How do we train non-law students?
Everything you have done to date will be part of your
preparation as a lawyer. For example: the ability to think, to dig
for information, to analyse, to draw conclusions, to express
yourself, to construct arguments and to solve problems.
Training starts with the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL). The GDL
is a one-year conversion course that introduces you to the law and
prepares you for entry to the Legal Practice Course (LPC). By the
time you begin the LPC you will have caught up with the
law students and the training is exactly the same from there
on.
You choose the branch of the College of Law at which you would
like to study the GDL, and we can provide help and advice
with your application. We also pay your fees and provide a
maintenance grant for the year. Our graduate team give you all the
information you need about the GDL when you accept an offer of a
training contract with us, and they will continue to provide
support throughout your time at college.
The GDL uses a range of teaching methods, including lectures,
workshops, tutorials, individual study and essays. It's a
deep-immersion introduction to law that means you can start your
LPC with absolute confidence. But it's also a great place to meet
other budding lawyers and start to build friendships among your
peer group.
The rest of the training and career
development is explained elsewhere on the site: the important
fact remains that, once through the GDL, the training and career
paths are the same, irrespective of what degree you have
studied.