University of Bolton, Deane Road, Bolton. BL3 5AB
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Professor George E Holmes DL | President & Vice Chancellor
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University of Bolton, why we are the right choice
Location - Bolton, Greater Manchester
If you're an ambitious law graduate focused on building a career as a solicitor, the University of Bolton's LLM in Legal Practice is a perfect choice. Our highly experienced team will support you in developing the legal knowledge and skills required for the Solicitors Qualification Examination assessments. We’ll help you learn to apply fundamental legal principles and gain the essential legal and interpersonal skills that underpin practice as a solicitor.
Award:
LLM
Mode of Study:
Full-time
Duration:
18 months
Location:
University of Bolton
Start date:
To be confirmed
A primary aim of the University of Bolton's LLM Legal Practice is to support you in developing the skills and knowledge required for the Solicitors Regulation Authority's suite of Solicitors Qualification Examination (SQE) assessments. We offer outstanding facilities for legal learning and excellent opportunities for work experience that support you in gaining the high-level professional and transferable skills and attributes needed for career success.
Our expert team will guide you in building a systematic and critical understanding of complex legal, economic, cultural, ethical and political issues that will enhance your legal problem-solving skills. This prestigious master's degree will also support you in developing the sophisticated research and critical thinking skills employers value highly. You'll have the opportunity to learn essential research methods and develop postgraduate research and thinking skills, maximising your potential.
What is the Solicitors Qualification Examination (SQE)?
The Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) is a centralised assessment that forms part of a new route towards becoming a solicitor in England and Wales. It is administered by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). Introduced in September 2021, the SQE route will eventually replace the route known as the Legal Practice Course (LPC).
Why study LLM Legal Practice at the University of Bolton?
This LLM Legal Practice course at the University of Bolton will prepare you for the SRA's centralised SQE assessments. It's suitable if you're a law graduate or have completed a law conversion course.
Our School of Law team features barristers, solicitors and solicitor advocates. We are dedicated to supporting you through your legal education and preparing you for success as a fully qualified solicitor. This course covers the full spectrum of knowledge and skills required for the SQE1 and SQE2 assessments – please see this page's Teaching and Assessment section for more information.
We also have a full-service Legal Advice Centre where you'll be able to work alongside our legal professionals to build confidence, skills and hours towards your required qualifying work experience (QWE).
In addition, as a student with the School of Law, you'll benefit from access to the full range of support services offered by the University of Bolton, including:
Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.
The Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) is a single, rigorous assessment for all aspiring solicitors.
There are four stages to becoming a solicitor by the SQE route. Firstly, you must gain a degree (or equivalent). Since you're here, you've probably already completed this step.
Next, you must pass the SQE1 and SQE2 assessments. This LLM Legal Practice course offered by the School of Law at the University of Bolton supports you in achieving this. Possession of this highly-regarded master's-level qualification will also enhance your employability and career prospects.
Alongside successfully completing your SQE assessments, you'll need to undertake a minimum of two years of full-time (or equivalent) Qualifying Work Experience (QWE) in a qualifying legal role. Studying this course will also help you prepare for the QWE, as the knowledge and skills you'll develop are essential for practice. You may also be able to gain experience towards your QWE by volunteering in our in-house Legal Advice Centre.
Lastly, you must meet the SRA's character and suitability requirements when submitting your application to become a solicitor.
While studying towards your SQE1 and SQE2 assessments, you'll likely wish to undertake QWE towards becoming a qualified solicitor. If you qualify as a solicitor, you'll have direct contact with clients, with the broadest caseload coming from high street practices, which cover criminal, family, probate and business law. Opportunities are available in private practice, in public sector bodies such as local authorities and the Government, and the in-house legal departments of companies.
As a graduate with sound legal knowledge, you'll also be able to find employment in areas such as human resources, business and finance. Managers value the advanced critical thinking and research skills that LLM graduates possess, so this postgraduate qualification should prove attractive to employers from across the legal sector and beyond. Alternatively, you may wish to continue your studies to the doctoral level.
Graduates can also use this qualification as a stepping-stone into various other careers. Some of these roles may require relevant experience and/or postgraduate. Some possibilities include:
Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2023-2024 academic year: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for 'Home' fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for 'Home' fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance for EU students web page on www.gov.uk for information.
