LLM

Legal Practice

The LLM Legal Practice offers you the opportunity to gain an internationally recognised LLM qualification in addition to your Legal Practice Course (LPC).

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Key Course Details

  • Start Date

    September

  • Location

    Pontypridd

  • Campus Code

    A

Fees

  • Home students

    £15,400*

  • International students

    £17,900*

  • Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits.

  • Start Date

    September

  • Location

    Pontypridd

  • Campus Code

    A

Fees

  • Home students

    £7,700*

  • Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits.

The LLM incorporates a programme of study and assessment approved by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), which you must complete if you want to qualify as a solicitor. You will develop an in-depth understanding of business and property law, litigation and court procedure, and enhance your ability to engage in critical academic study and research by way of a research project, helping you to develop the professional and reflective skills necessary for practice.


Module Overview

  • Legal Practice Research Project 
  • Business Law and Practice and Taxation 
  • Property Law and Practice 
  • Litigation and Advocacy
  • Skills for Legal Practice (incorporating Practical Legal Research, Interviewing and Advising, Writing, Drafting, Wills and Administration of Estates, Professional Conduct and Regulation and Solicitors’ Accounts)
  • Three elective modules*

*Elective modules typically include Family Law and Practice, Employment Law and Practice, Commercial Property, Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence Litigation, Advanced Business and Corporate Law and Practice, Wills and Estate Planning, Advanced Criminal Litigation

Year One

  • Business Law and Practice and Taxation
  • Property Law and Practice
  • Skills for Legal Practice (incorporating Drafting, Practical Legal Research, Interviewing and Advising and Writing)
  • Elective modules* (part time students must study a total of three electives over the two years of study) 

 

Year Two

  • Legal Practice Research Project
  • Litigation and Advocacy
  • Skills for Legal Practice (incorporating Wills and Administration of Estates, Solicitors’ Accounts and Professional Conduct and Regulation)
  • Elective modules* (part time students must study a total of three electives over the two years of study

Course Highlights

How you’ll learn

The taught modules require full-time students to attend campus two days per week (9am to 6pm) between September and February for core module workshops. In preparation for the workshops, you will undertake set pre-reading and watch pre-recorded lectures. The workshops allow you to build on the knowledge gained during the preparatory study by applying the law to practice and providing you with the opportunity to complete assessment style questions. 
 
Elective modules are taught between February and April via the same mixture of pre-workshop study and workshops. Full-time students select three elective modules (the days you are required on campus will be dependent on what electives you are studying). 
 
The Legal Practice Research Project is a mixture of self-study and pre-recorded lectures, supported by direct supervision. Full-time students complete this element of the course between May and September. 
 
Part-time students are required on campus one day per week for core module workshops. Part-time students will study two electives in year 1 and one elective in year 2, with the Legal Practice Research Project being completed in year 2.

Assessment

Core modules are assessed by way of written examinations, practical skills assessments, which includes being assessed on letters of advice produced for real-life clients in our Legal Advice Clinic. Elective modules are assessed by way of written examinations.
 
The Legal Practice Research Project is assessed by way of a written research proposal and a written dissertation.

Law Research

For the Legal Practice Research Project, you are expected to produce a research proposal and a dissertation or reflective portfolio. For Stage One and Stage Two, you will be assessed by written examinations and practical skills assessments, which will include recorded role play in our moot courtroom and client interviewing room.

Accreditation

The LPC elements of the LLM Legal Practice programme of study and assessment has been approved by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA)

Facilities

Your learning will be supported by state-of-the-art study facilities, including a courtroom fully equipped with the latest digital video facilities, a legal practice library, and dedicated teaching and practise rooms. All activities are based on authentic scenarios, and research and preparation is assisted by the facilities in our modern technology suites. There will also be opportunities for you to put your knowledge into practice through our Legal Advice Clinic by providing advice, delivering client care and engaging with legal professionals.

Careers and Employability

Possible career paths

The LLM Legal Practice, and in particular, the LPC element of this course, is a requirement for qualification as a solicitor and develops the skills you will need on entering the profession.

