Legal Practice
Apply onlineAre you interested in becoming a solicitor in England and Wales? The LLM in Legal Practice at Winchester is designed to prepare you for employment as a trainee solicitor. Whilst developing the legal knowledge and skills needed to pass the Solicitors Qualifying Examination required for practice as a solicitor, you will also enhance your specialist knowledge and research capability, and have the opportunity to extend your practical experience through a work placement.
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Course overview
This 1-year full-time or 2-years part-time programme is designed to provide you with a rigorous and challenging postgraduate degree in law that develops an enhanced understanding, and critical awareness of current problems and new insights into the relationship between Law, State and Individual, and the contexts in which the law operates, alongside allowing you to understand and apply the functioning legal knowledge, and the legal skills required by the Solicitors Regulation Authority to undertake the mandatory Solicitors Qualification Examination (SQE1 & 2).
To deliver this comprehensive programme, the University of Winchester has entered into a collaboration with The College of Legal Practice, an experienced, fully accredited Higher Education provider of online professional legal training programmes. You will be taught by a range of experienced Winchester academics sharing their expertise and research interests, alongside experienced legal practitioners from The College of Legal Practice.
Your learning will take place via a blended approach of campus-based, weekly three-hour workshops, personal tutor, and supervisor meetings, and online through a combination of asynchronous guided self-study learning, online supervisor and town hall meetings and study resources, including text, multimedia, interactive text and video.
You will study a range of modules based on relevant theoretical topics and practice areas. Mandatory level 7 modules include: Solicitors Legal Knowledge (SQE1 prep), Solicitors Legal Skills (SQE2 prep), Law and the State, Law and the Individual and conclude with either the Legal Research Project or the Work Placement in Law.
You will be a UK law graduate or will have completed a non-law undergraduate degree and in addition, have clear knowledge of the foundations of legal knowledge gained through completing a Common Professional Exam or Graduate Diploma in Law.
What you need to know
Course start date
September
Location
On campus, Winchester
Course length
- 1 year full-time
- 2 years part-time
Apply
Apply online
Typical offer
A first or second-class honours degree
Fees
From £12,000 pa
Course features
- Earn a Master’s qualification whilst simultaneously studying for the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE 1 & 2)
- Taught collaboratively with the University of Winchester and the College of Legal Practice
- Boost your legal research skills, or gain work experience so that you are ready for the workplace
- Learn about contemporary legal issues in public and private law
- Blended study featuring both online and campus based delivery
Course details
Suitable for Applicants from:
UK, EU, World who have a Law degree which contained the law of England and Wales.
Learning and teaching
All modules develop an independent learning culture and provide a challenging learning experience for students. They are characterised by innovative, student-centred teaching and learning which develops students' intellectual skills of analysis, synthesis and critical evaluation.
The programme is delivered via a blended approach of campus-based, weekly workshops, supported by personal tutor, and supervisor meetings, and online through a combination of asynchronous guided self-study learning, online supervisor and town hall meetings.
Location
Taught elements of the programme take place both on campus in Winchester and online via The College of Legal Practice.
Assessment
The programme uses a variety of formative and summative assessment strategies, that blend authentic, practice-based assessments with more traditional written forms of assessment.
We ensure all students have an equal opportunity to achieve module learning outcomes. As such, where appropriate and necessary, students with recognised disabilities may have alternative assignments set that continue to test how successfully they have met the module's learning outcomes. Further details on assessment types used on the course you are interested in can be found on the course page, by attending an Open Day or Open Evening, or contacting our teaching staff.
Feedback
We are committed to providing timely and appropriate feedback to you on your academic progress and achievement in order to enable you to reflect on your progress and plan your academic and skills development effectively. You are also encouraged to seek additional feedback from your course tutors.
Further information
For more information about our regulations for this course, please see our Academic Regulations, Policies and Procedures.
Modules
Please note the modules listed are correct at the time of publishing. The University cannot guarantee the availability of all modules listed and modules may be subject to change. The University will notify applicants of any changes made to the core modules listed. For further information please refer to winchester.ac.uk/termsandconditions
Modules
This module develops the competencies required by the Solicitors Regulation Authority for the first part of the Solicitors Qualification Examinations (SQE1). Students will develop competencies in the practice areas that form the Functioning Legal Knowledge: Contract Law; Tort; Conduct and Ethics; Land Law; Criminal Liability; Trusts; Business Law and Practice; Dispute Resolution; Criminal Practice; Legal Services; Legal systems, EU Law and Public Law; Property Practice; Wills and Estates, and Solicitors Accounts.
