Legal Practice - LLM
Currently viewing course to start in 2025/26 Entry.
Our LLM Legal Practice course is for graduates who want to become a qualified solicitor. Whether you have a first degree in law or any other subject, this course designed to prepare you to take the Solicitors Qualifications Exam (SQE1). It will also give you an opportunity to develop practical legal skills which will be useful when you come to take the SQE2 assessment.
- Level Postgraduate Taught
- Study mode Full Time
- Award LLM
- Start date September 2025
- Fees View course fees
- Subject
- Location City Centre
This course is:
Open to International Students
Overview
[00:00:01] Speaker 1 Did you know that how you qualify as a solicitor is changing?
[00:00:04] You now simply need a degree or an equivalent qualification, and then you need to pass the Solicitor's Qualifying Examination, and that's assessed using a multiple choice examination.
[00:00:13] And it also covers practical skills which are assessed in a practical skills assessment centre. Our LLM Legal Practice gives you a recognised postgraduate qualification but is relevant for beyond just the solicitor qualification.
[00:00:25] If you're passionate about law and interested in becoming a solicitor, even if you haven't studied law before, come and join us to get ready for the SQE1 examination and practise your lawyering skills through our law clinic and working alongside law students and students from other disciplines.
Looking to pursue a career in Law?
At BCU, we don’t just teach law, we advocate it. We don’t just focus on professional practice, we actively break down barriers to social justice and human rights throughout the world.
The LLM Legal Practice course is designed to prepare you for the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE 1) by utilising our excellent legal expertise and providing a unique mix of study and real-world experience.
Whether you have a first degree in law or any other subject or discipline, this course is perfect for anyone wanting to be a legal practitioner and develop their legal knowledge and skills. It is designed to help prepare you for legal practice in a changing world through encouraging you to reflect on your practice and develop transferable skills alongside legal knowledge. In addition to taught study, you will have the opportunity to work on real-world legal cases through our Law Clinic where students, under the guidance of legal professionals, work on live cases brought by people in the community.
You are also encouraged to engage in extra-curricular activities to support your learning, with student societies such as the highly successful Mooting Society. Furthermore, you will have the ability to engage with the wider Birmingham legal community through our connections with the Birmingham Law Society, the largest regional law society in the UK.
What's covered in this course?
Our LLM Legal Practice course brings together a mix of led study and real-world experience to reflect on the role of legal professionals in society generally and in specific legal contexts.
The LLM encourages you to research and apply critical knowledge of the law and legal practice accurately and effectively in at least one additional area of legal practice, identify the extent to which clients can legally achieve a desired outcome and offer appropriate explanatory advice and demonstrate the ability to act honestly and with integrity, and in accordance with the SRA Standards and Regulations.
Upon completion of the LLM Legal Practice, you will be able to demonstrate competence in a variety of practical lawyering skills which should include several of the following: client interview and attendance note/legal analysis; advocacy; case and matter analysis; legal research; legal writing; legal drafting.
You will also be able to demonstrate the ability to deal professionally with members of the public through work experience, volunteering or public legal education projects as well as research and apply critical knowledge of the law and legal practice accurately and effectively in at least one additional area of legal practice and reflect on personal development as a legal practitioner and identify development and training needs
Why Choose Us?
- You can study this course whatever subject your undergraduate degree is. You do not require a degree in Law to study this course.
- This course will prepare you to take the Solicitor Qualification Exam (SQE1). It will also give you an opportunity to develop practical legal skills which will be useful when you come to take the SQE2 assessment.
- Our Law Clinic can give you opportunities to volunteer with local charitable legal advice providers and to work alongside legal professionals undertaking pro-bono work, allowing you to make a genuine difference to the lives of Birmingham residents.
- We have strong links with law firms and companies based right here in Birmingham, which allow us to host guest speakers from industry regularly.
- You will learn from an outstanding and dedicated teaching team with years of professional experience in practice.
- This course has a strong professional focus and provides a real-world experience of law, ensuring you are equipped to make an immediate impact in the legal world.
OPEN DAY
Join us for a Virtual Open Event where you'll be able to learn about this course in detail, meet our subject academics and learn more about postgraduate finance, all from the comfort of your own home.
