Oxford Brookes University is shutting down its Legal Practice Course (LPC) this summer, with no 2013-2014 course from September. The decision means that students mid-way through the two year part-time Oxford Brookes LPC will be left in limbo. The law school's head, Meryll Dean, says that she is in discussion with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) about ways to enable those students to complete the course. Her email to students, which was leaked to Legal Cheek this morning, is paraphrased below...
The email begins:
"I am writing to you because the University, in common with other universities, regularly reviews its range of courses. As a result of these reviews we often introduce new courses and on occasion withdraw others on the basis of lack of demand or for other pressing operational reasons. I am sorry to write and inform you that, having recently undertaken such a review, the university has taken the decision to close the LPC and there will be no September 2013 entry. The decision to close the LPC was taken by the university on a business case basis. The LPC at Brookes is an excellent course taught by excellent and committed staff. The decision does not reflect upon either the course or the staff."
Dean goes onto explain that Oxford Brookes is "in discussion with the SRA" to ensure that part-time students are able to complete the LPC and that appropriate arrangements are made for any resit examinations.
Dean adds that "the precise detail has yet to be decided" with meetings with students to be scheduled where the situation will be discussed. The email concludes:
"I consider it important that you hear about the LPC closure directly from me rather than second hand. Please accept my apologies for any disruption or uncertainty this may cause and rest assured that the course team and myself are working hard on finding an appropriate solution for your year 2."
Update 5pm – Official statement from Oxford Brookes Law School head Meryll Dean:
"Following a recent consultation, a decision has been made to close Oxford Brookes’ Legal Practice Course (LPC) to further recruitment.
"The LPC is a respected course taught by committed staff, but unfortunately a steady decline in applications over the past five years has meant that the programme is no longer tenable. This decline in applications is one which is mirrored nationally across the sector.
"We are working closely with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) to ensure that appropriate arrangements are in place for those who are currently studying as part of the course. The decision to close the course was not taken lightly and the University is committed to ensuring students and staff are fully supported during this time."
This is more than disappointing for those involved. No doubt many part timers will be working hard to fit this in with work and many will have struggled to find funding. Those who offer professional training for profit need to remember that responsibility comes with the decision to run courses like this .
Sadly this can all to often happen when the core motivation is profit. No profit, no course. I do think Oxford Brookes should have made a more firm commitment to assisting its students to find alternatives as it's not the student's fault.
Having perhaps originally misrepresented what was being offered, presumably the university would now want to refund the first year's course fee that it has taken from these students ? An apology, some practical assistance with finding alternative studies and a significant sum to compensate for the disturbance and anxiety caused would no doubt be welcome too. Let's see if OBU steps up to the plate.
Hmmm. Not impressed with this. Couldn't Oxford Brookes ensure that the part-timers could finish their course at the institution, before closing in 2014? Still ensuring that no new students were accepted of course. Or have all the staff run away to other institutions already, leaving no teachers to teach the part-time students?
To be fair Oxford Brookes is not the University of Oxford, so that is the reason why there has been a decline in applications. The College of Law/University of Law, BPP and City are where it's at with LPC courses, as well as Kaplan and Nottingham of course. The rest of the institutions are just there for the sake of it, but they add nothing brilliant to the legal sphere.
As a student who recently graduated from 'Oxford Brookes', I would like to correct a couple of points that you mention in your comment.
'To be fair Oxford Brookes is not the University of Oxford, so that is the reason why there has been a decline applications.'
Untrue.
My diploma says that I have completed the Legal Practice Course at the Oxford Institute of Legal Practice, endorsed by Oxford Brooks University and the University of Oxford. I continue to have access to the Oxford University careers service, and was able to use the Bodleian Library during my year there and apply to the Oxford Union (life membership), a privelege only open to Oxford University students. Further, the reason that OXILP exists is because the University of Oxford does NOT run its own LPC.