The fees for a student's course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.
For details of how to apply for this course, please choose your status from the options below:
Please contact Admissions by telephone on 01204 903903 or email enquiries@bolton.ac.uk
Admissions
University of Bolton
Deane Road
Bolton, BL3 5AB
United Kingdom
Tel: 01204 903903
Email: enquiries@bolton.ac.uk
The University welcomes applications from international students from all over the world. We try to make the application process as simple and as fast as possible for our international applicants.
This course is not currently accepting international online applications.
Please contact Admissions by telephone on 01204 903903 or email enquiries@bolton.ac.uk
Admissions
University of Bolton
Deane Road
Bolton, BL3 5AB
United Kingdom
Tel: 01204 903903
Email: enquiries@bolton.ac.uk
The LLM Legal Practice programme will be delivered using a wide range of materials, all designed to give you the very best start. These will include e-lectures, face-to-face workshops and the chance to learn and develop your skills within the University's Legal Advice Centre. Core textbooks and guided learning materials will support your studies.
While the major focus of this course is to prepare you to take the SRA's centralised SQE assessments at an external test centre, the LLM Legal Practice is a stand-alone qualification. You'll need to commit to a considerable amount of personal study to succeed, engaging in background reading, online activities, preparation for sessions, and completing assessment work. To gain the LLM Legal Practice award, you'll need to complete the University's assessments, which typically include written coursework, project work, oral assessments and portfolios. We'll provide feedback to help you learn what you have done well and where you need to improve.
Initially, teaching and learning will focus on preparing you to sit the SQE1 assessments. These two multiple-choice question papers will test your Functioning Legal Knowledge (FLK), including ethics and professional conduct. Using realistic client-based scenarios and ethical problems and situations, these exams will assess your application of law in the following areas:
FLK1 – Business Law and Practice; Dispute Resolution; Contract; Tort; Legal System of England and Wales; Constitutional and Administrative Law and EU Law and Legal Services.
FLK 2 – Property Practice; Wills and the Administration of Estates; Solicitors Accounts; Land Law; Trusts; Criminal Law and Practice.
Our expert team will also support you in learning the practical skills required for the SQE2 legal skills assessments. You'll be tested for the six professional legal skills: interviewing, advocacy (known as SQE2 oral), case and matter analysis, legal research, legal drafting and legal writing (known as SQE2 written). These assessments will also test your negotiation, ethics and professionalism.
SQE2 is conducted in the context of five legal practice areas: business law, civil litigation, criminal litigation, property practice, and wills and the administration of estates.
Please visit https://sqe.sra.org.uk/ for full details of the SRA's assessment and exam arrangements.
Our team will support you as you learn and revise all required knowledge and skills. We'll also help you gain postgraduate-level study and lifelong learning skills.
As well as vital legal practice knowledge, the LLM offers advanced research and critical thinking skills employers value highly. You'll have the opportunity to learn essential research methods and develop postgraduate research and thinking skills. Choosing the dissertation option of this course allows you to undertake an extended and substantial piece of research, gathering data either through deskwork, fieldwork or a combination of both. We'll support you as you examine your findings in light of your postgraduate-level legal knowledge and critically discuss, evaluate and present your results.
Alternatively, you may choose our specialist work-based learning portfolio module. This module supports you to identify research questions and methodologies appropriate to your professional practice in a specific area of law. This allows you to develop and demonstrate your ability to understand and critically apply complex theories, principles and models of reflective practice in your specialist area.
We use a blended learning and teaching style, including online delivery and engagement where appropriate.
The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.
Level | Assesment method |
---|---|
Level one | Coursework 80%, Practical exams 20% |
Level | Learning activity |
---|---|
Level one | Guided independent study 80%, Scheduled learning and teaching activities 20% |
Disclaimer
The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.
The academic staff detailed above teach across a range of courses in this subject area and may not teach on this course specifically.
J.Nnadi@bolton.ac.uk
I.Uhumuavbi@bolton.ac.uk
+44 (0)1204 903942
enquiries@bolton.ac.uk
+44 (0)1204 903903
University of Bolton
University of Bolton
University of Bolton
University of Bolton
University of Bolton