Feature: Deciphering the new LPCs...

30 January, 2009

From September 2010 all aspiring solicitors will have to take the new Legal Practice Course (LPC). The changes that have been made to the LPC aim to widen entry into the legal profession by providing students with a more flexible way of studying. But, what is the new LPC and how it will be offered by various providers?

Essentially, the new LPC will mirror the current course by assessing students on compulsory core practice areas, key skills and professional conduct (stage one), as well as elective modules (stage two).

Differences between the current LPC and the new LPC occur in the delivery of stage one and stage two modules as outlined in the table.

If a student has already secured a training contact with a law firm that uses a specific LPC provider, the firm will dictate what electives a student should take and in what time the LPC should be completed in.

For those who already have a training contract, but do not have to attend any specific LPC provider, their firms should give them guidance on which LPC route they should take.

Students looking to secure a training contract should take an LPC route which suits them whilst making themselves as attractive as possible to potential employers. They will need to consider how much the LPC will cost them and decide if they want to take all or some of the LPC full-time or part-time.

Most institutions will still offer students the option to study both stages one and two in an academic year. However, there are providers who have stated that they will give students the option to study more flexible part-time LPCs.

During stage one, all LPC providers will have to offer the ‘irreducible minimum’ teaching and assessment of core practice modules. Students are still advised to compare what providers are offering:

• Does the depth and coverage an institution offers in stage one of the new LPC suit a student’s own personal needs? Specialising in one area of practice too early may limit employability options in the future

• Do they learn better in large groups of students or very small groups?  By being taught face to face or alone, with exercises on a PC?

• The period of time a provider takes before the stage one assessment. The application of legal principles and skills that are learnt on the LPC should stay with a solicitor for life. There is therefore some concern in the legal community that if a student takes the LPC in a short space of time, they will not retain what they have learnt

• The level of award a student wishes to achieve from a provider of an LPC. It may be surprising to learn that some LPCs will be awarded at an undergraduate degree level, whilst others will be awarded at a masters level. Some LPC providers go one step further and offer students the opportunity to convert their LPC into an LLM.

Stage two of the new LPC gives students the option of staying with the same provider as for stage one; changing to a different provider to do all three electives; or doing each of the three electives at three separate providers. Factors which students need to think about when deciding how to study stage two include:

• The Solicitors Regulation Authority requirement that each module taken in stage two of the LPC should be different, taken from prescribed groups

• Timetable clashes which could occur if a student studies each module in stage two at different institutions

• How a student’s approach will affect their employment prospects - a strange combination of electives may show that they are unfocussed, whilst a narrow combination of electives may restrict which employers will be interested in them.

With both stages of the new LPC, students will need to consider carefully what approach will suit their aspirations. Do they want to work in a ‘High Street’ environment or a more corporate, commercial environment? Does their chosen provider offer electives geared to the type of work they would prefer, or a sensible mix of the two?

The new LPC opens up the legal profession to students who would not have considered the profession in the past due to time restraints or its cost. By allowing stage two of the LPC to be taken over a five year period, students are now able to work to support themselves, attend to family commitments and start their training contracts when it is right for them.

Written by Gillian Woodworth, Director of LPC programmes at The City Law School