Tie-up will see super-exam prep offered as optional LLB module
Law students at Solent University will now have the option to complete preparation training for the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) as part of their undergraduate degrees.
The move has been made possible thanks to a new partnership between the Southampton-based uni’s law school and The College of Legal Practice (CoLP).
The deal will see CoLP, which is the UK spin-off of Australia’s largest law school, The College of Law Australia, deliver an optional SQE1 prep module for third year law students.
The online course will be covered by students’ tuition fees and will enable aspiring lawyers to undertake part one of the new centralised assessment upon graduating.
Solent law grads will of course have to successfully navigate part two of the SQE as well as complete two years’ qualifying work experience before they can officially call themselves a solicitor.
Dr Giles Proctor, CEO of CoLP, commented:
“We are thrilled that Solent Law School has chosen The College of Legal Practice to deliver such crucial teaching to their LLB students. Solent clearly recognises the value of the SQE, offering their students a chance to get ahead of the competition. Our SQE1 preparation module is ideally placed to ensure their students can successfully pass the SQE and begin their pathway to becoming a solicitor.”
A number of law schools have already announced plans to embed SQE prep into their LLB offerings. Goldsmiths, University of London, has created a law degree which covers both SQE1 and SQE2 prep, while London South Bank University (LSBU) confirmed proposals to launch an “SQE-facing” law degree using multiple-choice questions to test students’ knowledge in a legal practice context.
In a separate announcement, CoLP confirmed it will offer discounted fees for its online prep courses to students at the Truman Bodden Law School in the Cayman Islands. The law of the British Overseas Territory is a combination of common law and statute, and is based heavily upon English law.
The Legal Cheek SQE Providers List shows the CoLP’s SQE prep courses are priced at the cheaper end of the market: £1,800 for SQE1 and £2,300 for SQE2. It also offers optional ‘Legal Skills Modules’ and a full LLM programme. The prices quoted above do not include exam fees which are set by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) at £3,980.
News of the double-deal comes just a week after the SRA revealed over 1,155 students had signed up to take the first ever SQE exam next month, with 74% of those sitting the assessment in the UK.
