee solicitor for clients seeking immigration advice including on asylum law and practice and applicants for British nationality.
It focuses on advising the immigration law client on their rights and responsibilities and acting for them in the immigration courts.
- This module currently runs:
- spring semester - Tuesday evening
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.
This module focuses on advising the private client in respect of wills, probate and the administration of estates.
Where this course can take you
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.
Our excellent careers team are able to help you with advice regarding training contract applications and preparation of your CV, as well as by providing mock interview practice which will help you find valuable work placements and pro bono opportunities to enhance your CV and establish contacts with the solicitors' profession.
September foundation course
If you’re attending either the one year full-time or the two year part-time LPC, then you will be required to attend an intensive foundation course for the first week of term in September from Monday to Friday, 10am until 5pm. The foundation course takes place in the third week of September each year. Compulsory attendance is required for all students, irrespective of whether you’re studying full-time or part-time. Please take this into consideration when arranging work, family or holiday commitments.
Full-time attendance: two days a week for one year
You can choose to have all your face-to-face tuition and workshops for the core practice areas concentrated into two set days a week on our one-year course. This is usually Tuesday and Thursday from September until June. It enables you to reduce your travelling costs and plan your week ahead. You attend an average of 12 hours of face-to-face contact sessions per week, with the remaining time devoted to private study. Please note, you may have to come into the University on additional days for assessments. Also, Stage 2 elective subjects may run on different days.
Part-time attendance: evening or day classes over two or more years
If you wish to complete the LPC over two years, you can attend either in the evenings or during the day. The part-time evening classes are taught from 6pm until 9pm on Tuesday and Thursday in the first year and from 6pm until 9pm Monday and Wednesday in the second year. The part-time day classes are taught from 10am until 5pm on Friday in the first year and from 10am until 5pm on Monday in the second year.
Additional costs
Please note, in addition to the tuition fee there may be additional costs for things like equipment, materials, printing, textbooks, trips or professional body fees.
Additionally, there may be other activities that are not formally part of your course and not required to complete your course, but which you may find helpful (for example, optional field trips). The costs of these are additional to your tuition fee and the fees set out above and will be notified when the activity is being arranged.
How to apply
If you are applying for place on the one year full-time course, you must do so through the Central Applications Board (Law cabs).
If you are applying for a place on the two year part-time course, use the apply now button to begin your application.
If you require a Student visa and wish to study a postgraduate course on a part-time basis, please read our how to apply information for international students to ensure you have all the details you need about the application process.
When to apply
You are advised to apply as early as possible as applications will only be considered if there are places available on the course.
To find out when teaching for this degree will begin, as well as welcome week and any induction activities, view our academic term dates.
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