Post-Graduate Diploma - Law

This course is designed for non-law graduates interested in becoming solicitors or barristers. The Postgraduate Diploma in Law (PGDL) provides students with the foundational legal knowledge and skills required for their legal training. For aspiring barristers, it satisfies the Bar Standards Board’s academic requirements, allowing them to commence the vocational stage of training (e.g., the Barristers Training Course). For aspiring solicitors, it offers a solid grounding in the fundamental legal knowledge and skills needed for key components of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination.

The course provides thorough consideration of foundational law subjects while allowing students to keep their options open before deciding which branch of the legal profession (solicitor or barrister) to pursue. Beyond the core subjects, students will also have the opportunity to gain practical experience at an early stage through the award-winning NLS Legal.

They will be taught by an outstanding teaching team, consisting of both experienced legal professionals and leading researchers in the field of law.

This is a fast-track conversion course that effectively covers the seven core modules of a Law degree in one year.

Students will study:

Legal and Professional Environment (including EU law) • Contract Law • Tort Law • Law of Trusts • Criminal Law • Land Law • Constitutional and Administrative Law

Reflecting the graduate entry point of the course and assessment at master’s level (Level 7), these subjects are covered at a more intensive pace and in greater depth. While this makes the course demanding, it also ensures that students will have the necessary depth of understanding to excel in the subsequent stages of their legal training.

In addition to the law itself, the Legal and Professional Environment module will cover key areas of the English legal system and commercial awareness—an increasingly important expectation of law firms and chambers.