Exclusive: Law school giant says guidance refers to ‘controllable behaviours’
BPP University Law School has said it will review its guidance advising students to avoid physical tics during advocacy assessments, clarifying that the advice refers to controllable behaviours and not involuntary movements caused by medical conditions.
As part of the law school’s SQE2 preparation, an introductory advocacy module warns aspiring lawyers that “physical ticks should be avoided” as they may “distract” the tribunal during submissions.
One BPP student who took issue with wording of the guidance told Legal Cheek: “I was surprised to see in BPP study materials a piece of advice telling students to avoid physical ticks during the advocacy assessment in SQE2. As a student with an involuntary tick, this was pretty shocking to read. In my experience BPP are committed to supporting students with reasonable adjustments, however, I cannot say that this careless mistake surprised me. BPP please do better!”
The student — who didn’t want to be named — went on to point out that physical tics are by their nature involuntary and cannot be avoided. The NHS defines tics as “unintentional, fast and repetitive muscle movements” which happen randomly but may be associated with “stress, anxiety, tiredness, excitement or happiness,” and “get worse if they’re talked about or focused on”.
A spokesperson for BPP clarified the guidance, telling us that it “encourage[s] candidates to minimise controllable behaviours — such as fiddling with hair, clothing, or clicking pens that could unintentionally detract from their advocacy delivery”.
They stressed this is “entirely distinct from involuntary conditions, such as those associated with medical conditions, which are, of course, beyond a candidate’s control and would not be penalised under any circumstances”.
The spokerson did however go on to say that it will “review the guidance to ensure it is clear and inclusive”.
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