Next Event: 5 February 2025
Entry Requirements
Essential requirements
Applicants are normally expected to have a minimum of a 2:2 honours degree, or equivalent, in any subject.
Applying with international qualifications
See below for further information on applying as an international student.
If you have a qualification that is not listed, please contact us.
Fees & How to Apply
UK students
Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.
International students
Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.
Personal statement
You’ll need to submit a personal statement as part of your application for this course. This will need to highlight your passion for postgraduate study – and your chosen course – as well as your personal skills and experience, academic success, and any other factors that will support your application for further study.
If you are applying for a stand alone module, please include the title of the module you want to study in your Personal Statement.
Not sure what to include? We’re here to help – take a look at our top tips for writing personal statements and download our free postgraduate personal statement guide for further advice and examples from real students.
Course in Depth
Modules
In order to complete this course a student who does not have an undergraduate degree in Law or Law conversion course must successfully complete all the following CORE modules:
This module provides an overview of some of the key areas covered by the Functioning Legal Knowledge Assessments 1 and 2 of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE 1). It covers the Legal System of England and Wales, Constitutional and Administrative Law and EU Law, Tort Law and Criminal Law. The content is mapped onto the SQE 1 required content.
This module provides an overview of some of the key areas covered by the Functioning Legal Knowledge Assessments 1 and 2 of the Solicitor Qualifying Examination (SQE 1). It covers Business Law and Practice, Dispute Resolution, Contract. The content is mapped onto the SQE 1 required content.
This module provides you with the opportunity to gain experience and develop skills in the area of Employment Law Practice. You will cover the key elements of legal practice in this area focussing upon developing practical skills and applied knowledge. Lectures will provide you with an overview and peer study groups, online discussions and workshops will provide opportunities to develop skills, apply your legal knowledge and practise answering SQE 1 style multiple choice questions (MCQs).
In order to complete this course a student who does not have an undergraduate degree in Law or Law conversion course must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 160 credits):
This module provides an overview of the Functioning Legal Knowledge required by the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE 1). It outlines the scope of the SQE 1 and acts as a refresher for all legal topics covered. The content is mapped onto the SQE 1 required content.
This module provides the main opportunity to learn the skills of answering SQE 1 style multiple choice questions (MCQs) under test conditions, in anticipation of the SQE 1 centralised examination. The module is run online.
This module provides you with the opportunity to gain experience working in the legal field and develop your practical lawyering skills.
In order to complete this course a student who does not have an undergraduate degree in Law or Law conversion course must successfully complete at least 20 credits from the following indicative list of OPTIONAL modules.
This module provides you with the opportunity to gain experience and develop skills in the area of Employment Law Practice. You will cover the key elements of legal practice in this area focussing upon developing practical skills and applied knowledge. Lectures will provide you with an overview and peer study groups, online discussions and workshops will provide opportunities to develop skills, apply your legal knowledge and practise answering SQE 1 style multiple choice questions (MCQs).
This module provides you with the opportunity to gain experience and develop skills in the area of Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence. You will cover the key elements of legal practice in this area focusing on developing practical skills and applied knowledge. Lectures will provide you with an overview and peer study groups, online discussions and workshops will provide opportunities to develop skills, apply your legal knowledge and practise answering SQE style multiple choice questions (MCQs).
This module provides you with the opportunity to gain experience and develop skills in the area of Family Law. You will cover the key elements legal practice in this area focusing on developing practical skills and applied knowledge. Lectures will provide you with an overview and peer study groups, online discussions and workshops will provide opportunities to develop skills, apply your legal knowledge and practise answering SQE 1 style multiple choice questions (MCQs).
This module provides you with the opportunity to gain experience and develop skills in the area of Commercial Dispute Resolution. You will cover the key elements of legal practice in this area focusing on developing practical skills and applied knowledge. Lectures will provide you with an overview and peer study groups, online discussions and workshops will provide opportunities to develop skills, apply your legal knowledge and practise answering SQE 1 style multiple choice questions (MCQs).
