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Discover the Graduate Diploma in Law, our law conversion course delivered fully online at The College of Legal Practice. This foundation programme is designed for anyone who has a low level of knowledge of the law of England & Wales. You might be a non-law graduate, an international lawyer, or an experienced legal professional without a degree. The College’s Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) is offered as either a full-time or part-time course and will provide you with foundation law training to put you on a level playing field with UK law graduates. You will study the seven foundation areas of law and gain a recognised qualification, ready to move on to prepare for the SQE or explore a legal career. You will be supported throughout the programme by experienced supervisors who have been solicitors and can share their expertise with you through supervisions and workshops. This programme is available to you at a cost of £3,950.
Learn more about our online law conversion course, the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL), from Dr. Giles Proctor, CEO of The College of Legal Practice, in this short film.
Course overview
This Graduate Diploma in Law programme is specifically designed to provide you with core foundational legal knowledge to start your legal career in England and Wales, progressing onto preparation for the SQE or training for the Bar. During the GDL programme, you’ll develop technical and practical proficiency in relation to the seven foundation subject areas of the Law of England and Wales specified by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Bar Standards Board. The programme begins with a module on the Introduction to Law, which is designed to help you develop the knowledge and skills that underpin and are applied in the foundation subjects.
The seven foundations of legal knowledge have been brought together in the following GDL modules:
If you’re looking to build your foundational legal knowledge, then this Graduate Diploma in Law qualification is the course for you.
GDL Programme Materials and Resources
Course Options
There are two Graduate Diploma in Law course options for students, all are suitable for international students, and offered with the same fees as UK-based students:
Full-time Students: 20 week full-time programme, with an average of 30-35 study hours a week
Part-time Students: 40 week part-time programme, with an average of 15-20 study hours a week
Please note: every student’s weekly study hours vary depending on your academic ability and level of previous legal knowledge.
Why choose our Graduate Diploma in Law? Here are four reasons why studying our law conversion course is the best option for building your foundational legal knowledge, preparing you for your future career in law.
Highly experienced and practice-based solicitor supervisors
Practice-based tasks based on examples of client scenarios for every practice area
Unique focused law conversion course, giving you all the legal knowledge you need to begin your SQE journey
Easy to access learning to weekly deadlines, with interactive live workshops
High levels of personalised supervision and group support
The most affordable conversion course on the market, offering exceptional quality and support at no compromise
No additional or hidden costs
Receive a 10% discount on all SQE preparation courses and LLM in Legal Practice course fees
86% were satisfied or very satisfied with the teaching materials and learning activities
86% of students would recommend the GDL to a friend or colleague
100% of respondents would recommend our graduation ceremony
Guided Learning
The programme is fully online with all the materials you require for each module available on our learning portal, Canvas. You will also receive a hard-copy GDL manual at the start of the programme.
There are introductions within the portal to guide you through how to set up your profile and how to access the different modules within your course.
Each module is broken down into workshop units. You’ll approach each unit in the same way following these steps:
Course Supervision and Support
We support your learning through the course modules in the following ways:
Wondering what the College’s learning experience is like? Wonder no more. We go into depth on what the online learning experience is, what support is available for students and who the supervisor team at the College are.
Online learning experience
The learning experience
College supervisors
Meet your supervisors
Support for students
The Graduate Diploma in Law can be taken across 20 or 40 weeks. The programme content and learning approach are the same, but you can choose the number of hours that you wish to learn each week depending on your circumstances.
Click on the programme below that you are interested in to find out more about the schedule of learning and sample timetables.The 20-week programme is considered full-time, as you will be learning on average for 30-35 hours a week. We would only recommend this programme if you are able to be a full-time student or work part-time.
If you have other commitments, you will need to review the timetable when it is available a week before the course starts to plan your learning, particularly the live workshops, into your working week.
As a guide, you will have the following activities across the programme:
You can see an example schedule here
Please note, programme details are developing and can be subject to change.
The 40-week course is considered part-time, as you will be learning on average for 20 hours a week.
If you are working full-time, you will need to review the timetable when it is available a week before the course starts with your employer, and plan your learning, particularly the live workshops, into your working week.
As a guide, you will have the following learning activities across the programme:
You can see an example schedule here
Please note, programmes details are developing and can be subject to change.
80% of students were satisfied or very satisfied with the programme86% of students were satisfied or very satisfied with the teaching materials and learning activities86% of students were satisfied or very satisfied with the 1-2-1 supervisor meetings
(Source: GDL Students 2024)
Hear from our students
Admissions Criteria
Click here to see our Admissions Guidance.
GDL Course Assessment
Submission of two assessment tasks for each GDL module, except Introduction to Law module (MCQs and short answer assessment).
