LLM in Legal Practice
LLM
Start dates: September 2023
Part time: 13 months
Location: Distance learning
Department(s): School of Law
Overview
Our LLM in Legal Practice provides practising, qualified graduates with an additional qualification. With our legal practice postgraduate degree, you can pursue a speciality with support and advice from expert tutors; reflecting on your experience in your career so far.
The programme recognises your professional achievements and helps you to take them further. Graduates from England and Wales, or countries with a common law heritage, can convert their professional law qualification into a masters degree. Examples of these qualifications include PG Dip in Legal Practice, LPC (Legal Practice Course), BPTC (Bar Professional Training Course).
The course is taught online, so you can balance your learning with your personal and professional commitments. The course is ideal for:
- solicitors
- barristers
- practising lawyers
- those about to enter the legal profession.
Why Oxford Brookes University?
-
Personal guidance
We pride ourselves on our friendly, collegial atmosphere. We regularly work with you individually and provide you with one-to-one support.
-
New perspectives
Speak to people from various personal and professional backgrounds, from across the globe, and learn from their experiences. Including English solicitors and barristers, Pakistani advocates, Bahamian counsel and advocates, and Seychellian attorneys-at-law, as well as university lecturers in legal practice.
-
Boost employability
You’ll get to research a specialism within a specialism, and stand out in your profession.
Course Details
Course Structure
This course has two modules: Advanced Legal Research Methods (ALRM) and the Dissertation. ALRM will help you to research and write at an advanced level, using legal sources. The module covers research design, researching relevant sources and materials, legal referencing, and citation.
You’ll think deeply about the writing process and the finished work, including how you might present your findings to different audiences. The 2,000-word essay you’ll write at the end of the module is good practise for the Dissertation.
For the Dissertation, you’ll research and write about an aspect of the legal profession in great detail. This is your chance to hone a niche within a niche. If you work in employment law, you might focus on workplace discrimination for example. Your tutor will help you decide what to research.
Study modules
Please note: As our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, the modules you can choose from may vary from that shown here. The structure of the course may also mean some modules are not available to you.
Research
Staff from the School of Law carry out advanced research at the international level across a range of topics relevant to legal practice both in the UK and internationally. This includes:
- commissioned work for state bodies
- publications in leading journals in law and cognate disciplines
- scholarly monographs.
We have particular strengths in the law of the small jurisdictions with a common law inheritance, through the Small Jurisdictions Service, and in international law.
Recent student topics have included:
- The regulation of banking in the UK – to split or not to split?
- How can Europe achieve a unified system for the protection of patents?
- Does the established nature of the Church of England provide a model for other faith based jurisdictions?
- How compatible are the powers in the Digital Economy Act 2010 relating to disconnection of internet access for repeat copyright infringers with European Union Law and human rights law?
Careers
This course allows you to develop specific expertise within your legal field. A recent graduate, who works in employment law, has pursued a specialism in religious discrimination. Another has covered the increase in remote trials during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the implications this has on the right to a fair trial.
You’ll be confident in overcoming complicated legal challenges with new and interesting ideas. Your research skills and your ability to understand complex policies will be useful in many professions.
Our academic staff will help you explore your career options, and they’ll support you in taking the next steps.
Entry requirements
Specific entry requirements
Applicants to the programme must have a prior legal vocational qualification, such as the LPC/BPTC or their equivalent.
The legal vocational qualification should normally have been obtained within 5 years of commencement of the LLM (Legal Practice), but currency can be maintained either through continued work in legal practice as a solicitor or barrister or through teaching on a legal professional training course.
Students will be expected to demonstrate the ability to work independently in a self-directed way. As a significant part of the programme involves the application of academic research skills, students will be required to think critically, deal with complex issues both systematically and creatively and evaluate research including current problems and/or new insights.
Please also see the University's general entry requirements.
English language requirements
If your first language is not English you will normally only be admitted to the LLM in Legal Practice if you have reached an overall score of 7.0 (Level 7) of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).
Please also see the University's standard English language requirements.
Pathways courses for international and EU students
We offer a range of courses to help you meet the entry requirements for your postgraduate course and also familiarise you with university life in the UK.
Take a Pre-Master's course to develop your subject knowledge, study skills and academic language level in preparation for your master's course.
If you need to improve your English language, we offer pre-sessional English language courses to help you meet the English language requirements of your chosen master’s course.
Terms and Conditions of Enrolment
When you accept our offer, you agree to the Terms and Conditions of Enrolment. You should therefore read those conditions before accepting the offer.
International qualifications and equivalences
How to apply
Application process
Tuition fees
Questions about fees?
Contact Student Finance on:
Tuition fees
Fees quoted are for the first year only. If you are studying a course that lasts longer than one year your fees will increase each year.
Additional costs
Please be aware that some courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. Specific additional costs for this course are detailed below.
Optional costs
| Additional costs | Amount (£) |
|---|---|
It’s your responsibility to cover print / binding costs where coursework submission is required. Please note that a lot of the coursework is now submitted online. |
From £30 |
| You may choose to purchase books to support your studies. Many books on our reading lists are available via the Library, or can be purchased secondhand. | £20-60 per book |
Accommodation fees in Brookes Letting (most do not include bills) |
£94-265 per week |
Accommodation fees in university halls (bills included, excluding laundry costs) |
£122-180 per week |
Graduation costs include tickets, gowning and photography. Gowns are not compulsory but typically students do hire robes, starting at £41. |
Typically £0-200 |
Students are responsible for their own travel to and from university for classes. BrookesBus travel is subsidised for full-time undergraduate students that are on a course with a fee of £9,250 or more, or living in an Oxford Brookes hall of residence. There is an administration fee for the production of a BrookesKey. |
From £8 |
Funding your studies
Financial support and scholarships
Featured funding opportunities available for this course.
All financial support and scholarships
Programme Changes:
On rare occasions we may need to make changes to our course programmes after they have been published on the website.For more information, please visit our Changes to programmes page.