'The rest of the institutions are just there for the sake of it, but they add nothing brilliant to the legal sphere.'
Again, untrue. A lot of students do not have the funds to attend the College of Law, BPP or Kaplan, as they exceed the £11k mark. I paid just under £9k to complete my LPC at a reputable institution with excellent teaching staff AND crucially, plenty of contact hours and close quarter teaching that I know I would not have received at any of the bigger institutions. The entry requirements for OXILP were just as rigorous.
'Or have all the staff run away to other institutions already, leaving no teachers to teach the part-time students?'
No, they have not. I am currently completeing a part time LLM at the same institution, and have bumped into all of the same members of staff recently that taught me (and the part-time students) in 2011-2012.
Frankly, I agree with you in that I am not impressed with this either, the way they have handled it is not great and I truly feel for the part time students who cannot finish their course. That should not be allowed.
However, I suggest you do a bit more reading into the Oxford Institute of Legal Practice before you dismiss the entire university department. There are some excellent people who have worked and continue to work there. Having spoken to a number of my current work colleagues who attended the bigger institutions you name, I feel they got the short end of the stick, not I.
Incidently, our intake had over 130 students, which, out of the 150 that OXILP was authorised to have, leaves a much smaller percentage of vacancies than any other institution that offers the LPC. Therefore the argument that it is not filling spaces is moot.
What about a student who had been offered, accepted and turned his other two offers for September 2013? What help will they be providing?
Good point. Maybe an OxBrook rep could let us know...
I am a first year student at Oxford Brookes and we have had meetings today to work out what the options are given the severity of the situation- not to mention the fact that third-year students and those taking the part-time LPC are affected with less than six months to do anything about the situation.
As you may already know, the LPC is a course with strict requirements- all the modules must be taken and examined in the same institution. Those students who are part-way through LPC courses will have the hardest time and we imagine that at best what Brookes will do is continue the course for their sakes. Third-years are next in terms of the decision's severity, though not as badly affected as they are not in limbo.
I know we are not as large an issue at the moment, but second- and first-years are also at a loss here as many of us joined the university at least partly because we wanted to attend its fantastic LPC. Many of us consider this at least a misrepresentation by the university in legal terms, if not a breach of contract, as we were guaranteed a place on the course (permitted we passed our degrees to the acceptable standard).
I believe this also affects those students in higher education (sixth forms, colleges etc.) who have already applied to the University partly for the LPC.
The outlook isn't good for us at all at the moment, but we hope that those in higher years will be able to argue their case; we'll certainly support them.
I am a Third year student who was hoping to do the LPC at Brookes for various reasons including the promise of a guaranteed place if we stayed on. I was also going to carry on as I am a disabled student and Oxford Brookes have been excellent in all the things they have done in able to provide me to carry on and study to the best of my ability. With them knowing whats wrong with me/how to deal with it I felt that it would save me having to start all over again with a new institution and with new staff who may not know/understand my condition.
It is now March, courses start in September that is not long to now find somewhere else to take you.
What about 3rd years who had accepted places, paid deposits and were looking at living arrangements for next year (maybe already paying deposits for that as well) will they get the help they need in order to reapply and not have this affected if they apply to the same institutions that they once turned down?
Also just getting an email to tell us it was no longer existing...if you are doing the LLB in order to proceed they know when lectures are when we are altogether we deserved them to tell us face to face rather than communicating through an email.
There are a lot of distressed people now and exams/deadlines are looming and we are suppose to be focused...how can this happen when we have had this massive spanner thrown at us with no prior warning?
Brookes needs to sort this out..otherwise the reputation of the university will just disappear.
I am so angry! How does this affect students who have applied to study law in September 2013? This was one of the main reasons I chose to study law at Oxford Brookes, because of the LPC! I've already replied to my offers on ucas because I was so certain I wanted to go there and now I can't even change choice! This is an absolute nightmare, can't even imagine how the current students feel about it!