The Legal Practice Course (LPC) is the vocational stage of training to be a solicitor. It is a one-year, full-time (or two-year, part-time) course designed to provide a bridge between academic study and training within a law firm. It is both knowledge and skills based, and it aims to ensure that you are able to do the work of a trainee solicitor under proper supervision when you begin your training contract with a law firm.

The LPC is practical in nature and the focus is firmly on mastering relevant skills. The emphasis is on workshops, continuous assessment, independent research and group discussions. It also allows you a certain amount of specialisation through a range of optional subjects. You will find that the LPC provides a good practical foundation for your early years of practice at a law firm.

Worth noting is that 2009 has been a year of change for the LPC. For example, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has authorised a number of providers to split the LPC in half, separating the compulsory subjects from the electives (which would be completed during the training contract). At present it is unclear how many providers will offer the new-look LPC and how it will change things. Keep on top of what's happening by reading our "News" section, but as things stand, the following is a description of the way a typical one year, full-time course is taught.

What you learn

Most courses begin with introductory classes, which aim to develop a mix of pervasive and substantive skills. The LPC then continues to cover four basic objectives: pervasive and core areas, compulsory subjects, optional subjects and skills.

Pervasive and core areas
These are the foundations of legal practice. They comprise ethics (including professional conduct and client care), skills (advocacy, interviewing and advising, writing, drafting and research), taxation, trusts and tax planning, principles of EU law, and probate and administration of estates.

Compulsory subjects
The compulsory areas are usually taught in blocks of around 10 weeks through a combined lecture and tutorial system, and are usually studied in the autumn and spring terms. They combine substantive law, procedure and practical skills to ensure all-round competence. The areas are conveyancing, business law and practice, litigation and advocacy.

Optional subjects
Students are required to study two optional courses from a range of subjects in the areas of private client (working for individuals) and corporate client (working for companies). These options are usually studied in the final term of the course. While many courses try to avoid over-specialisation at an early stage, the ability to provide as broad a base as possible from which to enter a training contract is important. Some firms will stipulate which options their future trainees should take. These specific options might include commercial law and practice, employment, landlord and tenant, consumer, housing, family, client in the community (including legal aid, welfare, youth and childcare), advanced criminal practice, advanced litigation and corporate finance.

Skills
The skills element usually comprises about 25% of the course and includes legal research, drafting, interviewing, negotiating and advocacy. These skills are assessed through various different techniques. For instance, oral skills are often assessed via video, while written skills tend to be assessed by practice-based exercises.

Teaching methods for the LPC obviously vary from institution to institution and from subject to subject. Most providers use a combination of lectures, seminars and tutorials as the basis of the course. More technologically advanced teaching methods, such as the extensive use of DVD lectures, are increasingly common.

Assessment of the LPC is the responsibility of the teaching institutions. It will undoubtedly comprise a mixture of written exams, course work and the assessment of skills. In 2006 a total of 5,921 people passed the LPC, a success rate of 75.6%. 

Where to study

If you have completed the GDL, the chances are that you will stay on at the same provider to do the LPC. If you are a law undergraduate, you should be looking for as much information as possible about the various schools before applying. You should try to find out about not only the academic programme, but also any links with the profession, the level of individual career guidance, the facilities available and any relevant extra-curricular activities. It would also be helpful to get an idea of the provider's reputation among both students and the profession.

When to apply

Law undergraduates should apply in the autumn term of their final year, while non-law graduates should do so in the first term of the GDL. The deadline for the initial selection and allocation process is 1 December. Applications received after 1 December but during the initial selection and allocation process (beginning of December until end of March) will be considered by institutions at the end of March. Applications received after this stage will be considered on receipt.

How to apply

Applications for almost all institutions that offer the LPC course are managed by the Central Applications Board. You should contact it for an application form or apply online at www.lawcabs.ac.uk.

Before you can commence the LPC, you must become a student member of the SRA and obtain a certificate of completion of the academic stage of training. If you’re applying for admission to a full-time LPC programme, you will automatically be sent an application form in March. You must complete the form and submit it along with an £80 fee to the SRA by no later than 1 August of the year you wish to start the LPC. However, you must submit your application and your £80 fee by 1 April if you have character or suitability issues that require consideration, such as criminal convictions or cautions, evidence of cheating in exams or any county court judgments against you.

If you haven’t received a student enrolment application form by mid-March of the year in which you intend to commence the LPC, contact the SRA (contactcentre@sra.org.uk or 0870 606 2555).