This module provides you with the opportunity to gain experience and develop skills in the area of immigration law and practice. You will cover the key elements of legal practice in this area focusing on developing practical skills and applied knowledge. Lectures will provide you with an overview and peer study groups, online discussions and workshops will provide opportunities to develop skills, apply your legal knowledge and practise answering SQE 1 style multiple choice questions (MCQs).
Download course specification
Download nowThis course is an intensive introduction to the areas of Functioning Legal Knowledge which are examined as part of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE 1). The course is designed to help you to develop the knowledge and legal skills needed to pass the centralised examination and thus work towards qualification as a solicitor.
In addition, the course prepares you for practice by encouraging you to reflect on the role of practitioners in specific legal contexts, offering opportunities to study additional areas of legal practice and develop your practical lawyering skills.
Employability
This course is aimed at individuals who wish to pursue a career as a solicitor.
To become a solicitor, you need to pass two Solicitors Qualifying Exams (SQE1 and SQE2) and gain two years of Qualifying Work Experience (QWE). This course is designed to prepare you to complete the SQE1 exam and also give you an opportunity to develop practical legal skills which will be useful when you come to take the SQE2 assessment.
To prepare for the SQE2 exam, you can undertake a professional placement year to gain experience and further your knowledge of the working law environment. In total, you will need a total of two years of Qualifying Work Experience to become a solicitor. Through working in a legal environment, you will get hands-on experience of what it is like to be a solicitor and then be able to take the SQE2 exam.
We also have The Law Clinic which is led by staff and students and offers legal advice to the public on a Pro-Bono basis.
In addition we have active, student-led Legal, Mooting and Debate Societies. Our Student Mooting Society is one of the most successful in England, with our students reaching five finals in the past six years, regularly beating teams from some of the country’s most prestigious universities.
International
Birmingham City University is home to students from a wide number of countries studying traditional Law degree programmes and short-term international courses both at undergraduate and postgraduate level.
A legal education at Birmingham City University is widely recognised and many of our international students return to their home country to either pursue legal practice or requisite professional qualifications in their jurisdiction.
As a law student you will not only develop and refine knowledge in discrete areas of English and international law but also develop key transferable skills designed to enhance your employability profile. Many international students have travelled thousands of miles to study at Birmingham City University. We offer you an engaging and diverse study experience based in the city of Birmingham which is the second largest city in the UK.
Due to our proximity close to the legal and business district of the city we enjoy strong links with Birmingham Law Society and law firms around the West Midlands. The benefit of these links is passed directly onto you so that you can enhance your network of contacts whilst seeking relevant legal practice experience to enhance your employability profile.
Our international pages contain a wealth of information for international students who are considering applying to study here, including:
- Details of the entry requirements for our courses
- Some of the good reasons why you should study here
- How to improve your language skills before starting your studies
- Information relevant to applicants from your country
- Where to find financial support for your studies.
The University is conveniently placed, with Birmingham International Airport nearby and first-rate transport connections to London and the rest of the UK.
Facilities & Staff
Our Facilities
We are constantly investing in our estate and have spent £260 million on learning facilities.
The Curzon Building
This course is based at the City Centre Campus – and specifically The Curzon Building, alongside other Law, Business and Social Sciences courses.
The £63m building offers students a unique social learning space, including a dedicated student hub incorporating student support services, in the heart of Birmingham’s Eastside development.
The facilities at the Curzon building include two bespoke Law Courtrooms, replicating a Crown court and a Magistrates court. These rooms will play a key part in your learning experience, allowing you to try your hand in mock court cases, whilst also being the venue for our Mooting and Debating Societies.
On top of this, the Curzon building houses an extensive Law library, with books covering every aspect of Law history.
The Curzon Building also features:
- An impressive library with access to over 65 million full text items and stunning views of Eastside City Park
- Your Students’ Union which is located in a beautifully restored 19th century pub, The Eagle and Ball
- A modern 300-seat food court with space to study and socialise
- Accessible IT facilities with full Office365 for all students for free
- Shared facilities with the wider campus including the Parkside Building and Millennium Point
Our staff
Jason Georgiou
Senior Lecturer
Jason specialised in Criminal Defence work as a Solicitor before joining BCU. He maintains links with the local legal community as a Consultant Solicitor and has over 20 years practice experience in the legal sector.
More about Jason