Taught course

Barristers Training Course (LLM)

Institution
Nottingham Trent University · Nottingham Law School
Qualifications
LLM

Entry requirements

You will need one of the following options:

  • Qualifying law degree (2.1 or above); or
  • Graduate Diploma In Law or Common Professional Examination, with undergraduate honours degree (2.1)
  • (A 2.2 honours degree will be considered with evidence of exceptional achievement elsewhere in the application, e.g. awards, scholarships, work experience – paid or unpaid).

All applicants should provide evidence in their personal statement of their commitment to a career in law and will be required to provide a full reference in support of their application.

The Bar Course Aptitude Test

In order to enrol, all students must take and pass the Bar Course Aptitude Test (BCAT) by the deadline set by the Bar Standards Board.

Certificate of Academic Standing (CAS)

Anyone with non-standard qualifications is required to present a Certificate of Academic Standing (CAS) from the Bar Standards Board before they enrol on the Barristers Training Course. Full details of who is required to obtain this Certificate can be found on the Bar Standards Board website.

Inns of Court

It is an enrolment requirement of the Barristers Training Course that you must join an Inn of Court before you can begin studying on the programme.

Months of entry

September

Course content

Why choose this course

Successful completion of this course enables you to be called to the Bar, and proceed to pupillage. Our nine-month LLM BTC gives you the opportunity to gain the award of a Masters (LLM), assuming successful completion of the BTC and an additional module, Advanced Advocacy, Advice and ADR, which has been created to give you experience of issues that are at the cutting-edge of practice, such as vulnerable witnesses and expert evidence.

The LLM qualification is internationally recognised and is eligible for the UK postgraduate government loan. Our LLM incorporates a number of unique, practical elements which are at the forefront of legal practice and which will aid you in your future career.

Why study at Nottingham Law School

  • 100% of NTU's research submitted to the Law Unit of Assessment was assessed to be world-leading or internationally excellent in terms of research impact (REF 2021).
  • All our staff are experienced lawyers and you will benefit from their practical knowledge, as well as from visiting lecturers.
  • Our teaching is consistently commended as excellent.
  • You'll receive face-to-face feedback on all assessable skills.
  • You'll undertake assessments with a practical focus.
  • Our dedicated and experienced careers consultants provide guidance and support to help you secure qualifying work experience or other legal employment. You'll also benefit from working with our successful careers team.
  • We have considerable expertise in advocacy and alternative dispute resolution. We're home to the first Centre for Advocacy in the UK and our Centre for Mediation and Dispute Resolution was opened in 2016 by Sir Peter Coulson, now a judge of the Court of Appeal.
  • As well as access to an exclusive BTC study area, studying with Nottingham Law School also means that you have all the facilities a large Law School can offer, plus the advantages of studying within a university environment which offers outstanding library, IT, support, sports, language and Student Union services.
  • 94.4% of our Nottingham Law School postgraduates are in work or further study within 15 months of finishing their degrees (of those available for work or study, latest Graduate Outcomes Survey 2017-18).
  • 100% of students on this course found this course intellectually stimulating (Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey, 2021).
  • 93% of students on this course would recommend studying at Nottingham Trent University to others (Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey, 2021).
  • 100% of student on this course found staff were good at explaining things (Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey, 2021).

For more information please visit the course page.

Information for international students

It is a requirement of the LLM BTC that students are fluent in English. Applicants need to be able to demonstrate that their English language ability is equivalent to a minimum score of 7.5 in each element of the IELTS test.

International students will be required to produce a certificate evidencing the necessary IELTS scores or equivalents* unless they have:

  • An actual or predicted degree classification of 2.1 or above in a law degree undertaken wholly or predominantly in the UK.
  • An actual or predicted commendation or above in the GDL undertaken in the UK.
  • An actual or predicted commendation or above in a taught LLM undertaken in the UK.

*We currently accept the following as alternatives to IELTS:

  • Pearson Test of English (Academic)
  • TOEFL

Fees and funding

Nottingham Law School offers a number of competitive scholarships, for full details please visit our website.

We are authorised by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) to deliver the vocational component of Bar training.

Qualification, course duration and attendance options

  • LLM
    full time
    9 months
    • Campus-based learningis available for this qualification

Course contact details

Name
Admissions
Email
enquiries@ntu.ac.uk
Phone
+44 (0)115 848 2999