PG Dip Bar Practice

The Postgraduate Diploma Bar Practice programme covers the vocational elements of training for a Barrister (previously the BPTC). Its innovative design and professional support and enhancement programmes focuses on developing you to manage both a face to face and digital practice. The course is experiential with a focus on developing excellent personal and legal skills which are relevant for professional practice.

Programme delivery

You will learn by doing and, in several ways. Significant contact time of 10-16 hours a week, supported by small class sizes means you get to practice your skills weekly. The programme is delivered via in-person and supported by a rich on campus co-curricular programme. You will be taught in small class sizes of 1:6 and 1:12, by qualified legal professionals and academics who have experience in teaching and legal practice.

Advocacy is taught in our multi-million-pound replica Crown Courtroom, and conference skills are taught in groups of 6 students. You will follow several case studies which enable you to take your client from instruction through to completion of their case using your knowledge and developing those essential skills. Your practice is recorded and stored in the cloud, giving you the opportunity to watch and reflect on your practice anytime. Your contact time is supported by rich resources enabling you to learn, practice and reflect in a variety of ways. Using online practitioner texts gives you maximum flexibility over how you use your resources including annotation, bookmarking and printing.

Assessment

The programme has a variety of assessments including oral, coursework, portfolio and examinations. Assessments for the bar training element follow the requirements of the BSB Curriculum and Assessment Strategy (found here).

Your classes will prepare you for your assessments and you will have weekly practice on the MCQs and SBAs needed for the centralised assessments.

Throughout the programme you’ll develop professional connections through our extensive employability programme and participate in a range of co-curricular courses.

Programme outcomes

At the end of the programme you will leave us with a valuable master’s qualification, the knowledge and skills required by the legal profession and other potential employers and, with the opportunity to be called to the Bar of England and Wales (subject to you completing your dining obligations and any additional requirements set by the BSB).

If you want to work in the legal profession, the full-time nine month PgDip Bar Practice offered by the University of Hertfordshire is the course for you. Our course not only will offer an established route into the legal profession but also enables you to obtain a valuable and internationally recognised masters.

There is also an option to extend your study with the LLM Bar Practice by completion of an additional 60 credits of study including a practice-based module in the law clinic and two electives.