Converting Any Degree Into A Law Qualification

By completing a one year Common Professional Examination (CPE) or Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) you can turn any degree into a qualification of law. Approximately 30% of trainee solicitors and barristers did not graduate with a degree in law. Some decided to take a GDL at the end of their degree and some may choose to switch careers later in life.

The GDL is a qualification in England and Wales and is designed to allow people with a greater variety of educational backgrounds into the legal profession. The course is one year full time or two year part time. The usual law degree is four years long which allows both law and non-law students to graduate at the same time. It is also commonly referred to as the 'law conversion course'.

Many UK higher education institutions offer Law Conversion courses but some of the largest are City University London, Kaplan Law School and the University of East London. Like any profession, employers will often prefer the best ranking institutions which could affect your career prospects. Tuition fees can vary from 2000 to 8000 for the one year course.

Standard full time conversion courses last around 36 weeks which includes 4 weeks of assessments. The Central Application Board recommends 45 hours of lectures, tutorials, private study and research each week for a CPE/GDL course. Many graduates of arts courses whose timetable may have previously been considerably less active are shocked at the intensity of the timetable.

Although the CPE/GDL does not offer the full range of subjects of a law degree, it is an intensive one-year foundation course which provides the skills and methodologies to pick things up in the future. The minimum required to gain entry to a CPE/GDL is usually a 2.2 degree certificate but graduates may want to consider the implications of lower grades in a competitive job market.