Full-time LPC terms and conditions

1. Solicitor Regulation Authority Requirements

The Solicitors Regulation Authority’s Training Regulations 1990 (as amended) require that before persons wishing to qualify as solicitors may attend at a Legal Practice Course they must:

be enrolled as a student member of the Solicitors Regulation Authority; and
have been granted a Certificate of Completion of the Academic Stage of Legal Education

2. Student Enrolment

If your application is received by the CAB on or before 29th February 2008, your name and correspondence address will be forwarded by the CAB to the Solicitors Regulation Authority. A pre-printed student enrolment form will then be generated and sent to you at your correspondence address by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Applicants who submit an application form to the CAB after 29th February 2008, must apply direct to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (see address below) for a student enrolment application form. Applications for Student Enrolment must be received by the Solicitors Regulation Authority on or before the dates below

1 April 2008 – applications for student enrolment must be received by this date for any potential student where there are any issues which might call into question their character or suitability to be a solicitor.

1 August 2008 – applications from all other students through the CAB process must be received by this date to allow adequate time to process their applications in time for their start on the LPC course.

Failure to submit an application form for student enrolment by that date may well result in a person being disqualified from commencing the Legal Practice Course in that year.

3. Certificates of Completion of the Academic Stage of Legal Education

The Academic Stage of Legal Education is met by:

the award of a Qualifying Law Degree, i.e., a Law degree in which the graduate has passed the examination and assessments set in the seven Foundations of Legal Knowledge: Public Law, Obligations I (Contract), Obligations II (Torts), Criminal Law, Property Law, Equity & Trusts and Law of the European Union, or
by passing a Common Professional Examination and the award of a Graduate Diploma in Law

4. Law Graduates

Persons graduating in the summer of 2008 who completed their Law studies at a single university and who have passed all the assessments in the seven Foundations of Legal Knowledge will have their names passed to the Solicitors Regulation Authority in a block certificate.

Persons graduating in the summer of 2008 who commenced their Law studies at a university other than the one at which they are graduating must submit to the Solicitors Regulation Authority a transcript which gives complete details of the course of studies by which they have obtained their degree.

Law graduates who were awarded their degrees in previous years should include a transcript of their Law degree studies at the time of submitting their application forms for student enrolment.

Note. A Law degree remains valid for the purposes of completing the Academic Stage for a period of seven years dating from 1st October of the year in which the degree is awarded. Only in exceptional circumstances will a ‘stale' Law degree be revalidated and even then applicants will be required to produce reliable independent evidence of their current competence in Law.

Applicants for certificates of completion should note most carefully that they must have passed all the assessments and examinations set in the seven Foundations of Legal Knowledge. A condoned or compensated fail does not constitute a pass for the purposes of completing the Academic Stage unless, at the request of the University awarding the degree, the Solicitors Regulation Authority has agreed in writing to accept a condoned or compensated fail for qualifying purposes, in accordance with the guidance given by the Solicitors Regulation Authority at the time.

5. Common Professional Examination/Graduate Diploma in Law (CPE/GDL) Graduates

Persons completing a CPE/GDL in the summer of 2008 will have their names passed to the Solicitors Regulation Authority in a block certificate.

Persons who have completed a CPE/GDL in previous years should enclose confirmation of completing the CPE/GDL at the time of submitting their application forms for student enrolment. Note, a CPE/GDL remains valid for completing the Academic Stage for a period of seven years from 1st October of the year in which the CPE is passed or the GDL awarded.

6. Student Enrolment on an LPC Programme

A student will not be permitted to register formally upon an LPC programme without producing to the LPC institution evidence, which takes the form of two separate letters from the Solicitors Regulation Authority to the student, of both enrolment as a student member of the Solicitors Regulation Authority and of completion of the Academic Stage of Training.

It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that by the start date of the LPC programme, that they show the LPC Institution evidence from the Solicitors Regulation Authority that they have satisfied the academic stage of training and been enrolled as a student member of the Solicitors Regulation Authority. If this is not done the student will have to leave the programme with immediate effect. In this event the Solicitors Regulation Authority shall accept no liability for any financial loss suffered by the student as a result. Any such financial loss shall be a matter solely between the student and the LPC Institution.

In the unlikely event that any student is permitted to register on an LPC programme without satisfying these requirements the Solicitors Regulation Authority will not recognise the award of an LPC Diploma, register any training contract or approve any time to count towards a training contract.

Advice

If you require advice regarding the Solicitors Regulation Authority's requirements you should contact Information Services, The Solicitors Regulation Authority, Ipsley Court, Redditch, Worcestershire B98 0TD (Telephone: 0870 606 2555, Fax: 01527 510213, www.sra.org.uk).

N.B. No student should assume, on the basis that the Central Applications Board has processed his or her application form for a place on a Legal Practice Course, that he or she has satisfied, or will have satisfied, the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s requirements for commencing a Legal Practice. If you have ANY doubts on the matter, you MUST contact The Solicitors Regulation Authority.

7. Specifications for remote access to BPP’s IT network

A number of LPC exercises and resources will need to be accessed via BPP’s IT Network. These exercises and resources can be accessed from within the Law School and outside the Law School and further detailed instructions will be available when you start your programme.

If you wish to access the IT system from outside the Law School there are two methods, depending on what you wish to access:

Intranet access via www.bpplawschool.com/welcome. This method of access provides full access to the Law School’s intranet, our online library “Click!”, your BPP email account, MCQ tests and the discussion forum. This method requires no special technical requirements other than a standard internet connection. However, for security reasons, you must have logged on and changed your password within the Law School before you can log on outside the Law School.

Citrix access via the internet by typing in “portal.bpp.com”. In addition to the access available via the intranet above, this method allows you to access Microsoft office applications such as word, PowerPoint and Outlook as well as your personal BPP file space (i.e. your H drive) and networked CDROM packages. If you wish to have this additional access from outside the Law School you must ensure that your home or work computer meets the following specification.

Technical specification for Citrix remote access:

Windows 2000 Professional/XP Professional/Windows Vista Business. Please note that Windows XP Home edition is not the sameas XP Professional.

56kbs modem or faster

5MB free space on your C: drive

Internet Explorer 6 or Netscape 5.0 or later with 128-bit encryption.

When you login, you will need to install a small program on your local PC. If you are accessing from a computer at work you may need to consult your IT department to check that they allow employees to download or install software on to their network.

Alternatively, if you simply want access to documents on your personal file space when you are at home you may wish to buy a ‘memory stick’ storage device.

8. English Language Requirements

Applicants whose first language is not English and who do not hold an honours degree that was delivered in English, shall be required to provide certified proof of ability in written and spoken English at the level of IELTS level 6.5 (or equivalent). This certified proof must be sent to the Registry on or before August 1st 2008.

Failure to comply with this, or to inform Registry of a valid reason for your not complying with this, by August 1st, will result in your place on the programme being cancelled and you forfeiting the deposit.

9. Law and juristiction

The agreement is governed by English law notwithstanding the jurisdiction where you are based. You irrevocably agree that the courts of England shall have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any dispute which may arise out of, under, or in connection with these terms and conditions and for those purposes irrevocably submit all disputes to the jurisdiction of the English courts. The place of performance shall be England.

BPP Law School