This course is for students undertaking the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) who would like to convert their BPTC into an LLM.
This LLM satisfies all the requirements of a traditional LLM but has a primary focus on practice. In addition to the taught classes on the BPTC the LLM gives you the chance to focus on an area of professional legal practice of your choice, while strengthening your knowledge and understanding of legal professional practice. This can be linked to pupillage to underline a commitment to a particular area, or can be used more generally to strengthen your CV.
Why City's LLM in Professional Legal Skills?
The BPTC conversion course is only open to students who commenced the previous version of the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) within the last five years and before and 2017/18. The new Bar Vocational Studies Course contains an integrated LLM option so there is no need for a conversion course.
International Students (EEA and Non EEA) coming to study in the UK, may need to apply for a visa or entry clearance to come to the UK to study. The way that you apply may vary depending on the length of your course. There are different rules for:
For more information see our main Visa page.
Applications for the course are not yet open but are expected to open in early 2021 and will need to be submitted by April 2021. Once applications are open you will be able to download the application form from this website.
If you have any enquiries please contact:
Email: law@city.ac.uk
*Fees in each subsequent year of study (where applicable) will be subject to an annual increase of 2%. We will confirm any change to the annual tuition fee to you in writing prior to you commencing each subsequent year of study (where applicable).
The City Law School is firmly committed to a generous programme of scholarships awarded on the basis of academic excellence. Our scholarships range in value and include both partial and full fee waiver awards.
Find out more about other scholarships offered to City Law School Students.
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We offer a free language course for City, University of London students.
This course has no timetabled classes beyond an initial induction.
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To make sure that you can begin or continue your studies with us during the COVID-19 pandemic, we have reviewed and adapted our courses to ensure a safe learning environment for our students and staff. We have modified the way some of our courses are delivered, with many programmes being made available online.
Contact us to find out more about how our programmes will be delivered.
The classes that you will have already completed on the BPTC provide the taught element of the course. To complete your dissertation you will need to work independently, use practitioner sources and apply law at an advanced level to solve problems whilst developing an awareness of current practice issues.
In support of your work on dissertation we provide:
You will need to research, write and submit a dissertation of 15-20,000 words.
To be awarded the LLM in Professional Legal Skills you need to complete a dissertation on a personally selected topic. When you apply for the LLM you will be asked to put forward a proposal for this dissertation.
There are a wide choice of possibilities for your dissertation proposal. The key requirement is that your choice of topic must focus on knowledge and skills directly relevant to legal practice, procedure or skill. We are keen to encourage students to look at topics related to pupillage or pro bono work, but this is not essential.
It is very important that you draw up your own dissertation proposal and that it focuses on what you are most interested in as part of your developing career. Although, your supervisor will provide support and guidance the research, analysis and writing will be carried out by you. You therefore need to show that your ideas are sufficiently developed, that you have identified some issues to focus on, and that you have sufficient commitment to the work that will be required.
An idea for a dissertation proposal could arise from:
Topics arising from the BPTC might include:
It is important to develop your methodology before starting your dissertation as, without a clear methodology, you can waste time following false trails and may have difficulties completing your dissertation.
When developing the methodology for your dissertation, you should consider:
You may wish to carry out some empirical research for your dissertation, for example using questionnaires for members of a set of chambers, or short interviews with pro bono clients. Your supervisor will support this, so long as your plans are properly structured and any ethical considerations have been satisfactorily addressed.
The course can be completed on either a full-time basis (submission within six months of registration) or part-time basis (submission within 12 months of registration).
You should consider how completing the dissertation will fit with other commitments and career plans. Apply when you are confident you will have time to complete your dissertation within the expected time frame.
If you are not reasonably sure you can complete your dissertation within the time frame, consider waiting until the next application round.
The programme specification contains more information on how the course is organised, the requirements for progression for each part and credits required for awards.
This course has been developed specifically to assist students in achieving their career aspirations. Students who have pupillage can use work on their dissertation to show their commitment to an area of practice. Students seeking pupillage or going into other areas of legal work can use the dissertation to strengthen their CV.
Applications for the course are not yet open but are expected to open in early 2021 and will need to be submitted by April 2021. Once applications are open you will be able to download the application form from this website.
If you have any enquiries please contact:
Email: law@city.ac.uk
Find out more about City and all our postgraduate degree programmes.