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Understanding Legal Practice PGDip
Study level: Postgraduate
The Postgraduate Diploma Understanding Legal Practice provides a course of study that will provide you with the knowledge and understanding of the legal principles and professional practice, as they relate to the work of a Solicitor and CILEX Lawyer.
Year of entry
Location
Coventry University (Coventry)
Study mode
Full-time
Part-time
Online/Blended
Duration
1 year full-time
2 years part-time
Course code
FBLT184
Start date
January 2025
Course overview
The course aims to:
- Provide you with the knowledge, skills and related professional practice required to undertake the Solicitors’ Qualifying Exam (SQE) Part 1 and/or the CILEX professional stage (CPQ).
- Develop your ability to apply legal knowledge and skills, to both the theory and practice of law utilising complex authentic scenarios.
- Develop your understanding of the professional ethics requirements of a legal practitioner, based upon the Code of Conduct of the SRA and CILEX.
The course will be of interest to anyone seeking a career in professional legal practice who is a law graduate or has completed Coventry University’s PGCert in Principles of Law or a similar course.
The course is designed to prepare students to sit the Solicitors Qualifying Examination Part 1 – this is not embedded in the course. Students will have to sit the exam independently directly with the SRA.
The course is also designed to prepare students to sit the CILEX Lawyer professional examinations (CPQ) – this is not embedded in the course. Students will have to sit the exam independently directly with CILEX.
5 QS Stars for Teaching and Facilities
QS Stars University Ratings
Ranked 11th Modern University in UK by the Times
The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025
Ranked 8th for Overall Satisfaction in PTES
Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES) 2024Why you should study this course
This course aims to provide you with:
- Preparation to sit the CILEX Professional Qualification (CPQ) and sit the Solicitors’ Qualifying Examination (SQE) part 1
- Extensive tutor support throughout the duration of the course, with delivery mainly facilitated through group sessions
- Flexible study options for those already working in legal practice and looking to qualify
- The opportunity to immerse yourself in legal practice through the exploration of authentic real world case studies (subject to availability)
- Access to Coventry Law School’s ‘Raising the Bar’ scheme, that offers you the opportunity to network with members of and gain an honest insight into the legal profession.
Memberships
International Association of Law Schools
Coventry Law School is a member of the International Association of Law Schools, an association of around 160 law schools from over 55 countries, representing around 7,500 law faculty members. Having this status allows you to access a variety of international experiences, including with our partner institutions across the world.
European Law Faculties Association (ELFA)
Coventry Law School is currently a member of the European Law Faculties Association with over 250 members from Europe and beyond.
British and Irish Law Education and Technology Association
Coventry Law School is currently a member of British and Irish Law Education and Technology Association, one of the largest Technology Law associations in Europe.
These memberships are renewed annually and there is currently no intentions for these memberships to laps. However if our membership is not renewed for any reason, we would notify applicants and students as soon as possible.
Collaborations
Central England Law Centre
Coventry Law School collaborates with the Central England Law Centre in order to offer a powerful professional element to your learning, through our Law Employment and Advocacy clinics. Students who participate in the clinics get involved with everything that the solicitors do at the Law Centre with supervisors who are currently working in practice and experts in specific areas of law. They get hands-on-experience doing reserved legal activities, providing supervised advice and assistance to members of the public.
Changes in the legal profession has made it easier to start a career in law
What you'll study
We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.
How you'll learn
The PGDip Understanding Legal Practice course can be taken as a 1 year full-time or 2 year part-time course.
Due to the modular design of the programme, there is a high degree of flexibility in how the course can be undertaken. Whilst we would like to give you all the information about our part-time offering here, it is tailored for each course each year depending on the number of part-time applicants. Therefore, the part-time teaching arrangements vary. Please request information about studying this course part-time.
The course will be delivered in groups by dedicated subject specialist tutors who are in or have recently been engaged in professional practice. Teaching will be delivered through a combination of online content and highly interactive workshop sessions that can be conducted face-to-face or online.
Teaching sessions will involve the use of role plays, live case studies, the use of real-world data and special legal databases, simulations and presentations. Learning throughout the course will be support by our virtual learning environment, which is currently Aula.
Teaching contact hours
On this course you can normally expect 2 hours of on demand online lectures, 2 x 2 hour synchronous workshops, 2 hours guided and 12 hours self-guided study per module.
As an innovative and enterprising institution, the University may seek to utilise emerging technologies within the student experience. For all courses (whether on-campus, blended, or distance learning), the University may deliver certain contact hours and assessments via online technologies and methods.
Since COVID-19, we have delivered our courses in a variety of forms, in line with public authority guidance, decisions, or orders and we will continue to adapt our delivery as appropriate. Whether on campus or online, our key priority is staff and student safety.
