Entry requirementsStandard Entry Applicants must either: Have successfully completed the Law Society Finals Examination, Legal Practice Programme, Bar Finals Programme, Bar Vocational Course or their equivalent. The completion of these programmes, which are postgraduate diplomas, entitles students to 120 points advanced standing. Or Have enrolled on Northumbria's Full Time Bar Vocational Course (BVC) or Full Time Legal Practice Course (LPC) at the same time as they enrol to the LLM Advanced Legal Practice and be expected to complete either the BVC/LPC within that academic year. The completion of the BVC/LPC programmes, which are postgraduate diplomas, entitles students to 120 points advanced standing. Any student who enrols upon the BVC/LPC at the same time as the LLM Advanced Legal Practice must satisfactorily complete the BVC/LPC programme before they can be awarded the LLM Advanced Legal Practice. Or Have enrolled on Northumbria's Part Time BVC, or Part Time LPC and have commenced their second year and are expected to complete the BVC/LPC within that academic year. The completion of the BVC/LPC programmes, which are postgraduate diplomas, entitles students to 120 points advanced standing. They will enrol on the LLM Advanced Legal Practice at the start of their second year. Any student who is enrolled upon the part-time BVC/LPC at the same time as the LLM Advanced Legal Practice must satisfactorily complete their BVC/LPC programme before they can be awarded the LLM Advanced Legal Practice. Additional Notes Prospective students should complete a standard University application form, available from the School of Law.
Academic titleAdvanced Legal Practice (LLM)
Course descriptionCOURSE INFORMATION
The LLM in Advanced Legal Practice is designed to promote the acquisition of legal knowledge in a practical context and will be of interest to both solicitors and barristers. The programme will also interest students who are enrolling on the BVC or LPC programmes at Northumbria and postgraduate students who have completed the Law Society or Bar Council postgraduate vocational training programmes but have not as yet entered practice and wish to improve their employment prospects.
The programme is designed to build on the postgraduate study, which will have already been undertaken by participants for the Law Society final exam, Legal Practice Course or Bar Vocational Course.
In fact, successful completion of any of these programmes is recognised as partial completion of the requirements for this programme. The programme also counts towards continuing professional development requirements for the relevant period and provides an alternative to attendance at short programmes. The programme has a flexible structure. It is designed specifically for students who do not wish to attend classes or who are unable to attend due to geographical location.
What you will study
The Legal Research module provides students with the opportunity to update their writing and research skills and gain experience of working at LLM level.
The research module is made up of three parts:
1. An initial legal research exercise. This is to familiarise students with the increasing range of research tools available and improve their academic citation skills.
2. Preparation of a short academic article of no more than 1,500 words to improve legal writing, referencing, presentation and develop key skills such as critical analysis.
3. Submission of a detailed project proposal.
Project
In the second and third semesters, you complete a project. You can choose your own project title and form of presentation (subject to availability of a subject tutor). The project should be between 20,000 - 25,000 words. Since the project requires in-depth research, it may be closely related to your area of practice and be based on practical scenarios.
Year 1 Modules
LA0112 Project [LLM ALP] (CORE, 60 Credits)
LA0252 Legal Research [LLM ALP] (CORE, 10 Credits)
Year 2 Modules