LLB (Hons) Legal Practice (Exempting)
This course is no longer accepting applications for Year 1 entry. However, you can still apply for advanced entry into Year 2 and Year 3 of the course, should you meet the necessary entry requirements.
If you'd like to apply for advanced entry into Year 2 or Year 3, please contact our Enquiries and Admissions Team who will be happy to guide you through the application process and answer any questions you may have:
UK Students:
Call: 03455 76 77 78
Email: [email protected]
LiveChat: Click here to talk to us via LiveChat
International & EU Students:
Call: 01443 654450
Email: [email protected]
LiveChat: Click here to talk to us via LiveChat
Alternatively, we have a number of similar courses that you may be interested in studying. See the full list of Law courses running in 2023/24 via our Law Degrees website page.
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>> Browse all Law courses running in 2023/24
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You will study the seven foundation modules required for qualifying law degree status. The professional element (Legal Practice Course) is spread over the second and third years. You will also develop legal research skills and choose modules from options that may include Family Law and Practice, Employment Law and Practice, Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence Litigation, and Commercial Property Law. Your learning will be supported by excellent facilities, including the Legal Advice Clinic, and a Moot Court that’s fully equipped with the latest digital facilities, a legal practice library, and dedicated teaching and practice rooms. You will also develop essential legal practice skills in our advice clinic such as interviewing, writing and drafting.
Year One: LLB (Hons) Legal Practice Degree
- Contract and Problem Solving
- Criminal Law
- Legal Systems and Sources
- Legal Skills
- Public Law
- Tort and Transactional Learning
Year Two: LLB (Hons) Legal Practice Degree
- Law on Trial
- Law of the European Union
- Land Law
- Litigation and Advocacy
- Introduction to Legal Practice – Including Solicitors’ Accounts Rules, Wills and Administration of Estates and Introduction to the Legal Advice Clinic.
Year Three: LLB (Hons) Legal Practice Degree
- Equity and the Law of Trusts
- Advanced Legal Practice – Including Practical Legal Research, Interviewing and Advising, Writing, Drafting and Professional Conduct and Regulation
- Business Law and Practice and Taxation
- Property Law and Practice
In addition, three elective legal practice modules (which may include, Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence Litigation, Advanced Criminal Litigation, Advanced Business and Corporate Law and Practice, Commercial Property, Family Law and Practice, Employment Law and Practice and Wills and Estate Planning)
Subject to revalidation from 2021
This course is subject to revalidation, this means it is under review as part of the University’s standard quality assurance and enhancement processes. Course and module content is indicative and may change through the revalidation process. As soon as the course is revalidated, the details will be confirmed and published on the University website.
In the unlikely event the course does not go ahead as planned, or is significantly amended, we will write to inform you. If this happens, we’ll help you to find a suitable alternative course either at USW or at another provider.
Teaching
Teaching is informed by actual practice and our modules reflect real-life trends. Teaching methods vary from traditional lectures and workshops to online simulation and clinical legal education.
Law lecturers engage in a variety of research activities which result in the presentation of papers at conferences, the publication of journal articles and textbooks. All our areas of research feed directly into your studies, so you will benefit from a cutting-edge curriculum that is taught by staff who are at the forefront of their subject area.
In your second and third years, you will put theory into practice at our Legal Advice Clinic, which is a free, face-to-face advice service open to the public. Working under the supervision of solicitors, you will provide legal advice and guidance for real-life problems.
We have a programme of high-profile guest speakers, whose talks will give you an insight into the practice of law and help you understand the many career paths available when you graduate. You could get involved with the Student Law Society, with events ranging from professional networking and visits to the Houses of Parliament and the Supreme Court, to mooting and debating in our state-of-the-art Moot Court and social activities. The Law Society have previously entered national competitions, and the Legal Advice Clinic entered students into the Client Interviewing Competition in the academic year 2018/19.
Assessment
Assessment includes examinations, self and tutor assessment, written coursework, portfolio, and problem-based exercises.
Accreditations
Our LLB Legal Practice (Exempting) degree is validated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Placements
You will work in the Legal Advice Clinic during your studies. Under supervision of lecturers and solicitors in practice, you will provide free legal advice to members of the public. This will give you an opportunity to put your theoretical studies into practice and obtain vital work experience.
The Clinic also provides you with the opportunity to play a part in ensuring access to justice in the local community via a variety of outreach programmes.
The Clinic was shortlisted in two categories - Best New Pro Bono Activity and Best contribution by a Law School - in the LawWorks and Attorney General Student Pro Bono Awards 2019.
Facilities
The University of South Wales has impressive study facilities for law. These include a courtroom with digital video
facilities, a legal practice library, and dedicated teaching and practice rooms. You can take part in a range of activities, including moots and mock trials in our Moot Court, which is modelled on those you will experience as a qualified practitioner.
Lecturers
Gemma Sweetman, LLB (Hons) Legal Practice (Exempting) Course Leader
We regularly revalidate courses for quality assurance and enhancement
At USW, we regularly review our courses in response to changing patterns of employment and skills demand to ensure we offer learning designed to reflect today’s student needs and tomorrow’s employer demands.
If during a review process course content is significantly changed, we’ll write to inform you and talk you through the changes for the coming year. But whatever the outcome, we aim to equip our students with the skillset and the mindset to succeed whatever tomorrow may bring. Your future, future-proofed.
