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City consortium to fast track trainees through LPC

9 January 2009

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Husnara Begum, editor Lawyer2B.com
BPP Law School is to launch an accelerated Legal Practice Course for trainee solicitors joining member firms of the City LPC consortium.

BPP Law School is to launch an accelerated Legal Practice Course (LPC) for trainee solicitors joining member firms of the City LPC consortium.


In a radical move, the LPC is being slashed from 10 months to just seven-and-a-half months. The new course, which was given the green light by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) today, will have two intakes per year, beginning in February and August. The first cohort will start the fast-track course in August 2009.

The City LPC consortium comprises Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Herbert Smith, Lovells, Norton Rose and Slaughter and May.

Slaughters head of training Louise Stoker (pictured) said that the SRAs decision to adopt a more flexible approach to the way the LPC is delivered and taught provided an opportunity for the consortium to review its options.

If there was one thing we could improve it is the amount of time it takes to complete the LPC. Looking at feedback from students we found that there was a bit of slack, particularly during the electives term, explained Stoker.

Stoker insisted that there will be minimal change to the content of the course and that there will be more face-to-face contact with tutors with both lectures and small group sessions run exclusively for the consortium trainees.

Following the transition period, firms can make their own decisions on whether to make changes to trainee solicitor start dates. Slaughters hopes that its future joiners will start their training contracts immediately after they finish the LPC with any students who wish to take a gap year being encouraged to start the LPC the following February after they graduate.

BPPs fast-track LPC is not being extended to trainees outside the consortium. However, the law school is also launching an accelerated part-time course, which will enable students to complete the compulsory subjects over a year and then the electives over a further six months. Students will have to option to complete their electives with another provider.

The move coincides with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) finally unveiling the official list of institutions which are to launch a new-look LPC later this year (see story).

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Readers' comments (12)

  • Anonymous | 9-Jan-2009 11:41 am

    Unfair

    What i don't understand is that if BPP can design a fast-track course for the consortium why it can't do the same for everyone else? Surely, that would result in cheaper fees all round? It seem pretty unfair!!

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  • Nigel Savage, College of Law | 9-Jan-2009 11:49 am

    Worrying trend

    I've got some worries about everyone cutting down content and reducing the length of course. What we're focussing on is putting more depth and rigour into our LPC.

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  • Anonymous | 9-Jan-2009 12:19 pm

    Worrying Trend 2

    I share Nige Savage's concerns. If the LPC full-time takes one year then I fail to see how a part-time course can also take one year without some loss of depth and rigour. Whilst the SRA may want flexibility of delivery of LPC courses this should not be at the expense rigour when the profession requires and,indeed, needs highly qualified solicitors who can provide clients with an excellent service.

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  • Anonymous | 9-Jan-2009 12:20 pm

    About time!

    Having completed the LPC last year, I think it is about time the colleges offered a shortened version of the course.
    The electives term in particular was very frustrating, with minimal contact time with tutors and very little work to keep students occupied between classes. Whilst this style of learning suits some, those straight out of a 3 or even 4 year law degree, many of whom may also have completed masters, find it an incredible waste of time. This, at a stage in many students' lives, when they are keen to get earning asap.

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  • Recent LPC graduate | 9-Jan-2009 2:04 pm

    Corners cut?

    Having recently completed the LPC I feel there is no way that the compulsory element of the course could be shortened. That period is already conjested and if anything, too much material is crammed into a relatively short-period. This said, the elective period was relatively slack in comparison, but I fail to see how BPP can shed two-and-a-half months without cutting corners.


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  • Nelson Mandela | 9-Jan-2009 3:30 pm

    LPC is a joke for City solicitors

    The LPC is a total waste of time anyway for anyone going to a City firm (ie nearly everyone at the top law schools).

    All you need to do is the Business bit, for your corporate seat, and you could do the Debt, Equity and Private Acquisitions electives during a three week summer course at your firm before you start your training contract in Sept. What was the point of doing criminal litigation? Or advocacy - who ever gets to advocate at a City firm?

    The SRA should bring in 2 different LPC courses - one for people going into the City firms, and one for people going to high street firms.

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  • Anonymous | 9-Jan-2009 3:35 pm

    Some realism...

    The LPC is, as most lawyers know, a bit of a doss. Most law schools take two months to teach you something which could be done in two weeks. Hopefully this shortened LPC will allow students to get out into the world of work which is where they will learn most of the skills necessary to be a good lawyer in any case. Future students will hope that this is the first step on the way to making it a two month course after you finish University and before you start work.

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  • Munkaay | 9-Jan-2009 4:22 pm

    £$£$£$

    Let's be honest; this is about getting more bums on seats and making more money. Presumably the shorter course will costs less than presently, but probably not half, whilst numbers will probably double or thereabouts (I recall an article about graduates flocking to law from banking... opportunism?). BPP is an excellent school (I went), but even better money maker.

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  • Anon | 9-Jan-2009 5:03 pm

    A joke?

    To the post, obviously from a City lawyer, "The SRA should bring in 2 different LPC courses - one for people going into the City firms, and one for people going to high street firms." So its the City or high street? A rather arrogant post considering the high quality national and regional firms that exist.

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  • Anonymous | 9-Jan-2009 10:41 pm

    to Nelson Mandela

    Be warned, having spent many years working in the City in commercial fields and on being made redundant recently I decided on a career change. I am now a criminal advocate - thank God for that training in the long run! Surely the best thing about a diverse professional training course is that gives flexibility when -like now- the fan is hit?

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