Postgraduate Diploma Bar Vocational Course (Open Learning)
ObjectivesThe Bar Vocational Course at Bristol UWE has achieved an excellent reputation for the quality of the course and of its students entering pupillage.
Entry requirementsApplicants will normally have a qualifying Law degree, with at least lower second class honours from a UK university or college of Higher Education, or a degree in other disciplines with at least lower second class honours (or equivalent), and a pass in the Common Professional Examination or Postgraduate Diploma in Law.
Academic titlePostgraduate Diploma Bar Vocational Course (Open Learning)
Course descriptionContent
The Course comprises the following elements:
(a) Professional Ethics
(b) The Knowledge Areas:
(i) Civil dispute resolution;
(ii) Criminal Litigation and Sentencing; and
(iii) Evidence.
(c) Skills, which comprise three groupings:
(i) casework skills (fact management and legal research);
(ii) written skills (written word skills, opinion writing and drafting); and
(iii) oral skills (advocacy, conference skills and negotiation).
(d) Option Subjects: you are required to pursue a combination of two of the following indicative optional courses:
Alternative Dispute Resolution; Criminal Law; Employment Law; Family Law; International Trade; Landlord and Tenant Clinical Negligence. Alternatively you may instead of taking two options undertake cases on behalf of clients via The Student Union Legal Clinic.
(e) The scheme of study also requires that students study and achieve prescribed levels of competence in Remedies.
Placements
The course offers all students the opportunity to spend two weeks in a court or law-related placement.