The Legal Cheek View
Manchester Law School at Manchester Metropolitan University has been providing legal education in the North West of England for over fifty years. With strong interdisciplinary links, Manchester Met covers all aspects of legal training. Study opportunities include the LLB, LLM, GDL and Bar Vocational Training plus newly developed courses to prepare students for the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE), which will ultimately replace LPC provision.
Manchester Met has a long history of educating aspiring solicitors. Courses are delivered by qualified and experienced tutors in a supportive and inclusive learning environment. By choosing to study at Manchester Met, students have full access to university benefits such as a dedicated careers service, library, student union and wellbeing support.
SQE preparation for law and non-law graduates
At Manchester Metropolitan, students can prepare for the SQE via two course routes:
• LLM Legal Practice
• LLM Graduate Legal Studies
The LLM Legal Practice (which will replace the LPC from September 2023) is for law graduates and can be completed full-time or part-time. The course offers SQE1 and SQE2 preparatory units, as well as core and other optional units that aim to support students’ future careers.
The LLM Graduate Legal Studies (equivalent to the GDL) offers a postgraduate route for non-law graduates, ensuring that they have the disciplinary foundation to continue their route into the profession. Students will study eight core foundational subjects that give a thorough grounding in the law and are closely linked to the subject matter of SQE1. The course also includes preparation for SQE1 as an optional unit.
Both courses lead to a masters qualification, meaning that eligible students can apply for postgraduate funding from the UK government.
The content of both courses has been designed to reflect the evolving legal landscape. Core units address business, technology and professional skills alongside projects directly relevant to practice roles. Additional units draw on the expertise of Manchester Law School academics in legal technology, commercial law, corporate practice, family and employment law.
Manchester Law School offers modern facilities, such as a brand-new moot court room, lecture and seminar facilities and social and study spaces. Students can gain work experience through the Pro Bono Network who work with a range of regional, national and international partners such as Support Through Court, Commercial Law Hub, Citizens Advice, Shelter and the Greater Manchester Law Centre. Time spent on some of these volunteering projects may count as Qualifying Work Experience (QWE) and law school staff will help to support students with registering QWE with the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
The law school is only a short walk away from Manchester city centre, the largest legal and professional services centre outside of London. The school has links with many firms and networks in the NorthWest including DWF, Irwin Mitchell, Manchester Young Solicitors Group and the Black Solicitors Network. These links give students access to mentorship schemes to support them throughout their studies and in their future careers.
Courses
Law conversion courses
Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL)
MMU’s Graduate Diploma in Law is a route for non-law students to enter the legal profession. The course focuses on the fundamental knowledge and skills needed to pursue a career in the sector. It includes eight core units covering contract law, legal skills and practice, land law, law of torts, criminal law, equity and trusts, public law, EU law in the UK, and legal technology.
• Full-time: 1 year
• Cost: £10,000 full-time
LLM Graduate Legal Studies
This course is an alternative to the GDL (Graduate Diploma in Law), which provides the foundational knowledge needed to pursue a career in law. The eleven core units include professionals in practice, public law 1 & 2, contract, tort, land law, criminal law, equity and trusts, business and legal practice, as well as two research projects (inside professional practice, law and practice). Students can also choose up to 30 credits of optional units, such as commercial law, digital lawyering, family law and practice, and SQE1 preparation.
• Full-time: 1 year
• Cost: £11,500 full-time
Postgraduate law courses
LLM Legal Practice
This course combines SQE preparation with a legal master’s (LLM). It consists of three core units, covering an introduction to professional practice, as well as two research projects. Students can also take up to 60 credits of optional units, such as MMU’s two 30-credit SQE preparation modules.
• Full-time: 1 year
• Part-time: 2 years
• Cost: £11,500 full-time, £1,917 part-time per 30 credits studied each year
LLM (Master of Laws)
Manchester Metropolitan University describes their LLM (Master of Laws) as an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the law, whilst developing advanced analytical and research skills. This includes a focus on how the law governs relations between countries and how it relates to individuals, businesses and societies in and across countries. The course also explores law’s impact on policy and policy-making processes at national, regional and international levels.
Students are required to study the following core units – Advanced legal systems, skills and research 1 + 2, and advanced independent study – and can also choose from a range of optional units focusing on different practice areas.
• Full-time: 1 year
• Part-time: 2 years
• Cost: £9,250 full-time, £1,542 part-time per 30 credits studied each year
Bar Training Course (BTC)
Bar Training Course (BTC)
This course, which can be studied either full-time, part-time, or flexible-part time, provides the foundational knowledge and skills needed to qualify as a barrister in the UK. It includes the following core units: civil litigation, criminal litigation evidence and sentencing, professional ethics, professional practice, conference skills, opinion writing and legal research, advocacy civil, drafting and advocacy criminal.
• Full-time (1 year): 40-45 hours per week
• Part-time (2 years): 20-25 hours per week
• Flexible part-time (2-5 years): 15-25 hours per week
• Cost: £12,500 full-time, £1,042 part-time per 10 credits studied each year
LLM in Legal Practice at the Bar
This course incorporates the essential skills and knowledge from the BTC, as well as masters-level legal research skills to prepare students for life as a barrister. It includes the following core units: civil litigation, criminal litigation evidence and sentencing, professional ethics, professional practice, conference skills, opinion writing and legal research, advocacy civil, drafting, advocacy criminal, and advanced independent study. Students will work within a mini chambers group of other students, which is designed to mirror the real-life practices.
• Full-time (1 year): 40-45 hours per week
• Part-time (2 years): 20-25 hours per week
• Flexible part-time (2-5 years): 15-25 hours per week
• Cost: £14,000 full-time, £778 part-time per 10 credits studied each year
Locations
Manchester Metropolitan’s law courses are only available at the university’s campus, situated in the centre of Manchester.