BPP and leading City law firms launch new Legal Practice Course

Five of the leading City law firms - Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Herbert Smith, Lovells, Norton Rose and Slaughter and May - are pleased to announce details of a new Legal Practice Course ("LPC") to be launched this year. The five firms ("the Consortium") have worked closely with BPP, one of the UK’s leading law and business schools, in developing the new course. Their objective is to provide their future trainees with the best possible preparation for the start of their careers.

The key feature of the Consortium’s new LPC is that it will be an accelerated course studied over a period of approximately 7.5 months compared with the current 10 month programme. Feedback has revealed that Consortium students believe the LPC could be completed in a shorter period of time.

The Consortium and BPP have taken advantage of the new flexibility provided by the Solicitors Regulation Authority ("SRA") to create courses tailored to the needs of particular students.

The Consortium and BPP believe that the new accelerated course will enhance the learning experience by maintaining high levels of student motivation and interest throughout the course. At the same time, the key benefits of BPP’s current LPC will be maintained. The course preserves a high level of face-to-face teaching as the main delivery method. There will continue to be a strong focus on commercial awareness to provide students with a grounding in business and finance as well as ensuring thorough knowledge of black letter law. Students will also benefit from a high level of individual guidance and support to assist them in realising their full potential.

The accelerated approach will accommodate two Consortium LPC intakes each year beginning in February and August, with the first intake starting in August 2009.  There will be a period of foundation self-study prior to the start of each course which students will be able to complete in their own time. The Consortium firms will be in touch shortly with each of their future LPC students to discuss their start dates.