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Diploma in Legal Practice

Welcome to the Diploma in Legal Practice at Stirling. We have 32 places available on our Diploma for 2010/2011 - please read on to find out what is involved in taking the Diploma and how to apply.

 

The Diploma at Stirling How is the Diploma Taught? Diploma Syllabus How is the Diploma assessed Am I eligible to apply? How do I apply? How are places allocated? When do I find out if have a place? How much does it cost? Will I get funding? Traineeships

The Diploma at Stirling

The Diploma at Stirling has been designed to prepare you as thoroughly as possible for the early stages of a legal traineeship so that you can develop your skills in the office from a firm base. The emphasis is on professionalism and transactional learning in a varied programme. Class sizes range from 8 in our Criminal and Civil Court modules to a maximum of 16 in chamber based subjects like Conveyancing and Private Client where we use two and a half hour workshops for in-depth 'hands on' learning.

Here are some of the things that you will be doing if you join us:

Skills Day - an introduction to professional skills. This is Day 1 of the Diploma here and we do lots of practical exercises which introduce you to the skills needed by solicitors and advocates. Working on realistic transactions in workshops Working in a 'firm' with 3 or 4 other students on a regular basis Learning how to work effectively in groups and how to lead Personal development planning Videoed advocacy training in small classes of 8 Visiting the Scottish Parliament (Public Administration) and the Courts Taking part in a week long simulation of life in a busy law office called The Practice Meeting on an individual basis with the Director of Diploma to discuss your progress and career development.

How is the Diploma Taught?

• A wide variety of teaching methods will be used, including : interactive lectures, seminars/tutorials, workshops, pod casts and WebCT based learning
• All teaching is done by qualified solicitors, advocates, financial service professionals and accountants, most of whom are in practice.
• You will find that the course is heavily timetabled compared to an undergraduate degree. Attendance at lectures, seminars, tutorials and workshops is compulsory and the emphasis will be on the development of skills, rather than on academic knowledge. Timetabled classes will account for approximately 400 hours over two 13 week periods (September- December and January – April): some weeks will be more heavily timetabled than others. The current timetable is on our website and will give you an idea of what is involved.

Diploma Syllabus

The Diploma is accredited by the Law Society of Scotland and in 2010/2011, all students must take the Core course plus one elective. You may have heard about the Law Society’s reforms on legal education which come are due to be implemented by all of the Diploma providers in session 2011/2012. Part of that reform will change the Diploma so that it becomes the Professional Education and Training Stage 1 (PEAT 1). We have already included many of those key changes into our Diploma, especially those relating to professionalism and transactional learning.

The Core course in the Diploma covers the following subjects:

• Conveyancing (LAWPD1)
• Private Client (LAWPD2)
• Criminal Court Procedure (LAWPD3)
• Civil Court Procedure (LAWPD4)
• Financial Services and Accounting (LAWPD5)
• Practice Management (LAWPD6)
• Professional Ethics and Conduct (LAWPD7)

The elective modules are:

• Company and Commercial (LAWPD8)
• Public Administration (LAWPD9)

How is the Diploma assessed?

We use lots of different assessment techniques. For example, you will:

• conduct an interview in Private Client
• draft a disposition in Conveyancing
• conduct a plea in mitigation in Criminal Court Procedure
• write case study reports in Financial Services, Practice Management and Ethics
• sit exams which test knowledge of procedure.

We build in lots of practice before you take the assessment in each case! You are assessed as an individual for the vast majority of the Diploma here, with a small element of the assessment of Practice Management allocated to assessed group work.  

Am I eligible to apply?

Anyone wishing to qualify as a solicitor or advocate in Scotland must obtain the Diploma in Legal Practice. Applicants must have an LL.B. from a Scottish University which meets the requirements of the Law Society of Scotland’s Examination Syllabus for entry into the legal profession or have passed or been exempted from the Law Society of Scotland’s Examinations, by the time the Diploma starts. In either case, passes or exemptions are required in the following subjects:  Public Law and Legal System, Scots Private Law (including Family Law, Obligations, Property Law, Conveyancing, Trusts and Succession), Evidence, Scots Criminal Law, Taxation, European Community Law and Scots Commercial Law). Please note that entry to the Diploma is based on performance in the first sitting of these subjects.

How do I Apply?

• A General Diploma Application form is used by all of the Diploma providers. Copies of this form will be available on this website or from Mrs Lesley McIntosh (l.s.d.mcintosh@stir.ac.uk) in the Departmental Office (G1, Airthrey Castle, University of Stirling, FK9 4LA) from late-January/early February 2010 onwards.
• This form should be completed and submitted by Monday, 19th April 2010 for the September 2010 intake. Students apply to their first choice only at that point.
• Guidance on Application for 2010/2011 giving more details of the procedure will be published on the website along with the Application form.

How are the places allocated?

In the past there have been more applicants than Diploma places across Scotland and so each student has been ranked on their performance in the first sitting of the professional subjects. At Stirling, these professional subjects are called Public Law and Legal Systems I (LAW9P1), Delict (LAW9DE), Contract (LAW9CO),  Public Law and Legal Systems II (LAW9P2), Family Law (LAW9FL), Criminal Law (LAW9CC), Property Law (LAW9PR), Commercial Law I (LAW9C1), Evidence (LAW9EV), Trusts and Succession (LAW9TR), Commercial Law II (LAW9C2), Revenue Law (LAW9RL) and European Law (LAW9L5). Each student is given a ranking by their own institution and this is used to allocate places, following the system described below.  The same procedure will be used for the 2010 intake.

 

When do I find out if I have a place?

The allocation of funded and unfunded places on Diploma courses is administered by all of the providers and the timetable for this procedure for 2010 will be published on the website under Guidance for Application for 2010/2011 when finalised. Places are usually allocated in July with a second round of offers for students unsuccessful in the first round being made in August.

 

How much does it cost? Will I get funding?

• The costs of running a skills intensive course like the Diploma are such that UK/EU students should budget approximately £4,800 for fees, materials and textbooks. Overseas students should budget for approximately £8,800. Our fees for 2010-2011 have been frozen at £4,200 for UK/EU students and materials are likely to cost around £500-£600.
• Some students may get PSAS funding. Students will be ranked for the purpose of allocating this money. Even if you do get funded, this only accounts for part of the costs – more details will be available in the Guidance on Application for 2010/2011.  The application for funding should be made at the same time as the application for places.
• Some banks offer graduate career development loans and some law firms may offer sponsorship so it is worth looking into these options too.

Traineeships

You will get a newsletter every week from the Director of Diploma which will include details of any traineeships that we know about. Our Career Development Centre will run a session on CV writing and interview skills tailored for all Diploma students and you will have access to their regular careers seminars and one to one training sessions.

 

Any more questions?

Please contact Ms Lesley McIntosh in the first instance at l.s.d.mcintosh@stir.ac.uk or on 01786-467282.