The entry criteria below reflect our standard entry requirements for the course for September 2023. However, all applications received by the University are reviewed holistically and individually. Entry criteria for September 2024 is changing and will be published on ucas.com from 8th May 2023. Entry criteria for September 2024 will be updated on our website from the end of October 2023.
Contextual offers
We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (where you live and the school or college that you attended for example), your experiences and individual circumstances (as a care leaver, for example). This is referred to as a contextual offer and we receive data from UCAS to support us in making these decisions. USW prides itself on it’s a student experience and we support our students to achieve their goals and become a successful graduate. This approach helps us to support students who have the potential to succeed and who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university. Here is a link to our Contextual Admissions Policy.
Other qualifications and experience
We can also consider combinations of qualifications and other qualifications not listed here may also be acceptable. We can sometimes consider credits achieved at other universities and your work/life experience through an assessment of prior learning. This may be for year one entry, or advanced entry to year two or three of a course where this is possible.
To find out which qualifications have tariff points, please refer to the UCAS tariff calculator.
If you need more help or information or would like to speak to our friendly admissions team, please contact us here
Please note that whilst this course does not require a DBS Check for entry, some professions will not consider candidates who have certain types of criminal convictions. Therefore, if you have a criminal conviction and you are considering a particular career path we would recommend that you check with the relevant professional body or refer to their recruitment policy to make sure that your conviction will not disadvantage you.
Typical A-Level Offer
BCC - CDD (this is equivalent to 104-80 UCAS tariff points).
Typical Welsh BACC Offer
Pass the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate Diploma with Grade C/D in the Skills Challenge Certificate and BC - CD at A Level (this is equivalent to 104-80 UCAS tariff points).
Typical BTEC Offer
BTEC Extended Diploma Distinction Merit Merit - Merit Merit Pass (this is equivalent to 112-80 UCAS tariff points).
Typical IB Offer
Pass the International Baccalaureate Diploma with a minimum score of 29 overall including 5 or above in English at standard level
Typical Access to HE Offer
Pass the Access to HE Diploma and obtain a minimum of 80 UCAS tariff points
Additional Requirements
GCSEs: The University normally requires a minimum 5 GCSEs including Mathematics/Numeracy and English at Grade C or Grade 4 or above, or their equivalent, but consideration is given to individual circumstances.
International Entry Requirements
We also welcome international applications with equivalent qualifications. Please visit the country specific pages on our international website for exact details.
English Requirements
In general, international applicants will need to have achieved an overall IELTS grade of 6.0 with a minimum score of 5.5 in each component.
However, if you have previously studied through the medium of English IELTS might not be required, but please visit the country specific page on our international website for exact details. If your country is not featured please contact us.
Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits. Once enrolled, the fee will remain at the same rate throughout the duration of your study on this course.
Student Perks
At the University of South Wales, you’re investing in so much more than a degree. We strive to provide our students with the best possible experience, no matter what you chose to study. Whether it’s access to top of the range mac books and PCs, state-of-the-art facilities packed with industry-leading equipment and software, masterclasses and events led by industry experts, or a wide range of clubs and societies to meet likeminded people, better tomorrows start with extra perks.
Each course also has their own unique student benefits to prepare you for the real word, and details of these can be found on our course pages. From global field trips, integrated work experience and free course-related resources, to funded initiatives, projects working with real employers, and opportunities for extra qualifications and accreditations - at USW your future, is future-proofed.
Click here to learn more about student perks at USW.
Additional Costs
As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.
* Obligatory
| Item | Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Other: Printing | £200 - £300 | Students will be required to print Legal Practice related materials |
UK students
Apply via UCAS if you are a UK residing applicant, applying for year one of a full-time undergraduate degree, Foundation Year, Foundation Degree or HND and you have not applied through UCAS before. If you are applying to study part-time, to top up your Foundation Degree or HND, or to transfer to USW from another institution, please apply directly.
International and EU students
Apply directly to the University if you live outside the UK.
A law degree is the most adaptable of academic qualifications. Law graduates have an excellent record of employability because they are educated to think logically, articulate arguments clearly and in a concise way, and how to use evidence and rules. By graduation, students with the LLB (Hons) Legal Practice (Exempting) degree will also have completed their academic and vocational stages of legal training. As a result, students are able to enter into a training contract with a firm of solicitors as soon as they graduate, and in just three years instead of the usual four. Many law graduates go on to become solicitors or barristers, but many others use the qualification as a route into a wide variety of careers. These include financial services, management, education, public and emergency services, the media, the civil service, local government, journalism, or postgraduate study.
Our Careers and Employability Service
As a USW law student, you will have access to advice from the Careers and Employability Service throughout your studies and after you graduate.
This includes: one-to-one appointments from faculty based Career Advisers, in person, over the phone or even on Skype and through email via the "Ask a Question" service. We also have extensive online resources for help with considering your career options and presenting yourself well to employers. Resources include psychometric tests, career assessments, a CV builder, interview simulator and application help. Our employer database has over 2,000 registered employers targeting USW students, you can receive weekly email alerts for jobs.
Our Careers service has dedicated teams: A central work experience team to help you find relevant placements; an employability development team which includes an employability programme called Grad Edge; and an Enterprise team focused on new business ideas and entrepreneurship.
It’s the community and friendships you’ll build that make this place special. Outside your studies you can experience our amazing sport facilities and Students’ Union.
Living in Halls is a great way to meet new people and make friends. We have high quality accommodation in Treforest, Cardiff and Newport.