Master of Laws Professional Legal Practice LLM
1 Year Full Time | September Start
Option for Placement Year
Option for Study Abroad
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Our LLM Professional Legal Practice course aims to develop the academic and legal knowledge required for the SQE1 assessment and professional practice.
This course has been designed to build and develop your legal knowledge. It will give you the best opportunity to prepare for the external assessment methods used in the Solicitors Qualifying Examination. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) introduced the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) in September 2021. The SQE is a two-part national assessment for anyone who wants to qualify as a solicitor in England and Wales. This course is designed to equip you with the necessary knowledge to sit stage 1 of the SQE assessment (SQE1) through integrated preparation modules. It also lays the foundations to help you achieve your employment goals.
You can also progress to studying our SQE2 short course and go on to sit the second stage of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE2) alongside undertaking work experience.
You can see the SQE Website for more information on the exams, including the costs and fees involved to sit the exam. You will be responsible for booking and arranging the timing and location of your SQE1 assessment.
The programme will provide knowledge of how the law is applied in practice, as well as enabling you to track your progress throughout the programme. In addition to this, it will also provide you with a critical understanding of how to respond professionally to different legal scenarios. You will be expected to think creatively and understand how to interpret and use legal rules to support arguments.
The final dissertation module will allow you to focus your interests through your chosen topic area. You will further develop techniques used in academic research and the professional skills needed for practice. It will improve your ability to undertake effective legal research and further your analytical and reflection skills in practice and policy. You will be encouraged to reflect on your progress and application of legal professional values and ethics throughout the programme.
In addition to achieving a Masters in Law degree, you will also have the opportunity to enhance your profile and experience by gaining an internationally recognised LLM qualification. In an increasingly competitive market, this offers you the means to set yourself apart from other graduates and enhance your future employability.
Dr Victoria Roper, Associate Professor at Northumbria University, answers crucial questions about the new Solicitors Qualifying Examination in the BBC's podcast series; Not All Lawyers Have Law Degrees.
Level of Study
Postgraduate
Mode of Study
1 year full-time
Department
Northumbria Law School
Location
City Campus, Northumbria University
City
Newcastle
Start
September 2024
Fees
Fee Information
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This course contains two forms of assessment, formative and summative. Formative assessment is an essential learning tool and includes seminar discussions, informal peer review and online exercises. For summative assessment, the standard Master’s level Northumbria Law School marking criteria will be followed, enabling you to understand what is expected and how you will be judged on your performance.
The graded assessments embrace a variety of assessment formats to reflect the learning for each module. This will include; coursework and a dissertation. The assessment scheme ensures you are tested upon the full range of skills and knowledge that you will develop through the programme. You will have access to detailed assessment instructions and grade descriptors to understand how your work is assessed and help you deliver what is required.
The SQE 1 is set and assessed externally by the Solicitor Regulation Authority (SRA), in accordance with professional body requirements. To prepare you for this, SQE 1 preparation modules are embedded within the programme structure. You will be further supported by submitting practice answers and tests through our eLearning Portal.
The LLM is assessed by a final dissertation of between 10,000 – 15,000 words. You will be supported by the appointment of an individual dissertation supervisor, based typically on subject expertise. In semester one, you will be required to submit a detailed proposal. You will then obtain extensive feedback, enabling you to work on your dissertation throughout the year. This will run alongside a legal research module to better prepare you for writing your LLM dissertation.
Full details on the modules for this course can be found below.
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The teaching team on this course blends expertise in teaching, professional practice and academic and practical legal research. You will be taught by scholars from various backgrounds, each sharing their industry and/or academic knowledge to help enhance your learning experience.
The programme leader and module tutors are always willing to offer advice to support you in successfully completing your programme of study.
You will have access to a range of learning support services in addition to direct academic assistance. These will include workshops facilitated by library staff teaching you how to reference correctly and improve your academic writing abilities.
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Technology is utilised throughout the programme to support you and enable flexible learning. Your legal knowledge will be enhanced through our eLearning experience. You will be able to access online podcasts, sample questions and extra learning materials designed by our leading academics. All lectures are Panopto-recorded. This enables you to review lectures at your own pace and catch up on any you may have missed.