The module is developed for graduates starting out on their prequalification journey of professional legal education and focuses on developing technical and practical proficiency in the legal skills of: Advocacy; Interviewing and attendance note-taking/legal analysis; Case and matter analysis; Drafting; Research; and Writing. The skills are developed within the context of specified practice areas
The above skills and practice area knowledge, together with, pervasively, Ethics and Professional Conduct, are covered to develop the competencies required for the second part of the Solicitors Qualification Examination (SQE2).
This module examines the relationship between law and the state. Reflecting on theory and practice, it explores conceptual and normative underpinnings of state regulation, situated within key literature. It investigates themes relating to freedom, autonomy and accountability and how the state operates to ensure a fair and just society.
This module examines the relationship between law and the individual. Reflecting on theory and practice, it explores individual rights and responsibilities and examines how the law interacts with individuals. It considers how individuals are protected and represented in a fair and just society and develops an in depth understanding of the nature of law and its implications for individual citizens.
Choose either: Legal Research Project or Work Placement in Law
The Legal Research project provides students with an opportunity to intensively research an area of law which is of particular interest. Students will be assigned supervisor who will help to guide and support them as they focus their research question on a specific area of law.
Students are expected to meet with their supervisor and work with them to formulate a working title and structure, with a view to producing an original, coherent and detailed project which critically analyses a particular legal issue. This will require researching a range of primary and/or secondary legal sources and materials in order to engage with the required depth of analysis and evaluation.
Choose either: Legal Research Project or Work Placement in Law
The university is committed to promoting work-based learning opportunities for students to apply their theoretical skills in the workplace and improve their employability skills. This module enables students to work within a professional legal environment for a minimum of 120 hours. This is an opportunity for students to develop their employability skills and career identity, improve their understanding of legal practice, and gain tangible experience in the workplace. The work placement hours for this module are to take place within semester dates and will normally be on one chosen day per week. Students will be supported by the UoW Placement Services to secure their placement, the Employability Advisors and Placement Manager will be available to support students in securing an appropriate placement. This module will also allow students to start to create a professional network.
Entry requirements
Normally a first or second-class UK Law Degree (LLB) or a law conversion course such as the GDL or CPE.
Applicants with relevant alternative qualifications or professional experience who have an excellent level of foundation legal knowledge may be admitted subject to the programme leader’s discretion.
If English is not your first language: IELTS 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in writing or equivalent
Course enquiries and applications
Normally a first or second-class UK Law Degree (LLB) or a law conversion course such as the GDL or CPE.
Applicants with relevant alternative qualifications or professional experience who have an excellent level of foundation legal knowledge may be admitted subject to the programme leader’s discretion.
If English is not your first language: IELTS 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in writing or equivalent
Course enquiries and applications
If you are living outside of the UK or Europe, you can find out more about how to join this course by emailing our International Recruitment Team at International@winchester.ac.uk.
Late applications can be accepted throughout the remainder of the application year, for more information see our How to Apply section.
2024/2025 Course Tuition Fees
| UK / Channel Islands / Isle of Man / Republic of Ireland |
International |
|
|---|---|---|
| Full-time | £12,000 | £17,450 |
Additional tuition fee information
If you are a UK student starting your degree in September 2024, the first year will cost you £12,000**.
If finance is a worry for you, we are here to help. Take a look at the range of support we have on offer. This is a great investment you are making in your future, so make sure you know what is on offer to support you.
**The University of Winchester will charge the maximum approved tuition fee per year.
As one of our students all of your teaching and assessments are included in your tuition fees, including, lectures/guest lectures and tutorials, seminars, laboratory sessions and specialist teaching facilities. You will also have access to a wide range of student support and IT services.
Additional costs
As one of our students all of your teaching and programme set assessments are included in your tuition fees, including, lectures/guest lectures and tutorials, seminars, laboratory sessions and specialist teaching facilities. You will also have access to a wide range of student support and IT services.
Mandatory
Solicitors Qualifying Examination
The fees for the programme do not include the fees for the externally set Solicitors Qualification Examinations. For information on the fees and registration process, please see the Solicitors Regulation Authority website.
SCHOLARSHIPS, BURSARIES AND AWARDS
We have a variety of scholarship and bursaries available to support you financially with the cost of your course. To see if you’re eligible, please see our Scholarships and Awards.
CAREER PROSPECTS
The LLM in Legal Practice, with its SQE preparation modules, is specifically designed to support law graduates in their preparation for the SQE exams which are a mandatory requirement for anyone wishing to practice as a solicitor in England and Wales.
For law graduates who decide not to pursue a career as a solicitor, our LLM in Legal Practice, as a postgraduate award, provides an intellectually stimulating course which indicates that the graduates have acquired advanced, specialist legal training, which would support students wishing to gain employment in a wide range of industries and roles where law plays an integral part or enhance their opportunities for promotion in their existing organisations.
The LLM in Legal Practice also provides a platform for interested students to pursue a higher-level research qualification such as a doctorate.
OUR CAREERS SERVICE
