Legal Practice Course
September 2021
You can only qualify through this route if you meet our transitional requirements. If you do not meet these, you will need to qualify under the SQE.
SRA Authorisation of Individuals Regulations
Our Authorisation of Individuals Regulations detail the requirements for qualifying as a solicitor in England and Wales and are be supplemented by information packs which provide further guidance.
Legal Practice Course
The Legal Practice Course (LPC) is part of the vocational stage of training under the old system and can be studied full or part time with an authorised LPC provider. The aim of the LPC is to prepare students for work-based learning and to provide a general foundation for practice.
The LPC comprises two stages:
- Stage 1 - Core Practice areas and skills; and
- Stage 2 - Three vocational electives.
LPC outcomes
The LPC outcomes detail the requirements for the legal practice course and the knowledge that every student should have upon the successful completion of the course.
The LPC Outcomes 2011 (PDF 31 pages, 275KB) incorporate the requirements of the SRA Code of Conduct 2011 and the SRA Solicitors Accounts Rules 2011.
The LPC Outcomes 2019 (PDF 34 pages, 122KB) incorporate the SRA Principles, the SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors, RELs and RFLs, the SRA Code of Conduct for Firms and the SRA Accounts Rules which came into force on 25 November 2019.
Legal Practice Course Information Pack
The Legal Practice Course Information Pack contains further detailed information about the LPC, including our requirements for authorisation as an LPC Provider.
Students Information Pack
Read in conjunction with the Legal Practice Course Information Pack, the Student Information Pack provides information about the education and training requirements for those wishing to qualify as a solicitor in England and Wales.
Accredited prior learning
We recognise that there will be instances where an individual may have achieved some of the LPC Outcomes as result of their previous qualifications or experience. An LPC provider may grant exemptions from parts of the LPC to Bar Vocational Course (BVC) or Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) graduates under their Accreditation of Prior Learning Policy (APL).
Credit will normally be given where the student has successfully completed the BVC or the BPTC no later than five years prior to the date of his or her enrolment on the LPC course. However, applications outside of this time limit may be considered on a case by case basis by each provider.
Applications for exemptions from part of the LPC will be considered by an LPC Provider and the decision as to whether or not to grant exemptions rests with each provider. Therefore, a student who is interested in applying for credit for prior learning should contact their preferred LPC provider to obtain information about their policy on APL for the LPC.
A BVC/BPTC graduate seeking credit for prior learning must still complete a period of recognised training in order to qualify for admission. Please note, these changes do not extend to granting exemptions from all or part of a period of recognised training.
Please use www.sra.org.uk/lpc to link to this page.