Assessment
The Postgraduate Diploma in Understanding Legal Practice is designed to prepare you for the Solicitors Qualifying Examinations (SQE) Part 1 and CILEX professional level (CPQ). These are both external examinations that you will arrange and sit independently having completed the course here at Coventry (additional fees will apply). Currently the external examinations consist of:
- SQE 1 tests functioning legal knowledge and is assessed 100% by multiple choice questions (MCQ). This covers the knowledge of law and professional practice.
- CILEX Professional Level Qualification is assessed by a portfolio of multiple-choice questions, short answer questions and skills-based activities.
In order to prepare you to do this, it is essential that the assessment on the PGDip Understanding Legal Practice reflects what you will encounter in those external exams. Consequently, the course is assessed by MCQ test and portfolio that may comprise of MCQ test, short answer question and skills-based activities.
International experience opportunities
You may have the opportunity to engage in Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) projects whilst studying on the course.
Throughout the course you will be encouraged to recognise the influence of different cultural and international perspectives to the application of the law and legal concepts in the UK. Modules such as Business Law and Practice, Dispute Resolution and Wills, Administration of Estates and Trusts use cases that have an international aspect thereby helping you to recognise and contextualise the global dimension to your studies.
Entry requirements
Fees and funding
2024/25 tuition fees.
| Student | Full-time | Part-time |
|---|---|---|
| UK | £7,466 per year | Request fee information |
| International | £13,366 per year | Not available |
For advice and guidance on tuition fees3 and student loans visit our Postgraduate Finance page and see the university's Tuition Fee and Refund Terms and Conditions.
We offer a range of International scholarships to students all over the world. For more information, visit our International Scholarships page.
Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching, assessments, facilities and support services. There may be additional costs not covered by this fee such as accommodation and living costs, recommended reading books, stationery, printing and re-assessments should you need them.
The following are additional costs not included in the tuition fees:
- Any optional overseas field trips or visits: £400+ per trip.
- Any costs associated with securing, attending or completing a placement (whether in the UK or abroad).
*Irish student fees
The rights of Irish residents to study in the UK are preserved under the Common Travel Area arrangement. If you are an Irish student and meet the residency criteria, you can study in England, pay the same level of tuition fees as English students and utilise the Tuition Fee Loan.
**EU Support Bursary
Following the UK's exit from the European Union, we are offering financial support to all eligible EU students who wish to study an undergraduate or a postgraduate degree with us full-time. This bursary will be used to offset the cost of your tuition fees to bring them in line with that of UK students. Students studying a degree with a foundation year with us are not eligible for the bursary.
How do you know if you need to pay UK or international tuition fees?
Facilities
This course is delivered by Coventry University Main Campus4.
Moot Room
Our Moot Room gives you the opportunity to develop those vital and practical legal skills. You can practise your legal skills in a realistic setting, as well as having the chance to take part in mooting competitions.
Legal Clinic
Use the Legal Clinic to develop your practical legal skills and help you stand out in your future career. You will have access to 'real' clients and work alongside trained solicitors and lawyers.
Routes into a Legal Career
Find out more about how Coventry University can kick start your legal career through our preparation courses.
Careers and opportunities
On successful completion of the course, you will be able to:
- Understand and critically evaluate knowledge of legal principles, concepts and theories as they apply to professional practice.
- Understand the professional ethical requirements for the legal profession and apply ethical decision-making.
- Draw reasoned conclusions through the application of legal principles and knowledge and legal practice to complex authentic problems, whilst tolerating ambiguity and recognising alternative legal and practical outcomes.
- Communicate effectively and professionally, by conveying and explaining legal information, ideas and arguments in appropriate contexts to a range of specialist and non-specialist audiences e.g., supervising legal professionals, clients.
- Identify and critically evaluate relevant information from primary and secondary legal sources, using both digital and non-digital resources, whilst adhering to principles of academic integrity.
- Demonstrate self-management, including through reflective practice, make effective use of feedback, and work independently or collaboratively as appropriate.
- Understand the role and responsibilities of the various branches of the legal profession and how the UK legal qualifications apply both in the UK and around the world.
This course is designed to help facilitate a graduate moving into a career as either a solicitor or CILEX Lawyer and as such, prepares you, in part, for the professional level assessments in these two legal career destinations.
On successful completion of the course, it is anticipated that you will undertake the assessments for your chosen career destination and transition into your chosen field of professional legal practice, subject to meeting the requirements of the relevant regulatory bodies.
In addition to working as a solicitor or CILEX Lawyer, a wide variety of other career destinations are available to graduates due to the highly transferable nature of the skills developed on the course.
Where our graduates work
Previous law graduates from Coventry Law School have gone on to work at a wide variety of organisations and firms including:
- DAC Beachcroft
- NFU Mutual
- PwC
- Deloitte
- Linklaters
- Countrywide Tax and Trust Corporation
- Oracle
- Squire Patton Boggs
- Stobbs
- Co-op Legal Services
Further study
After completion of this course, further graduate level study such as a PhD may be considered.
How to apply
UK students
International students
Disclaimers
