LPC FAQs
If we haven't answered your question(s) with the
information below then please email us at nclt@nclt.co.uk or call the NCLT
Team on 0121 326 7529.
Q1 Who is NCLT?
Q2 Is NCLT an authorised
provider?
Q3 What is the LPC (Legal Practice
Course)?
Q4 What electives can I
choose?
Q5 What resources will I have access
to?
Q6 What assessments will I have to
do?
Q7 What support will I
get?
Q8 How will I study?
Q9 Who will teach me?
Q10 Where will I study?
Q11 How do I apply?
Q12 Why do I have to apply to the SRA
for student enrolment?
Q13 How much does it
cost?
Q14 When will I know if I have been made
an offer?
Q15 When does the course
start?
Q16 Why choose NCLT?
Q1 Who is NCLT?
NCLT (National College of Legal
Training) is a collaboration between CLT (Central Law Training),
the UK's premier provider of legal training and UWE. Established
some 25 years ago, CLT has been delivering conferences, courses,
professional qualifications and webinars to a wide range of firms
all over the country and UWE (University of the West of England) is
one of Britain's most popular universities, with around 30,000
students and 3,000 staff and is the largest provider of Higher
Education in the South West of England. UWE has been
continuously graded as excellent by the Legal Practice Board from
1995 to 2006 and since then it has received the highest grading
available of "commendable practice".
Q2 Is
NCLT an authorised provider?
Yes, LPC training providers have to be registered with the
Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). UWE are the named
authorised provider. You will find them listed on the SRA
authorised provider list on the SRA website.
Q3 What is the LPC (Legal
Practice Course)?
The LPC is the final stage of the academic training to become a
solicitor. The LPC consists of Core Subjects; Pervasive
Subjects (Skills) and Electives. The course is broken into
two stages - Stage 1 and Stage 2.
If you opt for the full-time option you will study Stage 1
between September and March and Stage 2 between Mid March and
May. If you opt for the part-time option you will study Stage
1 in year 1 and Stage 2 in year 2.
Q4 What electives can I
choose?
NCLT offer a large choice of electives:
Advanced Criminal Litigation
Banking & Capital Markets
Charity Law
Commercial Law
Commercial Litigation
Commercial Property
Corporate Finance
Employment Law
Estate Planning
Family Breakdown
Intellectual Property and Competition Law
Media and Entertainment Law
Mergers and Acquisitions
Private Clients (Estate Planning)
Public Childcare and Housing Law
You will be asked to choose three electives, one in Stage 1 and
two in Stage 2. Every effort will be made to meet your first
choice.
Q5 What resources will I have
access to?
Comprehensive Course Manuals & Materials
You will be provided with a comprehensive set of course manuals
upon enrolment and a set of preparatory notes (student instructions
and document bundle) and in class notes (supplementary document
bundle) for every workshop session. Course materials will be
provided in hard copy format and electronically.
Online - Student Support Centre
You will be given personal access to an online study
support system providing you with all the tools to manage your
study eg. course timetables; latest news; course materials; access
to tutor support; on-line self testing; study centre information
and assessment information.
Library Resources
You will have access to UWE's electronic Library and to your
study centre's library facilities during workshop
sessions.
SCONUL - students can also register to gain lending rights
access at any of the libraries contributing to the programme http://www.sconul.ac.uk.
Q6 What assessments will I
have to do?
There are 14 assessments in total during Stage 1 and Stage
2. You can choose when to sit your assessments, but you must
complete all assessments within 5 years of taking you first
assessment.
Core Practice Areas will be assessed in February/March and again
in August/September each year.
Each elective subject will be assessed in June and in
August/September of each year.
All but the Solicitors' Accounts Rules assessment are open
book. All assessments have associated permitted materials,
details of these will be available on the Student Support Centre
website.
Q7 What support will I
get?
The National Student Support Centre are a dedicated team
providing professional support and advice throughout your
course. You can contact the team by emailing nclt@nclt.co.uk or telephoning
0121 362 7529. They will ensure that your enquiries are dealt with
confidentially and promptly.
Upon enrolment you will be allocated a personal tutor (PT) who
you will meet with once a month face-to-face and you will be
able to contact them in between by email at nclttutor@centlaw.com. The
PT will give you the support a senior lawyer may give a trainee
solicitor in practice.
Q8 How will I
study?
The Stage 1 and 2 subjects are broken down into 2 hour workshop
sessions. You will undertake four workshop sessions over two
days. The full-time workshops take place on Fridays and
Saturdays each week from September to May. The part-time
workshops take place on Saturdays and Sundays once (occasionally
twice) per month, between September and May. The workshops
start at 9.00am and finish at 5.30 pm (there may be timetable
variations to these times).
In addition you will be required to do pre and post
consolidation work via distance learning. For example for the
part-time course this will equate to 13 hours per week. This may
differ from week to week.
Q9 Who will teach
me?
The tutors on the LPC course are solicitors, who teach mainly in
their practice areas. The workshop sessions are carefully
designed with enhanced feedback to build your confidence and help
you develop the skills you need to excel in a competitive legal
world.
Q10 Where will I
study?
You can choose from six NCLT Study Centres across the country in
Sunderland, Manchester, Derby, Coventry, London or Southampton.
Q11 How do I
apply?
To be eligible to enrol on the LPC you will need to have
completed a law degree (LLB) or Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL /
CPE).
Part-time Course:
Download the application form from our website.
Return completed application form with a minimum of one reference*
(academic or employer) to NCLT National Student Support Centre,
Wrens Court, 52-54 Victoria Road, Sutton Coldfield, B72 1SX
*Second reference will be requested if required.
Applications are accepted up until a week before the start of
the course.
Full-time Course:
The full-time applications are processed via the
Central Applications Board (CAB). Apply online through the
CAB website from October 2011.
Q12 Why do I have to apply
to the SRA for Student Enrolment?
You need to be a student member of the SRA to be able to enrol
on the LPC. You are required to provide confirmation that you
satisfy the academic criteria and proof of your student
enrolment when you start the course. Failure to do
so will mean you will be prohibited from joining the course.
You can apply online for Student Enrolment and it will cost £80
for your application. Go to the SRA website to apply
online.
Please note the deadline for your application is a month before
the start of the course to ensure your application is
processed. If you have any suitability or character issues
you need to apply before 1st April.
Q13 How much does it
cost?
September 2011 course fees:
Full-time : £7,400 (£7,900 London only)
Part-time: £6,400
Please note for courses commencing September 2012, the
fees will be released on the NCLT website shortly.
Interest free payment options are available. Please
contact the Student Support Centre (email nclt@nclt.co.uk or telephone 0121
362 7529)
Q14 When will I know if I
have been made an offer?
Part-time and Full-time
For the part-time course, we aim to make you an offer within 2
weeks. For the full time course, offers can be made by
course providers from November 2011. As applications go through the
CAB system, we aim to make offers within 3 weeks of
receiving your application form.
You will be able to track you application through NCLT's student
support site.
Q15 When does the course
start?
The full-time and part-time LPC commence at the end of September
2012.
Q16 Why choose
NCLT?
NCLT is different. It is all about offering something
better for less. It can do this because it concentrates on
the important things - quality materials, experienced,
knowledgeable tutors and efficient processes.