Programme Specification: Postgraduate Diploma Bar Practice

1. Awarding Institution: The University of Law

2. Final Award: Postgraduate Diploma in Bar Practice

3. Interim/Exit Awards: Postgraduate Certificate of Higher Education

4. Programme Title(s): Bar Practice Course

5. Accredited by: The Bar Standards Board

6. Total Credits: Postgraduate Diploma in Bar Practice – 120

credits
Postgraduate Certificate of Higher Education
– 60 credits
7. Level: Master’s (Level 7) within the FHEQ

8. Mode of Study: Face to face: full-time and part-time

9. Language of Study: English

10. Length of Programme: Full-time: 1 year

Part-time: 2 years
11. Criteria for admission: Applicants must have enrolled on the BPC
and have completed the Academic Stage of
Training. Applicants must enrol on the whole
programme and it is not possible to enrol on
individual modules in ordinary circumstances.
The Academic stage is achieved through
successful completion of either a Qualifying
Law Degree (at a minimum level of a lower
second class honours) or, for graduates in
subject disciplines other than law, the
completion of the Common Professional
Examination (CPE) or Graduate Diploma in
Law (GDL) or the formal completion of the
core legal subjects in any other format.

The admissions criteria are: that a student will

have achieved good A levels and minimum of
a 2:1 undergraduate degree and successful
completion of BCAT. Prior to acceptance on
the course students must also attend and
pass one of our selection events comprising
advocacy, interview and consideration of
written ability.
12. UCAS code (if relevant): N/A

13. HECOS codes (if relevant): 100485 - Law

14. Date of Production/Revision: July 2020

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15. Aims and Rationale of the Programme
The Bar Practice Course is designed for those who seek to practise as a barrister (either
in England and Wales or in other jurisdictions) and/or wish to develop further their
practical skills in a specialist area of legal practice. The programme will therefore build
on skills, experience and techniques initially acquired during academic study and
vocational training or experience, which can then be applied in the workplace.

In particular the programme aims are as follows:

• To develop a systematic understanding of the law and practice on the part of

students, and a critical awareness of current problems and/or new insights, at the
forefront of the areas of professional practice studied.

• To enhance students’ intellectual, transferable and interpersonal skills as well as

developing the postgraduate skills of the exercise of initiative and autonomy in in
planning and implementing tasks at a professional level.

• To develop further a comprehensive understanding of legal research techniques

and methodology and their application.

• To provide students with a programme of study that enhances their prospects of

legally-related professional, commercial, business or academic employment.

• To cater for a range of learning preferences through a variety of learner-centred

activities and using a variety of learning media.

16. Programme Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the programme students should be able to [headings as

appropriate for specific programme outcomes]:

Knowledge and understanding

• Demonstrate a high level of specialist knowledge and of conceptual

understanding at the forefront of the areas of professional practice studied.

• Apply detailed and comprehensive knowledge of the relevant law and legal
practice to progress transactions or matters relevant to the area of the
professional practice studied to achieve the client’s objectives in accordance with
any rules of professional conduct or ethics

Intellectual

• Evaluate critically current knowledge, research and advanced scholarship in the

areas of professional practice studied, including research and professional
methodologies where appropriate.

• Analyse complex legal issues and client matters both systematically and
creatively, making sound judgments in the absence of complete data in complex
and unpredictable situations.

• Demonstrate self-direction and originality in solving problems, and act

autonomously in planning and implementing strategies to take a client matter to
a resolution.

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Transferable

• Plan and implement, with a high degree of autonomy, an extended piece of work.

• Demonstrate a high level of competence in the practitioner skills appropriate to

the area of professional practice studied.

• Identify and address where relevant the business, commercial and ethical
aspects of the areas of professional practice studied.

• Where applicable demonstrate self-analysis and an ability to reflect on their

learning and/or experience in practice.

• Assume responsibility for the continued development of their own learning.

Relevant Subject Benchmark Statements and other reference points to inform

programme outcomes

-The Frameworks for Higher Education Qualifications in the United Kingdom (FHEQ)
-The Bar Standards Board Authorisation Framework December 2018
-Professional Statement for Barristers incorporating the Threshold Standards
and Competencies
17. Programme Structure, Levels, Modules and Credits

The Postgraduate Diploma Bar Practice award is available for students who have
successfully completed the BPC at the University, either through full-time or part-time
attendance.

Civil Litigation & Criminal Litigation &

Advocacy
Evidence Sentencing
30 Credits
30 Credits 30 Credits

Skills
30 Credits

The taught modules above form part of the compulsory ‘core’ of the BPC. The
remaining knowledge and skills modules comprise the following elements: Conference
Skills, Drafting, Opinion Writing and Remedies, Professional Ethics, and Legal
Research. Resolution of Disputes out of Court is included within the Civil Litigation and
Evidence module.

