The Legal Cheek View
The College of Legal Practice (CoLP) launched in the UK towards the end of 2019 as an offshoot of Antipodean law school The College of Law Australia and New Zealand. The new entrant training provider aims to ‘challenge’ traditional law schools for a slice of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) market.
At the time of the launch, it was revealed the venture had attracted a number of big names, including Richard Clark, ex-managing partner at Slaughter and May, and Isabel Parker, former chief legal innovation officer at Freshfields, both of whom sit on the College’s board. Dr Giles Proctor, former dean of Kaplan Law School and Roehampton Law School, is the College’s chief executive officer.
Content & price
CoLP says its SQE prep course is designed for online delivery rather than being “retro-fitted” from traditional classroom learning. It comprises three core areas which can be undertaken in isolation or grouped together as part of a masters in legal practice. These are ‘Solicitors Legal Knowledge’ and ‘Solicitors Legal Skills’, which prepare candidates for SQE1 and 2 respectively, and ‘Legal Business Skills Module’ and ‘Transactional Skills Modules’, which “focus on developing legal practitioner transactional understanding and skills” and cover topics from acquisitions & finance to dispute resolution.
CoLP’s SQE prep courses are priced at the cheaper end of the market: £1,800 for SQE1 and £2,300 for SQE2. Students can take the ‘Transactional Skills Modules’ for an additional price of £800 and the ‘Legal Business Skills Module’ for an additional price of £500. The full LLM in Legal Practice, which incorporates SQE prep, is £6,900.
As part of its SQE offering, CoLP says students will have access to a personal tutor and one-to-one supervision from practising solicitors. The courses include live and on-demand lectures, textbooks, practice questions and group workshops, and students receive individual feedback as they progress throughout their course.
SQE 1 prep courses with CoLP can be taken full-time over 13 weeks or part-time over either 20 or 40 weeks. SQE 2 prep courses can be taken full-time over 10 weeks or part-time over either 20 or 40 weeks.
CoLP also offers a Graduate Foundation in Law (GFL) programme for non-law graduates wanting to get to grips with the basics before SQE prep. This can be taken as a 20-week full-time or 40-week part-time course for £3,250.
The CoLP pitch
As well as preparing individuals to pass the SQE, CoLP is pitching its training model to elite City outfits, having partnered with Reed Smith and flexible training contract provider Accutrainee to deliver practice-based training to incoming trainees. Further tie-ups include CoLP’s partnerships with Flex Legal, a company that connects law firms with lawyers and paralegals, and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. The partnership will give members the opportunity to complete their SQE prep with CoLP.
Courses
Law conversion courses
Graduate Foundation in Law (GFL)
This course is for those with a non-law undergraduate degree who wish to take the SQE route to qualifying as a solicitor. It features seven modules covering the six foundational areas of law – contract, criminal, land, public & EU, tort and trusts – as well as a general introduction to the subject.
• Full time (20 weeks): 30-35 hours per week
• Part time (40 weeks): 20 hours per week
• Cost: £3,250
SQE courses
Solicitors Legal Knowledge (SLK)
This course covers all the foundational knowledge needed to pass SQE1, including 13 key practice areas: business law & practice, contract, criminal law & practice, dispute resolution, land law, legal services, legal systems, property practice, public & EU law, solicitors accounts, tort, trusts, wills and administration of estates.
• Full time (13 weeks): 25-30 hours per week
• Part time (20 weeks): 15-20 hours per week
• Extended (40 weeks): 8 hours per week
• Cost: £1,800
Solicitors Legal Skills (SLS)
This course equips students with the skills needed to pass SQE2, including advocacy, interviewing, attendance note taking/legal analysis, case and matter analysis, drafting, research and writing.
• Full time (10 weeks): 30-35 hours per week
• Part time (20 weeks): 15-20 hours per week
• Extended (40 weeks): 8 hours per week
• Cost: £2,300
LLM in Legal Practice
This course includes both Solicitors Legal Knowledge (SLK) and Solicitors Legal Skills (SLS) modules, as well as a choice of transactional and business skills modules.
• Full time (1 year)
• Part time (2 years)
• Flexi (4 years)
• Cost: £6,900
Preparation courses
LLM in Legal Practice
This course includes Solicitors Legal Knowledge (SLK) and Solicitors Legal Skills (SLS) modules, as well as a choice of transactional and business skills modules and Legal Practice Project, worth 60 credits.
• Full time (1 year)
• Part time (2 years)
• Flexi (4 years)
• Cost: £6,900
Locations
The College of Legal Practice’s law courses are designed exclusively for online delivery.
Scholarships
SQE Scholarship
This scholarship is awarded to students who demonstrate their commitment to being a solicitor, who must meet one or more of the following criteria:
• Have attended a state school and the first generation of your family to attend University
• From a low-income background
• From a racial minority
• Have a disability or long term health condition
• Are LGBTQ+
• Spent more than 3 months in local authority care
• Face another barrier that prevents them from qualifying through the SQE
Value: full fee
Deadline: closed for courses starting between August 2023 and January 2024