All GDL modules must be passed to be awarded a Graduate Diploma in Law, each with one re-sit opportunity.
Credits
This programme carries 90 credits at FHEQ level 6. You need to achieve a pass in each of the 7 modules to be awarded a Graduate Diploma in Law.
GDL Course Options
Full-time 20-week course (30-35 hours of study per week, with more hours in the first two weeks)
Part-time 40-week course (15-20 hours of study per week, with more hours in the first two weeks)
GDL Course Fees
£3,950
A deposit is required to secure your place on the course, and you can pay via instalments, please see the fee schedule for details.
Once you have accepted your place, you will be eligible for a 10% discount on all preparation courses for the SQE and courses within the Developing Legal Professionals Programme, please see the fee schedule for details.
Timing
See Programme start dates on the Course Schedule.
Applications are open for courses starting in 2025.
If you have any questions about your circumstances or the programme, please contact us.
Probate Executive at Spratt Endicott Solicitors
"The tasks for the GFL are almost like those you would be assigned in a law firm – in the workshops, you’d talk to other students and the tutor like you were talking about a case with your colleagues to hear their opinions and discuss their perspectives. It’s very relatable to work!"
Fitness coach turned Paralegal at Sedgwick
The GFL has really helped me when considering the SQE. It’s given me a really good base level of knowledge. It has reassured me that I can do it and that I am interested in a career in Law, before studying for the SQE without it and either absolutely plummeting and not doing very well on it or deciding after it ‘actually I don't like this very much’. It definitely gives you a good insight into what the study would be for the exam!
Law conversion student, Future Trainee Solicitor at Gateley Legal
"I researched the tutors beforehand and I was really impressed by their backgrounds and expertise. It was really important to me that they knew their stuff, and I can confirm that they do.”
Want to explore more experiences from other students at the College? Read more student experiences via the link below.
At The College of Legal Practice, all students who complete the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) programme will be offered the opportunity to attend an in-person graduation ceremony. As part of the experience, the graduates' academic achievements will be formally recognised and celebrated by the College community.
Here’s what some of our GDL graduates had to say about their graduation:
Meet Victor
"Studying a course on law is quite challenging, especially for those of us who have to combine work with studies, but with the help of the lecturers and our tutors, we were able to go through it successfully. Its beauty was a reflection of what was accomplished at the College.”
Meet Nazmul Akhanjee
"The event truly reflected the significance of my achievements. It was a memorable and meaningful celebration of all the hard work and dedication that led to this milestone…I truly enjoyed this day; it was a memorable experience in my life."
Meet Edwina
"It was an amazing and memorable experience."
The GDL is a separate programme from the College’s SQE prep courses. But it is designed to prepare non-law graduates, or those who have no or limited knowledge of the law of England & Wales, for a seamless transition onto our SQE prep courses or LLM in Legal Practice.
The GDL is a short and focused law conversion course for non-law graduates and sits at Level 6. It covers the seven foundation areas of law of England & Wales, that students would have covered if they had taken an undergraduate LLB.
Whereas the LLM in Legal Practice is a Masters (Level 7) programme, so next level up and allows students to study the College’s SQE prep courses as two modules, and modules on particular areas of practice in more depth. It is a much longer programme (1-2 years) and gives you a strong platform in legal practice for you to be an effective NQ solicitor.
No, our GDL cannot be topped up towards a full LLB or LLM at the College. Our GDL Programme sits at Level 6. You can take the LLM in Legal Practice (Level 7) after taking the GDL programme.
At the end of each module, you will complete two assessments.
For the Introduction to Law module only, this will be comprised of a MCQ (Multiple Choice Question) and SAQ (Short Answer Question) assessment, and a separate assessment on legal research and analysis.
For each of the other six modules, you will have one assessment split into two parts. The two parts are a legal issues assessment and a legal scenario assessment.
The GDL is for focused, career-minded students who are looking to progress quickly to start their SQE route to qualification and gives you a Graduate Diploma qualification. It is much more reasonably priced and takes less time than a full Masters programme. It is also at an undergraduate level (Level 6), to reflect the “undergraduate” nature of the law content and skills expected within the programme
The College of Legal Practice’s GDL students can progress to their LLM in Legal Practice straight afterwards and will be well positioned to do so with the knowledge they’ve gained in the GDL.
The College's GDL combines the seven areas of law specified by the BSB and SRA into its modules and will specify that they are covered on your GDL transcript.
Please note, whilst the BSB have confirmed that our GDL meets their criteria, each Bar Practice Provider has specific entry criteria for their Bar Training courses, so please check with them directly that our GDL Programme meets their admissions criteria.
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