Cardiff University

LL.M. in Legal Practice

Programme Aims

The LLM in Legal Practice is open only to students who have successfully completed either the Legal Practice Course (LPC) or Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) or its predecessor course, the Bar Vocational Course (BVC), whether at Cardiff or another recognised institution. The LLM in Legal Practice is designed for students who wish to further develop their legal knowledge and skills beyond the requirements of their LPC, BPTC or BVC qualifications. For those pursuing the LLM after experience of legal practice, the programme will provide an opportunity to extend their knowledge and reflect upon professional practice.

Students will have the opportunity of building upon the legal research skills and knowledge acquired on the LPC, BPTC or BVC by undertaking in-depth independent research culminating in preparation of a dissertation. With the support and guidance of a dissertation supervisor, students will be encouraged to develop an independent, critical and thorough treatment of their chosen topic. Assessment will take the form of an independently researched dissertation of no more than 15,000 words in length.

Programme Description

The LLM in Legal Practice is intended to:

• enable students to undertake self-directed research and demonstrate advanced knowledge within an area of law related to professional practice
• enable students to further develop their legal knowledge beyond the requirements of their professional courses
• stimulate a critical approach to evaluation of current and proposed regulation and cultivate independent and original thought
• promote independent learning through research
• promote the further development of research skills
• enable students to develop their legal writing skills and to present the results of their research as a coherent and logical argument, adequately and accurately supported by citation of source materials

Programme Structure

The LLM in Legal Practice is a 60 credit dissertation only programme which can be pursued part-time or by distance learning. The programme will commence with introductory sessions covering research skills and guidance on preparing a dissertation. Students opting for the part-time programme will attend the Law School for the introductory sessions and meetings with their supervisor. Those opting for distance learning will access introductory materials online and supervision will be by electronic communication.

Apart from the introductory sessions during the first week of the course, there is no other teaching and therefore no ongoing attendance requirement. The programme will proceed by way of self-directed learning with support from a dissertation supervisor. Students will be expected to agree a schedule of meetings (either face to face or equivalent levels of contact via electronic communication) with their dissertation supervisor. Students will have a maximum period of 52 weeks from the time of enrolment in which to submit their dissertation.

Introductory session days for the 2013/14 academic year: September 2013 entrants – enrolment and introductory sessions will take place during the week commencing 16 September 2013. January 2014 entrants – enrolment and introductory sessions will take place during the week commencing 20 January 2014.

Skills Acquired Upon completion of the LLM in Legal Practice, in addition to intellectual and knowledge specific skills, a typical student will be able to:

•engage in independent research
•use, interpret and analyse research sources
•structure written material in a clear and effective way
•communicate complex ideas accurately, effectively and lucidly in written prose at a standard appropriate for academic purposes with a legal focus
•work independently, demonstrating organisational skills and an ability to manage their time effectively
•demonstrate the ability to develop professionally by developing the skills acquired so as to keep abreast of new developments and techniques.

Career Prospects

The programme will enable students, through research, to acquire in-depth knowledge of an area of law in practice (over and above their LPC, BPTC or BVC qualification) and enhance their employability and future career prospects in the legal profession.

How to Apply

Applications should be made online by clicking on the How to Apply link at the foot of this page.

Applicants should provide a brief outline (no more than 200 words) indicating their preferred area of research as part of their personal statement on their application form.

Applicants must meet the Academic Requirements set out above and Cardiff University’s general entrance requirements. Subject to those, the following criteria will be taken into account:

• academic record
• the applicant’s personal statement
• degree of commitment to the legal profession (shown for example by placements with solicitors’ firms or mini pupillages or experience of working in legal practice)
• one academic reference
• reasons for wanting to study at Cardiff
• any special personal reasons affecting freedom to study elsewhere.