Anger as Bristol LPC heads for De Montford

Bristol University is close to handing over its legal practice course (LPC) to Leicester's De Montfort University against the wishes of its own law lecturers and the local law society.

Bristol Law Society council voted unanimously last week to back a counter bid for the course from Bristol-based University of the West of England (UWE), and the course's nine lecturers issued a statement also backing the UWE bid.

Although De Montfort would run the course in Bristol, the local law society claims that UWE, which already teaches 320 LPC students, has forged excellent links with local solicitors and is better qualified to run the 100-place course. It claims it would create a centre of teaching excellence in the city.

The society's spokesman Andrew Gregg said: "Bristol University should think about what is best for Bristol as a whole and, more importantly, what is best for the students."

The nine lecturers say the UWE would have a stronger commitment to research and legal education.

Bristol University spokesman Don Carleton said: "With respect to the Bristol Law Society, it is not a matter for them."