New route to qualification
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has approved plans for a
new pilot course, which will allow students to qualify as
solicitors in five years rather than the usual six by combining
all levels of legal education with professional training.
Northumbria
University associate dean for undergraduates Kevin Kerrigan
said: "We're trying to push the boundaries of how you can qualify
as a lawyer and are interested in how a university can play a
significant role in qualification.
"Next year [2012] the first students for a generation will
qualify as solicitors without having completed a formal training
contract, and we hope their profile will be of some interest to law
firms."
The move coincides with the continuing fragmentation of the
legal market, with many Legal Practice Course (LPC) providers
rolling out alternatives to the full-length LPC, such as BPP Law
School's seven-month version.
The aspiring solicitors enrolled on the Northumbria course will
be exempt from the LPC, which costs around £9,000, and will instead
complete their work-based learning (the equivalent to the training
contract) during the course of their studies.
The key to the Law School's ability to offer this programme is
the award winning Student Law Office.
This pro bono community legal service has 18 qualified practitioner
supervisors and c.180 enthusiastic and talented student
representatives. They offer a full legal service for clients from
first interview through to settlement or court hearing.