Careers support

The University’s Career Services offers a range of advice and guidance to students, and references to the services available to all listed at southwales.ac.uk/careers will be added to the course website by default. However, if there are other important course or subject specific initiatives run at local a level, there is an opportunity to add further details here. Whether this includes connecting with professionals, industry experts or mentors, or strategies to enhance their competitiveness and aspirations in the job market, further details will provide prospects with the confidence, encouragement, and motivation to commit to applying. 

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Typical qualification requirements:

  • LLB (Hons) degree usually of class 2:2 or above, or all subjects of the Common Professional Examination, or a combined studies degree including the core law subjects prescribed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). Students who have reached the appropriate level of qualification with the Institute of Legal Executives are also eligible for consideration for admission to the course.
  • All applications for the full-time LPC must be made online via the Central Applications Board at www.lawcabs.ac.uk.
  • Applications for the part-time LPC Stage 1 and for Stage 2 can be made using our online application form.

Additional requirements include:

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.

International applications welcomed:

We welcome international applications with equivalent qualifications of our entry requirements. For more details related to your country of residence, please view our dedicated country pages.

English language requirements

International applicants will need to have achieved an overall of IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component/TOEFL 72 overall and a minimum of 18 in reading, 17 in listening, 20 in speaking and 17 in writing or equivalent.

Equivalents can be located on our English Language pages.

If you have previously studied through the medium of English, IELTS might not be required, please visit our country specific page for further details. If your country is not featured, please contact us.

If you do not meet the English entry criteria, please visit our Pre-Sessional course pages.

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 its 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.

 

We're here to help

Whether you a have a question about your course, fees and funding, the application process or anything else, there are plenty of ways you can get in touch, and we'd love to talk to you. You can contact our friendly admissions team by phone, email or chat to us online.

 

Fees and Funding

UK Full-time Fee

£15,400

per year*
International Full-time Fee

£17,900

per year*
UK Part-time Fee

£7,700

per 20 credits*

Further Information

Studying at University is one of the most significant investments you'll ever make. You may be eligible for loans, grants or bursaries to help towards your tuition fees and living costs.

*Important: 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.

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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.

University Quality Assurance

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.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

112 UCAS Points (or above)

- BBC (A-Level)
- DMM (BTEC)
- Merit (T Level)
- Pass (Access to HE Diploma)
- CC (Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate, Welsh Bacc)

Additional requirements include:

All applicants are required to attend an interview. For further support on preparing for interview and what to expect at interview, please read our application advice. One satisfactory reference from someone who is able to comment on your attitude and approach to learning in a professional or academic sense.  An Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check on the Child & Adult Workforce and Child and Adult Barring Lists and subscription to the DBS Update Service. A satisfactory medical will be required once an offer has been made. We will contact you closer to your start date with details of how to obtain these.

112 UCAS Points (or above)

- BBC (A-Level)
- DMM (BTEC)
- Merit (T Level)
- Pass (Access to HE Diploma)
- CC (Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate, Welsh Bacc)

Additional requirements include:

All applicants are required to attend an interview. For further support on preparing for interview and what to expect at interview, please read our application advice. One satisfactory reference from someone who is able to comment on your attitude and approach to learning in a professional or academic sense.  An Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check on the Child & Adult Workforce and Child and Adult Barring Lists and subscription to the DBS Update Service. A satisfactory medical will be required once an offer has been made. We will contact you closer to your start date with details of how to obtain these.

112 UCAS Points (or above)

- BBC (A-Level)
- DMM (BTEC)
- Merit (T Level)
- Pass (Access to HE Diploma)
- CC (Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate, Welsh Bacc)

Additional requirements include:

All applicants are required to attend an interview. For further support on preparing for interview and what to expect at interview, please read our application advice. One satisfactory reference from someone who is able to comment on your attitude and approach to learning in a professional or academic sense.  An Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check on the Child & Adult Workforce and Child and Adult Barring Lists and subscription to the DBS Update Service. A satisfactory medical will be required once an offer has been made. We will contact you closer to your start date with details of how to obtain these.

Studying at USW

Our courses are designed with industry leaders and provide the practical skills and experiences industry demands. Our flexible courses reflect the need for life-long learning. If you value education in practice, not just in theory, then USW is for you.

How to apply

There is an online application process for this course. Please choose the application form for your preferred start date and mode of study (i.e. full-time or part-time).

International admissions

Please see our international admissions advice for further information about how to apply as a prospective international student.