LLB (Hons) in Legal Practice
A collaboration between Manchester Metropolitan University and ITC
The LLB in Legal Practice is a law degree with a difference. It enables you to combine essential legal knowledge with practical legal skills while gaining a valuable law degree from Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU).
Developed jointly by MMU School of Law and ILEX Tutorial College, the degree is taught via supported distance learning, so you can study from anywhere in the UK. The legal practice electives fulfil all the academic study required to become a legal executive lawyer, which is what makes this programme so distinctive.
In common with other law degrees, the LL.B in Legal Practice will also prepare you for further training if you want to become a solicitor or barrister. On graduating you will be able to apply legal theory to practical law with confidence, making you more employable than graduates who have studied a traditional law degree.
The fees for the first year commencing in September 2012 are £3,000. Subsequent years may be subject to a small inflationary increase of between 2.5% and 5% per annum. Total fees for the four-year course will be in the region of £12,500 to £12,900. The first-year fees can be paid in three instalments: £1,400 on 7 September 2012, £750 on 5 December 2012 and £750 on 5 February 2013.
Key benefits
- Flexible four-year distance learning degree
- Designed to improve your employability
- Qualifying law degree - gives access to the vocational stage of solicitor/barrister training
- Meets the academic requirements to become a legal executive lawyer
- Helps you avoid significant student debt - fees are competitive and you can earn and learn at the same time
Who is the course for?
This LLB is for anyone who is interested in:
- gaining a qualifying law degree to use as a basis for further vocational training as a solicitor or barrister;
- becoming a legal executive and achieving a law degree along the way;
- having a head start amongst other law graduates in understanding how academic law is applied in legal practice
- retraining to a new career on redundancy, particularly if you are currently working in a law-related career such as the police service
What you will study
You will study all of the standard ‘foundations of legal knowledge’ which permit you to undertake further training as a solicitor or barrister. As you progress through the course you can choose from a range of available electives. So if you want a future role in law - or you are already working in a legal environment - you can build your qualification to match your career goals.
Even if your aspirations are not in law, you will graduate with lots of valuable transferable skills. See below for a summary of what you will study in each year
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Year 1
Legal System and Society
Contract
Tort
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Year 2
Public Law
Criminal Law
and one further law subject* selected from:
Family Law
Wills and Succession
Employment Law or
Company and Partnership Law
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Year 3
Land Law
The Law of the European Union
and one legal practice subject* selected from:
Civil Litigation
Company and Partnership Practice
Criminal Practice
Employment Practice
Family Practice or
Probate Practice
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Year 4
Equity & Trusts and one legal practice subject selected from the Year 3 list
You will also study Professional Skills in Practice
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*It is not guaranteed that all the law or legal practice electives will be available in a given year.
How you will study
The course is taught via supported distance learning, over four years, giving you the flexibility to balance your current commitments with your study. The course starts with a face-to-face induction session on 21/22 September 2012, when you will be equipped with the skills and knowledge to manage your study programme. You will be given your course timetable and printed materials, as well as being introduced to the on-line facilities and support. After the induction session you will be set course work for each of the subjects for you to do at home in your own time, which are then sent for marking. There will be opportunities to submit ‘mock’ or ‘practice’ assessments before each formal assessment so that you can receive tutor feedback about how you can improve your performance.
Each module has timetabled submission dates for your study exercises so you have a structure to work to, which will help you to maintain the momentum throughout the year. Don’t worry if the idea of organising your study time is daunting: our experienced team will be available to give advice and encouragement by phone and email.
Before the examinations there is a revision weekend to help you to prepare. Expert tutors will guide you through the syllabus highlighting key topics and explaining points of special significance. The induction, revision and exam sessions are all held in Manchester. Other than this there is no attendance requirement. One of the great benefits of studying by distance learning is that you will have all the support you need without the requirement to attend classes, although there is enough face-to-face contact to ensure that you get to know us and your fellow students.
Learning materials and study support
As a distance learning student it is important that all the course materials are easy to use and deliver knowledge in the most efficient way.
For each law and legal practice module the syllabus is delivered through specially written course materials including a course manual, webcasts and study exercises. The study exercises give you practice in applying the knowledge that you have gained, and feedback from lecturers helps to develop your understanding of the subject matter.
As well as the extensive course resources on the ITC Student Area you will also have access to the MMU virtual learning environment, including its comprehensive electronic library facilities and careers support.
On-course support is available by phoning ITC’s academic helpline or you can post a query on the on-line forum which is monitored by qualified academics. The forum is hosted on ITC’s user-friendly Student Area where you can also access study skills materials and the MMU
student area, including its comprehensive electronic library facilities and careers support.
The professional skills subjects are taught using on-line resources in a variety of media for you to work through at home, with accompanying notes and exercises. You can be sure that you will be supported throughout your course by a qualified and dedicated teachers.
ITC is a specialist distance learning provider: we know how to ensure that, even if you are studying at a distance, you have ongoing support available by telephone, email and bulletin board so that you can keep in touch and get all the support you need as you go along.
Your career prospects
You will have access to MMU’s dedicated Law Careers and Employability Adviser, who is contactable throughout the course, to provide help with CVs, job applications, career options, covering letters and more. You can expect support with your legal career whilst you study and for up to three years after you graduate.
As the course is a qualifying law degree, on graduation you will be eligible to undertake further training as a solicitor or barrister, or to qualify as a legal executive lawyer. Solicitors, barristers and legal executives are all qualified lawyers. Depending on which branch of the profession you choose to pursue, your route to qualification will differ. Legal executive lawyers are qualified to the same level as solicitors, but the legal practice element of their training is narrower as they select the area of practice in which they wish to specialise. As a result, all the academic study necessary to qualify as a legal executive can be incorporated into your degree programme.
