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International Edition

QLTS: improving standards, increasing costs

The Qualified Lawyers Transfer Scheme (QLTS) came into effect on 1 September, replacing the old Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test (QLTT) route to requalification as an English solicitor. While there is only one word different in their colloquial titles, the detailed differences are significant. The old QLTT route was taken by significant numbers of entrants to the profession annually but it needed updating to ensure entrants were rigourously assessed in broadly the same way as entrants following the domestic route. There were questions over the value of the work experience requirements imposed on some QLTT entrants and there was a need to broaden the list of 'eligible jurisdictions'.
4 minute read

International Edition

BPP set to launch new branches in Cambridge, Newcastle and Liverpool

BPP Law School is set to open up new branches in Cambridge, Newcastle and Liverpool next year, it has been confirmed. The centres will primarily deliver the Legal Practice Course (LPC), which will be taught both full and part-time. They will also provide distance learning support classes for the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL). The new branches are still subject to validation from the SRA.
2 minute read

International Edition

Elite City firms lead the curve on take-up of accelerated LPC

The accelerated Legal Practice Course (LPC) has yet to gain traction outside an elite band of City firms, with just seven of the UK's top 30 firms opting to give trainees the chance to complete the course in seven months. Two-thirds of the UK's top 30 law firms have opted not to offer the course - permitted since 2009 - as yet, according to Legal Week research.
3 minute read

International Edition

Simmons brings in psychometric testing in graduate intake overhaul

Simmons & Simmons has overhauled its recruitment process, extending elements in a bid to better filter applicants. Applicants will now visit the firm twice as part of the initial recruitment process but will only be interviewed by a fee earner if they pass a first-round assessment consisting of a number of written tests, including a newly-added psychometric testing element.
2 minute read

International Edition

Holman Fenwick signs up to exclusive LPC deal with Kaplan

Holman Fenwick Willan has signed an exclusive deal with Kaplan Law School to provide the Legal Practice Course (LPC) for the firm's trainees. The deal, which came into effect last month, will see Kaplan tailor the LPC to include a specific insurance module for the firm's trainees.
2 minute read

International Edition

College of Law backs proposals to open up tuition fees market

The College of Law has thrown its support behind Lord Browne's review of student funding, which could see the removal of the cap on UK university fees. The College has rallied behind Browne's proposals for a free market for higher education fees, which is intended to increase competition and deliver higher standards of education. Browne's review, published today (12 October), suggests that the government should remove the £3,290 fee cap on tuition fees, allowing universities the freedom to decide how much to charge students.
2 minute read

International Edition

Herbert Smith hands graduate recruitment brief to real estate partner

Herbert Smith has appointed real estate partner Matthew White as the firm's new graduate recruitment partner He will replace corporate partner Chris Parsons, who has chosen to step down after six years in the role.
2 minute read

International Edition

Commercial and chancery Bar: Re-setting the bar

"It's quite fashionable at the Bar to say: 'The Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) - no-one cares about that. It's rubbish, isn't it? We don't care what grade you get.' It is certainly not held with much respect, or anything like the same importance that academic degrees have. "Ours is one of the highest pass rates in the world for a Bar course. In a lot of places, only 30% of people pass." This damning indictment from Adam Kramer, pupillage secretary at 3 Verulam Buildings and author of Bewigged and Bewildered: A Guide to Becoming a Barrister in England and Wales, echoes the sentiments of many practitioners about the new BPTC.
9 minute read

International Edition

When one door closes…

In the wake of job cuts and rising competition, many who have completed law degrees and even the legal practice course (LPC), Bar vocational course (BVC) or graduate diploma in law (GDL) are finding themselves at a crossroads, with no training contract or pupillage, a lack of inspiration to work for a law firm and a decision to make about their legal future. But is this future as simple as becoming a solicitor, barrister or nothing at all? For those who aren't ready to throw in the towel but who are finding that their career trajectory isn't shaping up the way they had planned, there are some other options to consider.
8 minute read

International Edition

Shearman signs exclusive Kaplan deal to train up London associates

Shearman & Sterling has signed an exclusive deal with Kaplan Law School to provide the Legal Practice Course (LPC) and Graduate Diploma of Law (GDL) for its London trainees. As a part of the agreement, which will start in Autumn 2011, trainees at the US firm's London office will participate in Kaplan's 'Bridge to Practice' programme, which is designed to ease the transition from the LPC into a commercial law firm. The programme comprises practical modules and work experience, including workshops on topics such as working with partners, negotiation, legal ethics and internal law firm politics.
2 minute read

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