Will also deliver LPC and GDL
The University of Law (ULaw) is on the verge of striking a new partnership with the University of Sheffield to deliver a range of postgraduate legal courses.
If given the go ahead, the deal will see the law school giant take control of the Russell Group Uni’s vocational legal courses, namely the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) and Legal Practice Course (LPC), as well as the delivery of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) — due to come into force 1 September 2021.
ULaw says the tie up, which is currently an agreement in principle, will allow it to deliver specialist legal education to the uni’s aspiring solicitors, while enabling Sheffield to focus on its research-led teaching in criminology and law.
The deal would also see Sheffield’s Centre for Professional Legal Education (the department responsible for postgraduate legal courses) move under the control of ULaw and its Leeds campus dean Matthew Tomlinson from September.
“The University of Sheffield has run very successful and well established GDL and LPC programmes for more than 20 years, so it will be a privilege for us to work with the team in Sheffield to really drive the University’s offering forwards,” Tomlinson said. “The Yorkshire legal scene is full of incredible talent and growing at a fantastic rate, so we’re excited to see what the future has in store.”
Professor Graham Gee, head of the University of Sheffield’s School of Law, said: “We’re pleased to be consulting our students and staff about a potential future collaboration with The University of Law, which could offer us an exciting new way to adapt to changing qualification routes for solicitors.”
He added: “Any collaboration will have to work in the interest of our students, respect their rights and our duties under our Student Protection Plan, to ensure our students get the very best in legal training.”
ULaw has struck a number of similar training deals with universities in the past, including Reading, Liverpool and East Anglia.