Qualifying as a legal executive lawyer
If your career goal is to become a partner in a law firm then that is something you can achieve by becoming a legal executive lawyer. As well as being a partner there are other opportunities for legal executives, such as becoming advocates or even, for suitably experienced candidates, judicial appointment.
Once you have graduated from the LLB in Legal Practice you will be eligible to become a Graduate Member of the Institute of Legal Executives (ILEX), subject to paying exemption fees to ILEX so that your LLB will be accepted in lieu of the usual ILEX exams. To become a legal executive lawyer (a Fellow of ILEX) you must also acquire a five year period of qualifying employment, two years of which must take place after you have graduated. Three of the five years can take place contemporaneously with your studies, so we recommend that you apply for work as a paralegal while studying for your degree if you want to become a legal executive lawyer. Please note, however, that ILEX is reviewing its requirements for qualifying employment, and these (and indeed the qualification itself) might change in the course of your period of study. More information on becoming a legal executive lawyer is available at www.ilex.org.uk.
Qualifying as a solicitor or barrister
To become a solicitor or barrister, you must study either the post-graduate LPC (Legal Practice Course) to become a solicitor, or the BPTC (Bar Professional Training Course) if you want to be a barrister. After completing either the LPC or BPTC,both branches of the profession require you to undergo a further period of training with an employer. To fully qualify as a solicitor, you must complete a Training Contract (or Work Based Learning) with a law firm. For more information on the process, and qualifying as a lawyer, see the Solicitors’ Regulation Authority's website.
To qualify as a barrister you must complete pupillage with a barristers’chambers. For more information on the process and qualifying as a barrister, see the Bar Standards Board's website.
As the rules currently stand, law graduates who then become legal executive lawyers before subsequently completing the LPC are currently exempt from the solicitors’ training contract. The rules on training contract exemption are entirely a matter for the Solicitors Regulation Authority and may change without notice. The information in this section is in outline only, and you should ensure that you seek full details from the professional bodies about their respective routes to qualification.
MMU School of Law
MMU School of Law is one of the largest law schools in the UK with a long history of delivering top class legal education. It offers a full portfolio of full and part-time law courses, ranging from undergraduate degrees, through to professional training for solicitors and barristers. With over 100 staff, many of whom are qualified lawyers, you can be assured you’ll be studying on a quality course delivered by experienced professionals. MMU has strong, lasting links to the local legal profession and are conveniently based at the heart of Manchester.
The School of Law is also experienced in offering alternative study routes, having provided an open access part-time law degree for a number of years. MMU staff have developed the syllabus of the LL.B in Legal Practice programme which is delivered using ILEX Tutorial College’s tried and tested supported distance learning techniques.
View the course pages on MMU's website here.
ITC
MMU has linked up with ITC due to its unrivalled pedigree in delivering distance learning courses in law and legal practice. ITC provides a named contact during office hours to help and advise you on course related matters, as well as handling the administration of your study exercises. When you enrol on the course you will be given access to ITC’s Student Area for your course-specific resources.
Entry requirements
You will be admitted to the programme either on the basis of recent academic achievement or through evidence of achievement in the sphere of paid or voluntary work. If you are relying on academic achievement you should have:
• Key skills or GCSE English language at grade C or IELTS at 6.5 (for overseas students)
And should satisfy ONE of the following
• GCE A level passes in 3 subjects at grades ABB
• GCE A level passes in 2 subjects at grades AB and AS passes in 2 subjects at grades BB taken at the same sitting
• BTEC National Certificate or Diploma at grade “Distinction” + 1 GCE A level at grade B or above
• Advanced GNVQ at grade “Distinction” + 1 GCE A Level at grade C or above
• Scottish Certificate of Education with 5 passes of which 3 are at the higher level, grades BBBBC
• Irish Leaving Certificate with passes in 6 subjects at the higher level, grades BBBBCC
• International Baccalaureate with a minimum of 30 points with at least 5 in each subject
• ACCESS qualification indicating academic strength
• A pass in the law units and skills elements of the Foundation Degree
• Pass in an ILEX level 6 law and practice course or professional skills course
• Pass in ILEX Level 3 Professional Diploma in Law and Practice
• Pass in ILEX Level 3 Certificate in Law and Practice
• Pass in ITC certificate in Criminal Prosecution, Criminal Justice Administration or DWP/DH prosecutions
• Pass in ITC RSPCA Prosecution Case Managers Programme
Alternatively, you should provide evidence of your motivation and commitment to a degree programme of legal studies through your achievements in the workplace. If you do not have the qualifications to apply for the LLB then you can still qualify as a legal executive lawyer through the traditional route.
Application
Applications are to be submitted through ITC. Please download the application form below and submit it to Dawn Gray, Professional Courses Administrator by email at d.gray@ilex-tutorial.ac.uk or by post at ILEX Tutorial College, College House, Manor Drive, Kempston, Bedford MK42 7AB. Your application must be supported by two references. The Referee Form can be printed off, or it can be saved to a PC and completed electronically, as long as your referee has an electronic signature to scan in.
Download a PDF of the course information here.
Complete the online application form or download and complete the PDF form below:
LLB in Legal Practice application form.
Referee Form (can be printed, or completed electronically and emailed)
If you have any queries about the course please call Dawn on 01234 844366 or email d.gray@ilex-tutorial.ac.uk