Shearman & Sterling has signed an exclusive deal with Kaplan Law School to provide the Legal Practice Course (LPC) and Graduate Diploma of Law (GDL) for its London trainees.

As a part of the agreement, which will start in Autumn 2011, trainees at the US firm's London office will participate in Kaplan's 'Bridge to Practice' programme, which is designed to ease the transition from the LPC into a commercial law firm.

The programme comprises practical modules and work experience, including workshops on topics such as working with partners, negotiation, legal ethics and internal law firm politics.

Kaplan Law School head Giles Proctor said: "Shearman is a very highly regarded international firm, and their focus on quality runs through their comprehensive programme of induction and training."

Kaplan director Peter Anderson added: "It was in part due to our small class sizes and high level of support to students that motivated Shearman to partner up with Kaplan."

The law school signed a similar deal with national firm Mills & Reeve last September, in a tie-up which will see all of Mills & Reeve's future trainees choosing to study in London take their LPC at Kaplan's centre in Borough.

The news comes several weeks after the Solicitors Regulation Authority selected Kaplan as the sole examining board for the new Qualified Lawyers Transfer Scheme (QLTS), which came into force in early September.

The QLTS has replaced the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test (QLTT) as the official qualification allowing foreign lawyers to practise in England and Wales.

For more, see Training and education: All tied up