Step one: get a law degree
Tips: A qualifying law degree will exempt you from the Common Professional Examination (CPE). If you are doing a law degree, especially if it is a combined honours degree, make sure that the course options cover all seven ‘foundations of legal knowledge’ – obligations I (contract) & II (tort), foundations of criminal law, foundations of equity and law of trusts, foundations of the law of European Union, foundations of property law and foundations of public law – otherwise any gaps will have to be made up the following year before you can apply for the Legal Practice Course (LPC). Likewise, if you do not start the LPC within seven years of graduation, then you will have to take the CPE.
And try to get a 2:1. As our survey (pages 24-25) shows, the vast majority of law firms state that an upper second is their minimum requirement, whether a law degree or not.
Step two (if step one is skipped): the CPE
Those whose degree is not a qualifying law degree will have to take the CPE or post-graduate diploma in law.
Details: One year (full-time), two years (part-time).
The course covers the seven foundations of legal knowledge, with an examination in each. Additionally, the course will include legal research, the English legal system and one other module.
The course is offered by a multitude of institutions throughout the country from universities to traditional law schools (details on Law Society website – see box for address), but applications for full-time courses are made centrally to: CPE/diploma in law course, Central Applications Board, PO Box 84, Guildford, Surrey, GU3 1YX. Forms are available from October to the beginning of December in the year before you intend to start the course. Applications for part-time courses should be made directly to the relevant college.
Tips: Competition for places on the course can be fierce. In the 1998-99 academic year, there were 2,692 places on CPE/diploma of law courses – by April of this year more than 3,000 people had applied. The minimum grade in most colleges is a 2:2, but most report that the substantial majority of students hold a 2:1.
Not all courses are the same. It is wise to get hold of a prospectus from the college(s) you are interested in before application. Completion of the CPE/diploma does not guarantee a place on the LPC.
Finally, if you need a break after all that studying, make sure it is not too long. If you do not start the LPC within seven years of passing the CPE or diploma, then it will have to be done again.
