Legal Practice

Why study Professional Legal Practice at Dundee?

Dundee Law School has an excellent reputation as a Diploma Provider. We have three decades of experience of delivering the legal practice programme in collaboration with dedicated members of the local legal profession who bring their enthusiasm and expertise to the enterprise. We pride ourselves on the accessibility of our staff and the fact that students are treated as individuals and valued members of our legal community.

The Diploma aims to bridge the gap between the conclusion of undergraduate study with its emphasis on academic study and the start of practical, hands-on experience in a solicitor's office.

Flexible study routes

This course is offered on both a full-time and a part-time basis, taking either 9 months (full-time) or 2 years (part-time) to complete.

Professional accreditation: Law Society of Scotland

All teaching of the Diploma is based on achieving the outcomes set by the Law Society. These outcomes emphasise the development of practical legal skills within a backdrop of ethical and professional behaviour.

As a student you will be supported and encouraged to develop the knowledge and skills demanded by each of the compulsory and mandatory outcomes of your training and to reflect upon and record your professional development as part of that process.

You will consolidate and build on the black letter law and the research and analytical skills that you acquired as undergraduates and apply them to practical situations through interactive learning.

You will be assigned to a law firm, elect a senior partner, and develop your group and team-building skills as part of the learning process. You will be trained in video-recording so that you can electronically record your progress in many of the key skills of lawyering, such as interviewing, negotiating and advocacy.

In the Times Good University Guide 2012 Dundee Law School was placed 7th in the United Kingdom law school rankings, and we were ranked 1st in Scotland in the 2011 National Student Survey (NSS).

In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise Dundee Law School was one of only two law schools in the United Kingdom to achieve a 100% international standard classification, with half of our submissions being graded internationally excellent or world leading. Our commitment on is to provide high quality instruction, with a focus on matters of practical relevance, to prepare students for a successful legal career, whether at home or abroad.

Postgraduate culture

Dundee Law School prides itself as being a friendly Law School where all members of staff are accessible and students are treated as individuals and valued members of our legal community.

We offer all new students an induction programme at the start of each semester, to ensure that all students have the necessary understanding of the UK and European legal systems as well as core principles of public and private law.

We seek to integrate all LLM students into the life of the Law School, and invite you to all guest lectures and seminars. We also have an annual reading party to a beautiful country house location, where you are joined by senior staff and can work on academic skills and dissertation preparation.

This course is designed for students holding a law degree who wish to enter into a career in legal practice as either a solicitor or an advocate.

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