Bar Professional Training Course

The BPTC is designed for aspiring barristers. It attracts students from around the world and from all parts of the UK. Students will have already completed a qualifying law degree or a non-law degree plus a Graduate Diploma in Law.

The programme is taught by a team of professionally-qualified experts who are the authors of the BPTC manuals in use across the country. Internationally renowned and highly skills focused, City’s BPTC provides a bridge between academic legal study and professional practice and covers three essential areas:
Advocacy;
Written and oral advisory skills;
Drafting skills.

Underpinning all of these areas is a foundation of analysis and legal research, combined with the need to set priorities and organise your work in order to meet deadlines. In particular, the course is designed for students who want to develop their skills as advocates, and those who want to research and apply the law to help clients in presenting legal cases in court. Bar students often have a deep commitment to helping those who need assistance in protecting their legal rights.

The BPTC is designed for aspiring barristers. It attracts students from around the world and from all parts of the UK. Students will have already completed a qualifying law degree or a non-law degree plus a Graduate Diploma in Law.

The programme is taught by a team of professionally-qualified experts who are the authors of the BPTC manuals in use across the country. Internationally renowned and highly skills focused, City’s BPTC provides a bridge between academic legal study and professional practice and covers three essential areas:
Advocacy;
Written and oral advisory skills;
Drafting skills.

Underpinning all of these areas is a foundation of analysis and legal research, combined with the need to set priorities and organise your work in order to meet deadlines. In particular, the course is designed for students who want to develop their skills as advocates, and those who want to research and apply the law to help clients in presenting legal cases in court. Bar students often have a deep commitment to helping those who need assistance in protecting their legal rights.

Department: School of Law

Qualification:

Bar Professional Training Course

Qualification Level:

RQF Level 7

Requirements:

Lower second class honours degree
Online application for the BPTC by mid-January 2016
Passing the Bar Course Aptitude Test (BCAT)
Applying for membership of one of the four Inns of Court by the last working day of May 2016 (you can check with your chosen Inn to confirm this)

Assessment Methods:

There are eight skills assessments and four multiple choice/short answer question tests. The assessments are a combination of 'unseen' and 'take away' papers. Skills assessments are based on realistic exercises reproducing the demands of practice and reflecting the work done on the course.

Advocacy and conference assessments are recorded with actors playing the role of client and/or witness. Written skills assessments require you to write an opinion or prepare a piece of drafting.

Multiple choice tests/short answer questions will also be used to assess your competence level in Criminal Litigation, Sentencing and Evidence; Civil Litigation, Civil Evidence and Remedies; ADR; and Professional Ethics.

Modules:

Core Modules:
Advocacy Cross Examination (10 credits);
Advocacy Examination in Chief (10 credits);
Advocacy Addressing the Court (10 credits);
Civil Litigation, Evidence & Remedies 12 credits);
Conference Skills (6 credits);
Criminal Litigation, Evidence & Sentencing (12 credits);
Resolution of Disputes out of Court (ADR) (6 credits);
Drafting Skills (12 credits);
Professional Ethics (six credits);
Opinion Writing Skills (12 credits).

Elective modules:
Advanced Criminal Litigation (12 credits);
Commercial Law (12 credits);
Company Law (12 credits);
Domestic Violence (12 credits);
Employment Law (12 credits);
Family Law (12 credits);
Fraud & Financial Crime (12 credits);
Free Representation Unit (12 credits);
Landlord & Tenant (12 credits);
Professional Negligence (12 credits);
Social Security (12 credits).

Other important areas covered within the context of the main subjects:
Costs;
Human rights;
Risk analysis.

Source: the courses data has been supplied by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service.