Queen’s University Belfast (which is in the Russell Group) offers a Masters in Legal Science (MLegSc) which is a two-year full time course and acts as a qualifying law degree as well as a masters course. Having recently graduated with my (non-law) undergraduate degree, I can vouch for the university’s excellent facilities and warm welcome for local, over-seas and international students. As the university fees in Northern Ireland have not increased alongside those in the UK, some may find that the university is more cost effective (although it is a two-year course, at aprox. £3,950 a year). Further to this – the cost of living is very reasonable in Belfast; I have never paid more than £220 p/month on rent and my current house is a two minute walk from the university.

Finally – just to clarify, N.I. law is the same as UK law, so you will not encounter any difficulties if you decide to take your professional qualifications in England or Wales.

Regards,
Catherine

Thank you – always happy if this blog comes in useful. Congratulations on your acceptance. I’m afraid I’m not an expert in going from the UK to the US, but I do know a couple of things. The first is that different states in the USA have different requirements, but New York, for instance, does not accept the GDL as a qualifying law degree – it requires you to have studied law for a minimum of three years. California, it appears from the little bit of research I have done, will accept people who have done the GDL and LPC/BPTC but only after they have qualified. I got this information from a document produced by a university. I think the US legal graduate market is hard to break in to anyway – without lots of work experience, it appears to be a lot harder. I’m afraid I know even less about Canada.

I wish you all the very best of luck, and suggest that if your only aim is to do the GDL and LPC/BPTC (I am presuming you know which of these you want to do – you probably should by this stage) and then go to North America, you do plenty of research before you take up your place at the College.

Best,

Ashley

I am so lucky to have found this blog. I was just accepted as an International student to COL. I was wondering if you had any information on international students and there views on returning to North America with either the GDL or after having completed the LPC or BPTC?

Thank you

It is very difficult to assess exactly the merits of studying at one place rather than another on the sole basis of the chances of getting a training contract. There can be a whole range of reasons which go towards an institution’s ‘success rate’ for their students going on to get TCs, to do with location, fees etc.

I have looked at the course fees, and can see that the gap is vast. I don’t know anything else about your circumstances, your undergraduate grades or the type of firm you want to work for, so you’ll have to factor those things in. What is undeniable, though, is that the reputation of BPP is far greater than the reputation of the University of Huddersfield, which may have an impact for recruiters from firms at the top of the market, whether consciously or unconsciously. Whether this is worth the price difference to you, only you can make that decision.

I hope this helps.

All the best with your studies,

Ash

I am currently pursuing a GDL from the UK, full-time and by way of distance learning since I currently reside in Dubai. I noticed that you have highlighted 4 law schools that are well renowned (BPP Law School, Kaplan Law School, City Law School, and College of Law). I have received offers from BPP as well as from The University of Huddersfield. After conducting my research, trying to decide which university would be right for me and considering that studying for a GDL at BPP costs twice as much as studying for a GDL at The University of Huddersfield, I felt more comfortable with The University of Huddersfield.

My questions for you are, based on your experience, do you think I should go ahead with The University of Huddersfield as opposed to BPP? In your opinion, do grades matter more than which school you studied your GDL? My plan is to study for my GDL at The University of Huddersfield while applying for training contracts but in your opinion, would there be a higher chance of me getting a training contract if I were to be studying at BPP for my GDL?

I do not know many lawyers let alone many that have studied in the UK, so any advice would really be helpful!

Thanks!

Zena Hamwi

There are certainly risks attached to changing careers, and I am not the best person to advise you on the likelihood of acceptance. Nobody can discriminate on the grounds of age, but that does not mean that it is not more difficult for career changers to secure City training contracts. Your career in the City will help a great deal on this front, though, as it means you will bring experience and knowledge of the City and its practices (not to mention contacts) to the table. I cannot advise you on whether or not you should leave your job. It might be worth considering studying for the GDL part-time whilst working and sending off applications to law firms for training contracts.

I hope this helps.

Ash

It’s just a standard template on wordpress.com – it’s called Enterprise – and I just made the header the same colour as the background, hence it looking slightly different to the standard version.

Thank you so much for the kind comment.

All the best,

Ash