Nottingham Law School (SQE)
The inside line
Having offered a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate law courses since its formation by Nottingham Trent University in 1964, Nottingham Law School (NLS) is one of the more recognisable names on the legal education scene.
Popular offerings include the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) and Legal Practice Course (LPC), as well as a recently revamped Bar Training Course (BTC). The law school, located in the heart of the city of Having offered a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate law courses since its formation by Nottingham Trent University in 1964, Nottingham Law School (NLS) is one of the more recognisable names on the legal education scene.
Popular offerings include the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) and Legal Practice Course (LPC), as well as a recently revamped Bar Training Course (BTC). The law school, located in the heart of the city of Nottingham, also runs a range of LLMs (from criminal justice to EU law) which are eligible for government funding.
A new string to the NLS bow is its collection of prep courses for the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) — a new centralised assessment that first came into force in September 2021 and will ultimately replace the LPC.
Its SQE courses will be delivered both on campus and online, and are available on a full-time or distance learning basis.
The choices at Nottingham
Solicitor hopefuls will have a number of options depending on whether they have completed a law or non-law degree at undergraduate level. For example, law graduates can complete a six-month SQE1 prep course for £4,700 before moving on to an eight-week SQE2 prep course for £3,300. Their non-law grad peers, meanwhile, are required to complete a longer 18-month SQE LLM which incorporates SQE1 prep for £12,300. Both groups of grads then progress onto the same SQE2 prep course.
NLS is also offering a range of masters programmes for law graduates that incorporate SQE prep and are eligible for postgraduate funding. Its most comprehensive LLM covers SQE1 and 2 prep and costs £11,200, while its LLM covering only SQE1 prep costs £8,400.
NLS offers launch and alumni discounts, as well as fee concessions, in addition to its existing scholarship scheme.
Learning methods
NLS — which is headed up by executive dean Jenny Chapman, a former lawyer specialising in personal injury and clinical negligence claims — says students are taught through a combination of lectures and workshops, as well as online learning tools including SQE-style multiple choice questions with personalised feedback and tailored materials. Each student is assigned a personal tutor.
SQE students also have the opportunity to undertake Qualifying Work Experience (QWE) with the school’s Legal Advice Centre, a regulated teaching law firm, advising real clients on a wide range of legal issues under the supervision of qualified solicitors.