StudyQA — Diploma: Law — University of Law Business School

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Kick-start your legal career with our GDL law conversion course, designed for non-law graduates who want to become a solicitor or barrister.

- Think like a lawyer and build practical legal skills via training using real life case studies
- Explore an area of law that interests you via your own Research Project or Law of Organisations module
- With our structured study pattern, foundation module teaching and assessment is spread out so you can focus on selected modules each semester

Pre-course study

Before you start your GDL you will need to complete our online pre-course study programme on legal method, designed specifically to prepare you for the GDL, so you're up to speed when you arrive.

Our online pre-course study programme in legal method is a compulsory and integral part of the GDL and must be completed before you start the course. It has been designed to allow you to work at your own pace and should take you approximately 50 hours to complete.

GDL modules

The course is divided into nine modules, made up of seven foundations subjects, a module at the start of the course providing insight into the profession and a choice of module enabling you to study an area of law that you would like to specialise in.

Ethics and Professional Legal Practice module

This unique module taken at the start of the course includes:

Foundation subjects

You’ll then study the seven key areas of law:

Choose* between one of the following modules:

Research Project module

In this module you will plan, research and write an essay, tailored to reflect the area of law in which you intend to specialise. You will have time dedicated in your timetable to undertake this work and detailed guidance on both legal research and legal essay writing skills.

Law of Organisations module

This module is for students intending to practice as a solicitor in a corporate law practice and is offered as an alternative option to the Research Project module. In this module you will study the principles of contract and corporate law that underpin the creation and running of business organisations. The module will develop your legal research skills in this area resulting in the preparation of a legal report on an allocated problem based question. On the full-time course, this module will be taught through face-to-face workshops and on the part-time course this module will be studied online.

Insight into the different areas of the legal profession
Consideration of the role of legal ethics within the profession
Development of key legal skills and professional attributes required by lawyers
Public law
European Union law
Criminal law
Tort
Contract law
Land law
Equity and trusts

To be eligible to take up your place on our GDL, you must comply with the following requirements:
- A UK undergraduate degree in any discipline (minimum 2:2), or an equivalent qualification.
- Overseas graduates and mature non-graduates:
  - Future barristers - please apply for a Certificate of Academic Standing from the Bar Standards Board (BSB)
  - Future solicitors - please send your qualifications through to the Admissions team who can deem whether you are eligible for the course
- A sufficient command of English is required to successfully complete the course. Please note that students providing a degree from a UK university as proof of English must have studied the whole degree in the UK.
- If you have a legal qualification from outside England and Wales or have studied aspects of law as part of a non-qualifying degree course, you may be exempted from certain elements of the GDL. If this applies to you:
  - Future barristers - please apply for a Certificate of Academic Standing from the Bar Standards Board (BSB)
  - Future solicitors - please e-mail a copy of your degree transcript, certificate and syllabus information through to the Admissions team who can deem whether you are eligible for certain exemptions on the GDL
  - If you are claiming full exemptions for the GDL you will need to apply for a Certificate of Exemption from the Bar Standards Board or Equivalent Means from the Solicitors Regulation Authority
  If you have completed a degree outside the UK and you do not come from a majority English speaking country:
  
  A certified copy of any document that proves that you are qualified in English at CEFR level B2 or above in each of the four components of language learning.
- A non-standard application route is also available. Any applicant with no or limited formal qualifications will be invited in-centre to complete an in-house numeracy and literacy test (for those without GCSE Maths and English at D/3 and C/4 respectively), as well as a formal face-to-face interview. They will also need to provide 2 years of appropriate work experience evidenced in a full CV and one reference.