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International Edition

Commercial and chancery Bar: Re-setting the bar

"It's quite fashionable at the Bar to say: 'The Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) - no-one cares about that. It's rubbish, isn't it? We don't care what grade you get.' It is certainly not held with much respect, or anything like the same importance that academic degrees have. "Ours is one of the highest pass rates in the world for a Bar course. In a lot of places, only 30% of people pass." This damning indictment from Adam Kramer, pupillage secretary at 3 Verulam Buildings and author of Bewigged and Bewildered: A Guide to Becoming a Barrister in England and Wales, echoes the sentiments of many practitioners about the new BPTC.
9 minute read

International Edition

When one door closes…

In the wake of job cuts and rising competition, many who have completed law degrees and even the legal practice course (LPC), Bar vocational course (BVC) or graduate diploma in law (GDL) are finding themselves at a crossroads, with no training contract or pupillage, a lack of inspiration to work for a law firm and a decision to make about their legal future. But is this future as simple as becoming a solicitor, barrister or nothing at all? For those who aren't ready to throw in the towel but who are finding that their career trajectory isn't shaping up the way they had planned, there are some other options to consider.
8 minute read

International Edition

Shearman signs exclusive Kaplan deal to train up London associates

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.
2 minute read

International Edition

Number of US lawyers applying to practice HK law quadruples in two years

The number of US lawyers applying to practice local law in Hong Kong has quadrupled over the past two years as the region becomes a hot spot for companies listing on its stock exchange. Figures from the Hong Kong Law Society show that 64 US lawyers took the Hong Kong overseas lawyers qualification examination (QLQE) exam last year compared to 14 in 2008, and the trend looks set to continue with an estimated 65 having taken the exam so far in 2010.
3 minute read

International Edition

CC to offer accelerated LPC for trainees

Clifford Chance (CC) has signed a deal with the College of Law to roll out an accelerated Legal Practice Course (LPC) for its incoming trainees. The course will span seven months rather than the standard 10, and is due to go live in January 2012 for trainees joining the magic circle firm in August 2012. The accelerated course will be provided by the College of Law and comes as trainees at Linklaters - which struck a similar deal with the college this year - prepare to start their accelerated LPC in January 2011.
2 minute read

International Edition

Law Society floats aptitude test for Legal Practice Course entrants

The Law Society is considering the introduction of an aptitude test for entry onto the Legal Practice Course (LPC) in an effort to reduce the numbers of students taking the course. The society has appointed a consultant to investigate the viability of such a test, in one of a number of initiatives discussed at its monthly board meeting last week (8 September).
2 minute read

International Edition

SRA names Kaplan as sole provider of QLTS scheme for foreign lawyers

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has selected Kaplan as the sole examining board for the new Qualified Lawyers Transfer Scheme (QLTS), which came into force this week. As of 1 September, the QLTS replaced the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test (QLTT) as the official qualification allowing foreign lawyers to practise in England and Wales. Kaplan QLTS will be the only assessment organisation for the QLTS after the training provider won a tender last month. The QLTT was previously administered by six different law schools.
2 minute read

International Edition

Ropes & Gray set to launch graduate training scheme in City base

Ropes & Gray is set to take on graduates in its London practice as the US firm looks to expand in the City. The firm's existing London strategy has been to grow through lateral hires, but as the burgeoning practice begins to consolidate its presence in the UK, management is beginning to consider a formal graduate recruitment arrangement.
2 minute read

International Edition

American Bar Association considers plan to accredit foreign law schools

The American Bar Association (ABA) is to consider proposals to accredit foreign law schools in what would be a closely-watched development in the international legal education market, writes The National Law Journal. The recommendation has come from a committee of law professors, lawyers, judges and law deans set up in June to examine whether foreign law schools should be allowed to seek ABA accreditation.
4 minute read

International Edition

Those who understand, teach - Notts Law School's Rebecca Huxley-Binns on her classroom secrets

Have you heard the phrase 'you can't enter the same river twice'? That is how I regard teaching; every class, every law student, every teaching experience and every learning experience is different. That is what makes the classroom such a dynamic and exciting place. Law students tend to be intelligent, hard working and eager to challenge the status quo. Tutorials can be hard to manage when students become passionate about what is seen as a miscarriage of justice, but that is to be encouraged because an animated student has the potential to become an autonomous and independent student. Many students choose to read law because they want to change the world, or at least make a difference in people's lives. But rules have to be mastered in order to be challenged and sometimes learning those rules can be boring. Sorry, but that's the truth. It's hard, hard work. To get the most of your legal studies, here's my advice.
5 minute read

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