NB Where a student does not obtain sufficient credits to be awarded the LLM Bar
Practice or the Postgraduate Diploma Bar Practice, they may on completion of 60
credits be awarded a Postgraduate Certificate in Bar Civil and Criminal Procedure (on
successful completion of the Criminal and Civil litigation modules), a Postgraduate
Certificate Bar Skills (on successful completion of the Advocacy and Skills modules) or
a Postgraduate Certificate Bar Practice (for any other combination of modules totally a
minimum of 60 credits).

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18. Programme Outcomes, Learning & Teaching and Assessment Strategies

Knowledge and Understanding Learning and Teaching Methods

• Demonstrate a high level of Pure litigation sessions will be stripped out to

specialist knowledge and of provide a framework for developing the skills
conceptual understanding at the against the background of cumulative
forefront of the areas of knowledge in practice and procedure.
professional practice studied.
Assessment Methods
• Apply detailed and
comprehensive knowledge of the Assessment of achievement of the learning
relevant law and legal practice to outcomes is assessed by unseen open-book or
progress transactions or matters closed book examinations of 2-4hours in
relevant to the area of the duration throughout the course of the year
professional practice studied to commencing in November.
achieve the client’s objectives in
accordance with any rules of Students should demonstrate originality in the
professional conduct or ethics. application of knowledge, and a practical
understanding of how law and practice is used
in the solution of complex legal problems.

Intellectual Skills Learning and Teaching Methods

• Evaluate critically current Cognitive skills are developed through the
knowledge, research and teaching and learning methods and strategies
advanced scholarship in the outlined above. In particular, analysis, critical
areas of professional practice judgement, evaluation and problem-solving
studied, including research skills are further developed through the use of
and professional case-studies which mirror transactions and
methodologies where matters relevant to the specialist area of
appropriate. professional practice for that module.

• Analyse complex legal issues The students will be expected to analyse the
and client matters both facts and technical legal issues underpinning a
systematically and creatively, client’s position in a case-study; to identify
making sound judgments in solutions which are specific (and therefore
the absence of complete data original) to that client’s position; and to provide
in complex and unpredictable the client with a thorough and balanced view of
situations. the outcome and options available.

• Demonstrate self-direction Assessment Methods

and originality in solving
problems, and act Cognitive skills are assessed in the module
autonomously in planning and assessments through the tasks and activities
implementing strategies to required to be carried out. These include a
take a client matter to a range of skills assessments including formal
resolution. assessment of oral skills in 3 separate
Advocacy assessments and Conference Skills.

General Transferable Skills, Learning and Teaching Methods

Professional Skills and Attributes
As for the intellectual skills above, within the
• Plan and implement, with a established learning model the general

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 18. Programme Outcomes, Learning & Teaching and Assessment Strategies

high degree of autonomy, an transferable skills will be primarily developed

extended piece of work. both in preparation for, and through the
activities inherent in, the workshops (for
• Demonstrate a high level of attendance mode) or task submissions (for the
competence in the practitioner online modules).
skills appropriate to the area
of professional practice The professional practice ethos of the course
studied. means that students will be required to
demonstrate a high level of competence in the
• Identify and address where practitioner skills, particularly research, opinion
relevant the business, writing and drafting.
commercial and ethical
aspects of the areas of Finally, the essence of the University’s student-
professional practice studied. centred approach is that from the outset
students will be expected to assume
• Where applicable responsibility for their learning and develop
demonstrate self-analysis and self-analysis and peer review to an extent.
an ability to reflect on their
learning and/or experience in Assessment Methods
practice.

• Assume responsibility for the The general transferable skills will generally be
continued development of assessed within the formative and summative
their own learning. assessment methods outlined in paragraph B.
above.

In particular, the output of the skills (for

example the product of the research, ability to
formulate and communicate the results) will all
feed through into the relevant assessment
points, whether formative or summative.

19. Inclusive Considerations As part of the curriculum design, we have a

variety of flexible learning and delivery methods
including a blended learning approach to
programme design. Powerpoints are made
available in advance of sessions and any
lectures are recorded.
Greater flexibility is employed in respect of the
mode of assessment, subject to the constraints
of the regulator in respect of centralised
assessments.

20. Prior Credits considered for Prior credit may be recognised and will be
RPL considered on a case by case basis.

Document Version Control

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Version Amended Revision Summary Date
No. by
1.0 Head of First version post-programme approval. March 2020
Quality
Assurance
1.1 Head of Minor grammatical amendments July 2020
Quality
Assurance