Bath Spa launches Law degree
News
One of UK’s top degree courses launching at Bath Spa University
Monday, 9 December, 2019Bath Spa University’s Business School has announced the launch of an exciting new law course, which has been designed in line with recent changes to the way students can qualify as a solicitor.
Bath Business School, which has never before offered a law degree for its students, is hoping to challenge common perceptions about the legal profession by adopting an engaging, teaching-led model which arms students with the real-world skills they’ll need to succeed in law, as well as other professions where legal training will give them a competitive advantage. This recognises the fact that around 60 per cent of law graduates don’t pursue a career in law.
Previously, students must have obtained a qualifying law degree and taken a practical postgraduate course, known as the Legal Practice Course (LPC), to qualify as a solicitor. The new changes mean students can now study a degree of their choice, then take the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) to qualify following a period of legal training. They must also have two years’ qualifying work experience in order to be eligible.
The new qualification process mean that Bath Spa University has been able to create a course which aligns to these changes, rather than retrofit its course as other institutions do.
Mark Coombs, law course leader at Bath Spa University, said: “If we look at the number of applications submitted to UCAS in 2018, law remains one of the most popular degree courses in the UK. However, there is a perception among young people that the legal profession is stuffy and unwelcoming, as well as a bit of an ‘old boys club.’ We want to challenge this, so we’ve designed our course to help people on track for the SQE, but without being an exam factory where all paths lead to a career in the legal profession. Instead, it will be about giving students the skills and competencies to succeed in other careers by providing a more vocational and practical education.”
The course has been designed in consultation with a number of local law firms which have highlighted that many institutions ‘churn out’ law graduates who know the law, but don’t know how to be a lawyer in practice or about the law as a business and therefore can’t ‘hit the ground running’.
In response to this insight, Bath Spa University’s LLB (Hons) Law course will include an intensive programme of optional, practical, vocational placements, including a pro bono advisory clinic placement in collaboration with local stakeholders including, for instance, the local Citizen’s Advice Bureau, as well as other year-long and in-term placements to get students work ready.
For the 60 per cent of students who don’t want to pursue a career in law, there will be an added focus on career planning weaved into the course, reflecting the growing number of roles that require the same competency-based skill set. These include roles in governance, risk management, advocacy, public policy, finance, HR and more.
The first intake of law degree students is scheduled for September 2020. The UCAS deadline for this cohort is on 15 January 2020.
If you would like to find out more about the course, visit our Law course page or head to one of the University’s open days.
On 27 February 2020, Bath Spa University will be hosting an event with the Solicitors Regulation Authority to talk about the new SQE, which will be open to the legal community, local FE colleges, law tutors and prospective students who have applied for a place at the University in 2020.
Profile:
Mark Coombs