The Legal Cheek View
Located in Leicester a short walk from the city centre, De Montfort Law School offers a range of legal courses for those aspiring to enter the legal profession – and has done so since its formation in 1989. It is an experienced provider of the LPC LLM as well as a range of specialist LLMs, and is now also offering a full-time course for the new SQE qualification. Since this leads to a Masters qualification, students can apply for postgraduate funding from the UK government.
DMU’s LLM SQE aims to prepare aspiring solicitors with the knowledge and skills needed to undertake the SQE1 and 2 assessments and for life as a solicitor. The course covers key elements such as practical legal research, drafting, advocacy, legal writing and interviewing, and also offer support with wider employability skills.
A key attraction is this: students will have access to the BARBRI SQE Prep software, with its exam-focused study workbooks, materials and mock exams to aid test preparation alongside DMU’s own teaching. By the end of the course, students will have learnt to apply relevant core legal principles and rules at the level of a competent, newly-qualified solicitor across a range of areas, including business law, property law and criminal litigation. In addition to this, students will also be working on a final dissertation which offers the opportunity to personalise the course and deepen understanding of an area of law which is of particular interest.
Students will be taught by legal experts who have real-world experience, from barristers and solicitors to professionals and practitioners, from the international legal world. Moreover, law students can also expect to partake in industry visits, guest lectures, mentorship and internship opportunities.
Teaching and learning is arranged in a ‘block learning’ timetable style, which means that students study one subject at a time, with modules grouped into 5 such ‘blocks’. These are: Business Law and Financial Management in Practice, Property Law and the Administration of Estates in Practice, Dispute Resolution in Practice, Criminal Litigation in Practice and Dissertation in Legal Practice. This structure ensures more in-depth engagement with content as well as a better study-life balance. DMU’s LLM SQE programme also provides each student with an SQE careers tutor, who is a qualified solicitor and can offer careers advice, as well as CV and cover letter support.
Students will largely study at the Hugh Aston Building and The Yard, which house the Faculty of Business and Law. There is access to a dedicated law library at The Hugh Aston Building, as well as spaces that allow for scenario-based learning, which is likely to be helpful for the skills-based elements of the SQE2. These include a crown court, a training courtroom and a simulated Judge’s Chambers suite.