Review of the Legal Practice Course

In 2001 the Law Society of England and Wales initiated a review of the framework for training solicitors, under a process known initially as the Training Framework Review. The new Legal Practice Course, to be available from September 2009 and mandatory from 2010, was finally announced in March 2008 – see the Law Society press release for details.

The review of the Legal Practice Course (LPC) attracted a range of comment from legal educators and elsewhere. Some key articles:

• Maintaining standards while retaining flexibility: changes to the qualification process for solicitors – article in the Spring 2008 issue of Directions
• The LPC is dead…long live the LPC – editorial in the Autumn 2006 issue of Directions
• A quarrel far away? The Training Framework Review and the undergraduate law school – article in the Autumn 2005 issue of Directions
• Wales and the Training Framework Review: even more problems? – article in the Autumn 2005 issue of Directions
• Time for reflection but deserving a response – editorial in the Summer 2005 issue of Directions
• ‘The Law Society’s Training Framework Review’ – article by John Hodgson in The Law Teacher 39(2)2005:198-205
• ‘The Law Society’s Training Framework Review: on the straight and narrow or the long and winding road?’ – article by Amanda Fancourt and Julian Webb (UKCLE) in The Law Teacher 38(3)2004:293-325
• At the point of qualification: reflections on the Law Society’s Training Framework Review – article in the Spring 2004 issue of Directions

The consultation process

Several rounds of consultation took place as part of the review of the course. UKCLE provided a forum for law schools to discuss the review and made responses available.

2007 consultation:

• Future structure of the Legal Practice Course – Solicitors Regulation Authority consultation paper
• UKCLE response (download below)
• Response from Cardiff University (download below)
• Response from the Inns of Court School of Law (download below)
• Response from the University of Plymouth (download below)
• Response from the University of Sheffield (download below)
• Response from the University of Wales Aberystwyth (download below)
• Respnse from the University of the West of England (download below)

The Training Framework Review (2005):

• UKCLE response
• Bristol Institute of Legal Practice (University of the West of England) (download below)
• Northumbria University (download below)
• University of Sheffield (download below)
• University of Sunderland (download below)
• Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS) (download below)
• Association of Law Teachers (download below)
• Committee of Heads of University Law Schools (CHULS) (download below)
• Society of Legal Scholars (download below)
• Julian Webb, University of Westminster (download below)
• Young Solicitors Group (download below)

Last Modified: 4 June 2010