Seminars and Interview Sessions

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

Seminar Theme

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 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 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 University of Reading, to deliver its PgDL, LPC and SQE courses on-campus, so that students can enjoy the the range of campus facilities and campus life in a traditional university.

In this special seminar, University of Reading 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.

Seminar Content

Sharon Sinclair-Graham

Associate Professor, School of Law, University of Reading Joining us virtually

Dona Chung

Head of Student Recruitment & Marketing (Hong Kong), The University of Law Joining us in person

Together with Sharon Sinclair-Graham (Associate Professor from School of Law, University of Reading), Dona Chung (Head of Student Recruitment & Marketing from the University of Law) will provide details about the following undergraduate and 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.

Studying an Undergraduate Law Degree

🔔 Presented by University of Reading

A standard UK law degree (LLB (Hons) Law) is three years in length, while some universities offer programmes that come with stronger elements for different jurisdictions and legal topics. 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 the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) (training as a solicitor) and a BPC (training as a barrister).

In this section, Sharon Sinclair-Graham (Associate Professor from School of Law, University of Reading) will start with an overview of their law degrees (LLB (Hons) Law), covering areas such as course structure, overseas exchange opportunities, entry requirements, tuition fees and more!

LLB (Hons) Law

UNDERGRADUATE

UK Campus~3-Year FT

LLB (Hons) Law with International Foundation Year

UNDERGRADUATE

UK Campus~4-Year FT

Training as a Barrister: How do you enhance your chances of securing a pupillage?

🔔 Presented by The University of Law from here

If you’d like to train as a barrister, Bar Practice Course (BPC) is the essential postgraduate training course for you. After the BPC, graduates have to complete a pupillage, before they can register as a barrister. How can students increase their chances in securing a pupillage? Can students undertake their pupillage in Hong Kong? Dona from the University of Law will answer these and other frequently asked questions in the talk!

Bar Practice Course (BPC)

POSTGRADUATE – for graduates with a Law degree to train as a UK Barrister

UK Campus~1-Year FT~2-Year PT

Training as a Solicitor: Understanding the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE)

With the implementation of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) in the 2021/22 academic year, the solicitor qualifying framework in the UK is replaced by a more examination-based regime. Graduates who would like to qualify as a solicitor will now need to pass the SQE, and obtain two years of Qualifying Work Experience (QWE):

Undergraduate + Passing the SQE + Obtaining Two Years of QWE

Under the new system, requirements of Qualifying Work Experience (QWE) are sligtly relaxed, which can now include time spent on placement during a law degree, working as a paralegal and a few other circumstances. For prospective law students – especially those who might hesitate for the uncertainties of securing a Training Contract – a dead-end in their pursuit to become a lawyer has become less likely!

On the surface, the framework is simple enough. But in practice, what skills and abilibites are SQE1 and SQE2 testing respectively? Would it mainly be multiple-choice questions, or would it also involve longer form questions too? And how important is the oral component? In this section, the University will show you how the SQE works and what courses there are to help you succeed.

LLM Legal Practice (SQE1&2)

POSTGRADUATE & PROFESSIONAL EXAM PREPARATION – for graduates with a Law degree to train as a UK Solicitor. Also includes the SQE1&2 Preparation Courses, SQE Plus modules and four weeks of Qualifying Work Experience (QWE)

UK Campus~1-Year FT~2-Year PT
Distance Learning~1-Year FT~2-Year PT

SQE1 Preparation Course

Suitable for graduates with a Law or Non-Law degree to train as a UK Solicitor

UK Campus~12-Week FT~27-Week PT
HK Campus~12-Week FT~27-Week PT
Distance Learning~12-Week FT~27-Week PT

SQE2 Preparation Courses

Suitable for graduates with a Law or Non-Law degree to train as a UK Solicitor

UK Campus~6-Week FT~18-Week PT
HK Campus~6-Week FT~18-Week PT
Distance Learning~6-Week FT~18-Week PT

Returning to Hong Kong: How do I Qualify for the PCLL? Can a UK lawyer practise law in Hong Kong?

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. Alternatively, students can train as a UK lawyer, and return to practise as a Foreign Lawyer in Hong Kong after obtaining certain years of overseas experience.

If students are considering returning to Hong Kong, where should they pay attention to? How can students better prepare for the PCLL Conversion Examinations? How can students increase their chances for PCLL? Will the status as a UK lawyer offer advantages in a legal career in Hong Kong? The University of Law will share some of their student cases, to provide more insights for students and parents.

PCLL Conversion Examinations Preparatory Course (PPC)

Suitable for graduates and existing students of a UK Law Degree (LLB (Hons), GDL, MA Law, CPE)

HK Campus~8 to 10-Week PT
Live Online~8 to 10-Week PT

Postgraduate Diploma (Law Conversion) PgDL

POSTGRADUATE – for graduates with a Non-Law degree to train as a UK Solicitor or a UK Barrister

UK Campus~1-Year FT~2-Year PT
HK Campus~1-Year FT~2-Year PT
Distance Learning~1-Year FT~2-Year PT

University Profile: University of Reading

University of Reading is ranked the 198^th globally (THE 2023) and the 30^th in the UK. Its business school (Hanley Business School) comes 35^th in the European Business School Ranking (FT 2022). The University offers collaborative Accounting degrees with PwC – one of the Big 4 accounting firms in the world. Entry requirement is high, but students from the programmes will enjoy guaranteed work placements with PwC, and if they achieve a 2:1 and impress on their work placements they will be likely to be offered a permanent job with PwC – which is a very valuable option for students who aspire to become an accountant, especially those who want to pursue a career in the UK after graduation! In addition to applying directly for year one, students can now progress onto the degree via a university foundation.

Building & Surveying, Film Studies, Design and Meteorology are also among the university’s most reputable disciplines. Not only is University of Reading the first UK university to offer Typography and Film Studies, its master’s programmes in Typography are considered one of the best in the world. Many contemporary font designs of our age are created by graduates from University of Reading – these include Calibri (created by Luc(as) de Groot), Comic Sans (created by Vincent Connare) and many more!

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 firms such as Clifford Chance and Linklaters, providing a bespoke master’s degree for Clifford Chance and Linklaters.

Key Postgraduate & Undergraduate Programmes (designed for the SQE framework)

With the implementation of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) in the 2021/22 academic year, the solicitor qualifying framework in the UK is replaced by a more examination-based regime. Graduates who would like to qualify as a solicitor will now need to pass the SQE, and obtain two years of Qualifying Work Experience (QWE):

Under the new system, requirements of Qualifying Work Experience (QWE) are sligtly relaxed, which can now include time spent on placement during a law degree, working as a paralegal and a few other circumstances. Such a change means that, for paralegals with some experience, upgrading themselves as a solicitor is now much less difficult. For prospective law students – especially those who might hesitate for the uncertainties of securing a Training Contract – a dead-end in their pursuit to become a lawyer has also become less likely!

Professional Exam Preparation Courses

In addition to year-long academic programmes, The University of Law also offers a range of professional exam preparation courses, to help students prepare for the SQE and the PCLL Conversion Examinations.

Postgraduate Programmes (designed for the old qualification framework)

In the initial years of the implementation of the SQE, a transitional arrangement is open to students who have started their law degrees in September 2021 or before, under which they are eligible for both new and existing training routes:

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 90,000 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 University of Sheffield, Newcastle University, University of Reading, University of Exeter, University of Liverpool, University of East Anglia and University of Southampton, to deliver its GDL and LPC on-campus, and in the next year SQE preparation courses and other new courese will also be introduced, 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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