Seminars and Interview Sessions

How to become a Lawyer in Hong Kong and the UK? An Admissions Seminar in Law by Newcastle University and the University of Law

In UK’s lawyer training system, there is an unique division of labour between traditional universities and professional law schools! At undergraduate level, the vast majority of law students would study their law degree (LLB (Hons) Law) at a traditional university, after which they would continue their professional training (studying the LPC or BPC) in professional law schools like the University of Law – quite unlike the system in Hong Kong where traditional universities would cover both undergraduate and postgraduate training!

Founded in 1876, the University of Law has an excellent and unique reputation in professional legal training in the UK. In its early years, it was the lawyer training school of the Law Society of England and Wales, and later became the first private university that was granted degree-awarding power by the UK government! Today, the University of Law is one of the most established law schools in the UK. In recent years, the University of Law has formed partnership with traditional universities like Newcastle University, to deliver its GDL and LPC on-campus, so that students can enjoy the the range of campus facilities and campus life in a traditional university campus.

In this special seminar, Newcastle University and the University of Law will introduce the education system in law, from undergraduate to postgraduate, in order to help students and parents understand how students can qualify as a lawyer in Hong Kong and the United Kingdom, and explain how different courses may be better for students in different career stages.

• An Overview of the UK Legal Training System:

  Together with a Lecturer from Newcastle University, Admission representative from the University of Law will provide details about the following postgraduate courses, covering areas such as course structure, entry requirements, tuition fees, study locations and the steps it takes after the course to qualify as a lawyer.



• UNDERGRADUATE: Bachelor in Laws (LLB (Hons)) ^{a full-time course lasts 3 years}

A standard UK law degree (LLB (Hons) Law) is three years in length, while some universities (such as the University of Law) also offer two-year options. After completing the LLB (Hons) Law, students will need to pass the PCLL Conversion Examinations before they’re eligible to return to Hong Kong to continue their professional training via the PCLL. If students were to train in the UK, they would have to complete either a LPC (training as a solicitor) and a BPC (training as a barrister).

In this section, a Lecturer from Newcastle University will provide an overview of their law degrees (LLB (Hons) Law), covering areas such as course structure, entry requirements, tuition fees and more!



• POSTGRADUATE – for Graduates with a Law Degree to train as a Solicitor: Legal Practice Course (LPC) ^{a full-time course lasts 1 year, also available as a distance learning (full-time/part-time) course}
• PROFESSIONAL EXAM PREPARATION – for Graduates with a Law or a non-Law Degree to train as a Solicitor: SQE1 Preparation Courses ^{a full-time face-to-face/distance learning course lasts 12 weeks, part-time face-to-face/distance learning course lasts 24 weeks New Courses under the SQE system}
• PROFESSIONAL EXAM PREPARATION – for Graduates with a Law or a non-Law Degree to train as a Solicitor: SQE2 Preparation Courses ^{a full-time face-to-face/distance learning course lasts 6 weeks, part-time face-to-face/distance learning course lasts 18 weeks New Courses under the SQE system}
• POSTGRADUATE – for Graduates with a Law Degree to train as a Barrister: Bar Practice Course (BPC) ^{a full-time course lasts 1 year}

The UK’s equivalent to the PCLL in Hong Kong, LPC and BPC are the essential postgraduate training courses for UK’s solicitors and barristers respectively. After the LPC and BPC, graduates have to complete a training contract with a law firm, before they can register as a UK lawyer. How can students increase their chances in securing a training contract? Can students undertake their training contract in Hong Kong? Admissions representative from the University of Law will answer these and other frequently asked questions in the talk!

• POSTGRADUATE – for Graduates with a Non-Law Degree: Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) ^{a full-time course lasts 1 year, also available as a part-time distance learning course Last cohort under current training system}
• POSTGRADUATE – for Graduates with a Non-Law Degree: Master of Arts in Law (MA Law) ^{a full-time course lasts 1 year, also available as a part-time distance learning course Last cohort under current training system}
• PROFESSIONAL EXAM PREPARATION – for Graduates with a non-Law Degree to train as a Solicitor: SQE Law Essentials Online ^{a full-time distance learning course lasts 10 weeks, part-time distance learning course lasts 16 weeks New Courses under the SQE system}

Tailored for graduates with a non-law degree, the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) covers essential core modules in law, enabling non-law graduates to pursue professional qualifications to qualify as a lawyer. After the GDL, graduates can follow the British training route and progress onto a Legal Practice Course (LPC) or a Bar Practice Course (BPC), and register as a UK lawyer after completing a training contract with a law firm; if they’d like to follow Hong Kong’s training route, graduates can do so as they will be eligible to apply to the PCLL after passing PCLL Conversion Examinations.

• Why will the new Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) affect prospective students?
  Under new regulations (to be implemented in September 2021), students who would like to become a Solicitor in the UK will have to pass the brand new Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) ^{(respective but smaller changes to the training route for Barristers were introduced in 2020)}. Students starting their law degrees will in theory be eligible for both new and existing training routes*, but it’s expected that the new route will become the most common practice in a few years’ time. In this section, the admissions representative will provide an overview of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) and detail of the transitional arrangement.