Our specialist Law Practice Library contains practitioner materials as well as a wide variety of journals and law reports. The range and depth of resources reflect our position as the largest law school in the North East region.
The University Library provides a whole array of resources for your course including not only print resources but electronic too. We have two libraries for law, firstly the Law Practice Library (LPL) which is on the 1st floor of the Business and Law building (CCE1) at City Campus East. The library contains a reference collection of law resources, primarily supporting the Legal Practice Course and the Bar Course. Books in the LPL are for reference only. The main library on city campus has multiple copies of law print books for your course which can be borrowed.
You can browse our extensive list of electronic resources using the library online by selecting ‘subject resources’ on the main page and then selecting ‘law’.
For Example,
Lexis Nexis includes access to many resources for legal research including key resources such as All England Law reports; Halsburys, Harvey on industrial relations and employment law, Family law, Simons taxes, Gore-Browne on companies, law journals and much more.
Lexis PSL which includes practice resources for Wills and Probate, including Williams on Wills, Tristram and Cootes Probate practice, Butterworths wills probate and administration service.
Westlaw also contains resources for legal research such as Archbold, Aldridge leasehold, Weinberg & Blank on takeovers and mergers and specific resources subject areas of Business law including mergers and acquisitions, business restructuring and corporate finance.
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Throughout the course, you will develop your own skills as a researcher. You will learn how to critically evaluate your own work and reflect on your feedback to improve your performance.
Learning and teaching methods are tailored to each module. There will be an emphasis on interactive and research-rich learning. This will help prepare you to analyse complex problems and propose solutions both in professional practice and academic setting.
The Legal Research Project in semester one is your opportunity to undertake a substantial piece of legal research on a topic that you are truly passionate about, guided by a tutor with relevant expertise. This will then feed into your dissertation module, which will run concurrently.
Visit an Open Day to find out about life in Newcastle, tour our facilities and chat to staff and students.
We run an excellent careers programme with law specific careers events held throughout the year, including employer presentations and workshops. Specialist career professionals from our Graduate Futures team provide 1-2-1 careers information, advice and guidance to support you at each stage of your career planning.
This quality support includes assistance with developing your networking skills, enhancing your job search skills and providing feedback on your CV and job applications. The programme teaching staff have previous practice experience in a range of practice areas and are happy to speak with you and share their experiences of working in local and national law firms. Our annual Careers Fair also presents the opportunity for you to meet a variety of employers and the chance to secure a graduate role.
You will be supported to find and encouraged to pursue work with legal advice agencies, where you will have the opportunity to experience real legal cases and work with professionals across a range of legal areas.
Visit an Open Day to find out about life in Newcastle, tour our facilities and chat to staff and students.
Applicants should normally have:
A Qualifying Law Degree awarded at a minimum of a 2:2 honours, or a GDL qualification, both awarded less than 7 years ago. Relevant professional qualifications or suitable experience will also be considered.
International qualifications:
If you have studied a non UK qualification, you can see how your qualifications compare to the standard entry criteria, by selecting the country that you received the qualification in, from our country pages. Visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/yourcountry
English language requirements:
International applicants are required to have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 6.5 with 5.5 in each component (or approved equivalent*).
*The university accepts a large number of UK and International Qualifications in place of IELTS. You can find details of acceptable tests and the required grades you will need in our English Language section. Visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/englishqualifications
Full UK Fee: £9,500
Full EU Fee: £9,500
Full International Fee: £9,500
Scholarships and Discounts
ADDITIONAL COSTS
1. Optional professional accreditation/fee – Solicitors Qualifying Examination 1 (SQE1) exam fee, cost of £1,622. This is not an additional cost that students or employers will have to pay to obtain our Northumbria award. Students/employers will have to pay it if the student wishes to sit the Solicitors Regulation Authorities external SQE 1 exam, which does not contribute to our award, but for which our programme does prepare them. 2. Whilst books are made available via the University library, students may be advised to purchase books for their modules at an approximate cost of £200 per annum. 3. Travel expenses for optional work experience with agencies - approximately £100
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