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Linklaters launches fast-track LPC

12 February 2010 | By Corinne McPartland

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The College of Law (CoL) has teamed up with Linklaters to introduce a fast-track Legal Practice Course(LPC) for the magic circle firm’s future trainee solicitors.

In a radical move the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has given CoL the green light to accelerate its specially tailored course exclusively for Linklaters from 10 months to just seven-and-a-half months.

Linklaters trainee development partner Simon Firth said: “Going forward, it [the accelerated LPC] will mean there’ll be a shorter time between recruitment and joining the firm. Plus trainees will benefit from the continuity of learning they’ll gain, as they’ll join the firm straight after their LPC.”

The new-look LPC will be introduced from January 2011 and will be run twice a year - commencing in January and July of each year - to accommodate the firm’s March and September intakes.

It will feature a combination of face-to-face tuition with the supervised online “S-mode” learning method that CoL has recently developed for its LLM programmes.

But the amount of time Linklaters’ future joiners spend in classrooms is not the only thing that has been cut. The normal £7,000 maintenece grant the firm pays its future trainees has been slashed to £5,000.

The news comes after BPP Law School launched an accelerated LPC programme for trainee solicitors joining member firms of the City LPC consortium last year.

BPP slashed its LPC from 10 months to seven-and-a-half months for the City LPC consortium, which comprises Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Herbert Smith, Lovells, Norton Rose and Slaughter and May.

The move coincides with the SRA unveiling the official list of institutions that are to teach the new-look LPC last month.

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Readers' comments (4)

  • Old Bailey | 12-Feb-2010 1:26 pm

    Interesting. Last year, Nigel Savage was worried about cutting course lengths....hope he's not losing too much sleep on this sudden U-turn ..
    On 9th Jan 2009, Nigel Savage, College of Law said:
    "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".
    http://l2b.thelawyer.com/city-consortium-to-fast-track-trainees-through-lpc/136207.article

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  • Law student | 12-Feb-2010 1:37 pm

    A radical move by the SRA, when its already been run in other Law Schools? Thought that Fast Track meant quicker? January 2011 is another year away. Another great initiative. Thanks, but no thanks.

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  • A trainee | 12-Feb-2010 9:41 pm

    I wonder which subjects have been shrunk - or heavily mutilated...
    How are the LPC students going to prepare satisfactorily for all the exams and do all their take-home assessments? Or maybe those on the firm-specific route will just get their ticks in the boxes - sorry, I mean 50% plus passes - to satisfy the SRA, and then jump into practice.
    Makes you question the purpose of this exorbitantly expensive LPC.

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  • Another trainee | 25-Feb-2010 1:21 pm

    Finally! Next step let the LLB from uni include LPC materials and get the LLB approved by the SRA. The ultimate LLB+!!!!!

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