  * The transitional arrangement is open to students who have completed, started or accepted an offer of a place on a specific law programme (LLB (Hons) Law, GDL or MA Law)

• Coming back to Hong Kong to practise: Can a UK lawyer practise law in Hong Kong?
  After a long and demanding journey to qualify as a UK lawyer, will students be able to practise as a lawyer in Hong Kong? What does it take to become a Hong Kong lawyer? Will the status as a UK lawyer offer advantages in a legal career in Hong Kong?
• Student story sharing: Becoming a lawyer is only one of many career outcomes!
  In the past, many students doing a postgraduate course with the University of Law (especially part-time students doing a distance learning course) aren’t really looking for a career change into the legal profession. Instead many find that good knowledge in law helps advance their career in other industries! In this section, admissions representative from the University of Law will share some of these student stories, to show that becoming a lawyer is only one of many career outcomes!

Details of Event: How can I Watch the Seminar from Home?

The seminar will also be delivered via Zoom. Students and parents can watch the seminar in our office and meet with our education consultants right after the seminar. Alternatively, you can also choose to watch the seminar in the comfort of your own home. Simply indicate your intention to “Watch from Home” in the “Remarks” field when you register, so that we can make appropriate arrangements in advance.

University Profile: Newcastle University

Ranked the 152^nd globally (QS 2021), the 31^st in the UK and a member of the Russell Group, Newcastle University is ranked within top 20 for 22 academic disciplines. It is home to the top Fine Art programmes in UK and known for Architecture, Town Planning & Landscape Architecture, Medicine, Biomedical Sciences and Computer Sciences.

Newcastle University is one of the few universities that provide both University Foundation and International Year One in Architecture, making it a popular choice among aspiring architects.

First established as a School of Medicine, the University had been part of Durham University before it became a university of its own. First taught in 1834, Newcastle’s Medicine prorgammes is one of the most highly regarded medical degrees in the UK; The Medicine programmes also accepts “transfer” application from students of School of Biomedical Sciences, who can apply to transfer to Medicine or Dentistry after their first year of study.

In Computer Science, Newcastle University has a strong focus on specialist areas such as Cloud Computing, Cyber Security and Bio-Computing. It’s a Centre of Excellence for Cyber Security – one of only 19 universities in Britain to obtain such status! In postgraduate level, there are 13 specialist master’s degrees and also a Postgraduate (Conversion) programmes which is open to graduates without a computing background.

University Profile: The University of Law

Founded in 1876, the University of Law has an excellent and unique reputation in professional legal training in the UK. In its early years, it was the lawyer training school of the Law Society of England and Wales, and later became the first private university that was granted degree-awarding power by the UK government! Today, the University of Law is one of the most established law schools in the UK and an education partner of the leading global law firm Linklaters, providing a bespoke master’s degree for Linklaters.

Major Law Qualifications in the University of Law ^{Mode of Study: Campus-based in the UK, or Distance Learning}

• POSTGRADUATE – for Graduates with a Non-Law Degree: Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) ^{a full-time course lasts 1 year, also available as a part-time distance learning course Last cohort under current training system}
• POSTGRADUATE – for Graduates with a Non-Law Degree: Master of Arts in Law (MA Law) ^{a full-time course lasts 1 year, also available as a part-time distance learning course Last cohort under current training system}
• POSTGRADUATE – for Graduates with a Law Degree to train as a Solicitor: Legal Practice Course (LPC) ^{a full-time course lasts 1 year, also available as a part-time distance learning course}
• POSTGRADUATE – for Graduates with a Law Degree to train as a Barrister: Bar Practice Course (BPC) ^{a full-time course lasts 1 year}
• UNDERGRADUATE: Bachelor in Laws (LLB (Hons)) ^{a full-time course lasts 2-3 years, also available as a part-time distance learning course}
• PROFESSIONAL EXAM PREPARATION – for Graduates with a non-Law Degree to train as a Solicitor: SQE Law Essentials Online ^{a full-time distance learning course lasts 10 weeks, part-time distance learning course lasts 16 weeks New Courses under the SQE system}
• PROFESSIONAL EXAM PREPARATION – for Graduates with a Law or a non-Law Degree to train as a Solicitor: SQE1 Preparation Courses ^{a full-time face-to-face/distance learning course lasts 12 weeks, part-time face-to-face/distance learning course lasts 24 weeks New Courses under the SQE system}
• PROFESSIONAL EXAM PREPARATION – for Graduates with a Law or a non-Law Degree to train as a Solicitor: SQE2 Preparation Courses ^{a full-time face-to-face/distance learning course lasts 6 weeks, part-time face-to-face/distance learning course lasts 18 weeks New Courses under the SQE system}

A Global Alumni Network: The Postgraduate Training Choice of Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London

After obtaining their bachelor’s degrees in Law from a traditional university, many students would continue their postgraduate training in the University of Law. The alumni network of the University of Law now comprises over 71,000 graduates from around the world, including many from Asian regions such as Hong Kong and Malaysia. In the UK, they include Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, who completed his LPC in the University of Law before embarking on his journey as a human rights lawyer and later a successful career in politics.

Campus-based Study Locations

The University of Law has campuses in major cities in the UK, such as London, Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Manchester and Nottingham. In recent years, the University of Law has also formed partnership with Newcastle University, University of Reading, University of Exeter, University of Liverpool and University of East Anglia, to deliver its GDL and LPC on-campus, so that students can enjoy the the range of campus facilities and campus life in a traditional university campus. The Hong Kong campus also officially opened in the 2019/20 academic year.

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