Bar Knowledge Course
1 Year Part Time | September Start
Option for Placement Year
Option for Study Abroad
Option for Placement Year
Option for Study Abroad
Applicants should normally have:
A minimum of a 2:1 honours degree in Law, or a minimum of a Commendation in the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) – or to be on course to achieve this. Applicants with a 2:2 honours degree or a Pass in the GDL will be considered exceptionally on an individual basis, and with appropriate evidence.
Please note academic qualifications must satisfy the requirements outlined by the Bar Standards Board. Applicants that hold, or are completing a non-UK/ROI degree or conversion course, must apply to the Bar Standards Boards for a Certificate of Academic Standing and be studying or have studied a Conversion Course such as the GDL. Further information can be found on the Bar Standards Board Website.
All applicants are required to join one of the four Inns of Court before commencing the course. Applicants must have achieved a minimum standard as specified by the BSB within the past five years. For more information, please visit www.barstandardsboard.org.uk
Bar Course Aptitude Test (BCAT):
The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has decided to discontinue the BCAT as an entry requirement for the vocational component of Bar Training with effect from 31 July 2022. Please see this statement on the BSB website for more information: https://www.barstandardsboard.org.uk/resources/bsb-to-abolish-the-bar-course-aptitude-test-from-31-july.html
English language requirements:
Please visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/barapplications
For further information and how to apply, please visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/barapplications
Please review this information before submitting your application.
Full UK Fee: £3,300
Full International Fee: £3,300
Scholarships and Discounts
ADDITIONAL COSTS
"The fees above include the Bar Standards Board fee (which was £705 in September 2023 - £470 for the Bar Knowledge Course and £235 for the Bar Skills Course, where students elect to take one of these programmes as opposed to the full Bar Course - and which is subject to change each year thereafter at the discretion of the BSB): Upon joining the course, you will be provided with the core textbooks that you require for your studies (you may purchase additional texts if you wish, but they will not be ‘recommended reading’ and you may find that the University library has copies of any additional texts that you may wish to browse/refer to). Additional costs include: the Inn membership fee which was between £100 and £148 in 2023. All of these additional costs are mandatory and subject to pricing by independent bodies (and so the prices given above may possibly change from year to year). Students must also attend 10 ‘qualifying sessions’, run by the Inns of Court. These may include dinners, lectures, advocacy training or residential weekends. One such session is included in your fees - the Northumbria Bar Dinner. The remaining 9 sessions are funded by the student and the cost varies depending on what you choose to attend and its location. Costs will typically include travel, event costs, accommodation and meals if necessary."
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Module information is indicative and is reviewed annually therefore may be subject to change. Applicants will be informed if there are any changes.
LW7118 -
Criminal Litigation (20 Credits)
The Criminal Litigation module is delivered on the Bar Course and across the portfolio of Bar Courses at Northumbria University. Building on foundation knowledge from criminal law modules on your qualifying law degree, this module will familiarise you with current procedures relating to the following topics:
- Preliminaries to prosecution;
- Bail and remands;
- Pre-trial issues;
- Disclosure;
- Indictments;
- The roles of the Magistrates’, Crown and Appellate Courts;
- Youth Courts;
- Summary trial procedure;
- Preliminaries to trial in the Crown Court and jury trial procedure;
- Sentencing powers of the various courts;
- Appeal procedures.
On completion of this module, you will be able to demonstrate a sound understanding of criminal process as a whole, knowledge of how cases progress through the system and an understanding of, and an ability to apply, the main procedural and evidential rules relevant to criminal matters.
LW7119 -
Civil Litigation (20 Credits)
The Civil Litigation module is delivered on the Bar Course and across the portfolio of Bar Courses at Northumbria University. Modern civil litigation requires knowledge of the detailed and technical Civil Procedure Rules (CPR) and rules of civil evidence. However, it is equally important that the modern practitioner also possesses a thorough knowledge of the various methods of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and, crucially, the interplay between “conventional” litigation and ADR.
To meet these requirements, this module will provide you with thorough knowledge and understanding of those parts of the CPR, civil evidence and ADR which you are set out in the BSB’s syllabus document for this module. This is likely to include:
- The various forms of ADR (negotiation; mediation; arbitration; and conciliation) and how they operate;
- When, in the course of civil dispute, to use ADR and selecting the most appropriate method of ADR;
- The implications of ADR in relation to matters such as costs and enforcement;
- The importance of the Pre-Action Protocols;
- The Overriding Objective of the CPR;
- Interim applications (e.g. summary judgment; setting aside default judgment) and interim remedies ( e.g. injunctions; interim payments);
- The rules surrounding disclosure;
- Civil evidence (including witness evidence; hearsay and legal professional privilege);
- Costs;
- Appeals.
On completion of this module you will be able to demonstrate a sound understanding and knowledge of the progress of civil litigation and dispute resolution from initial considerations through to trial and on to appeals and an ability to apply, the main procedural and evidential rules relevant to civil matters.
Our Applicant Services team will be happy to help. They can be contacted on 0191 406 0901 or by using our Contact Form.
Full time Courses are primarily delivered via on-campus face to face learning but could include elements of online learning. Most courses run as planned and as promoted on our website and via our marketing materials, but if there are any substantial changes (as determined by the Competition and Markets Authority) to a course or there is the potential that course may be withdrawn, we will notify all affected applicants as soon as possible with advice and guidance regarding their options. It is also important to be aware that optional modules listed on course pages may be subject to change depending on uptake numbers each year.
Contact time is subject to increase or decrease in line with possible restrictions imposed by the government or the University in the interest of maintaining the health and safety and wellbeing of students, staff, and visitors if this is deemed necessary in future.
Northumbria University is committed to developing an inclusive, diverse and accessible campus and wider University community and are determined to ensure that opportunities we provide are open to all.
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