The conversion course: the Diploma or the CPE?
Most CPE/Diploma courses are intensive full-time courses lasting an academic year of 36 weeks. Students study the seven foundation subjects of English law-contract, tort, criminal, property, equity & trusts, public and European law. Students are taught through lectures and tutorials. Lectures give an overview of the topic while tutorials concentrate on the interpretation and application of this knowledge to legal problems.
While both the Postgraduate Diploma in Law and CPE will qualify you to proceed to the LPC, there are distinctive differences which you should consider before selecting which you do. For example, the CPE is recognized by both the Law Society and the Bar, but the Bar does not recognize all the Postgraduate Diplomas in Law that are offered at different institutions. Accordingly, if you think you may wish to qualify to go to the Bar at some stage then it would be safer to take the CPE. As against that, it is said by some that the Postgraduate Diploma of Law offers a broader postgraduate qualification as it carries weight beyond that of just the legal profession. It is important that you investigate thoroughly the courses on offer. You should read and compare carefully the prospectuses from the different institutions offering the Postgraduate Diploma in Law and the CPE, and if in doubt check with the Law Society or the Bar Council that the courses you propose to take will qualify you in the way that you intend and require. As with your initial choice of university in which to take your degree, your choice for the Postgraduate Diploma in Law or the CPE will be influenced by a number of factors; some of which will be personal to you. You may need to stay near your home town or you may be desperate to move away from it. You may wish to move to an area where you think ultimately you might wish to work and that you would be best placed to network and lay down roots at the earliest possible stage. Provided you go through the check-list process applicable to your university, then you should be able to meet your own personal needs and also ensure that you find an institution which is delivering a product with the appropriate reputation in the profession, and one that will not create any drawbacks for you at the next stage of your career.
As part of your enquiries you should make a point of visiting the institution, attending any open days, speaking to staff and students there, reading publications such as the Times Higher Education Supplement the professional legal periodicals and other legal journals for discussion about any particular institution. One factor that might influence you is cost. Costs do vary between institutions and some law schools may even offer bursaries. Details of possible funding opportunities will be provided in their prospectuses. However, you should not necessarily aim to go to the institution that offers the Postgraduate Diploma of Law or CPE at the lowest cost. Cost generally reflects the quality of the product. If you have been fortunate enough to arrange a training contract with a firm that will sponsor you through the Postgraduate Diploma of Law or CPE and the legal practice course, then they may have the final say in where you undertake the course. At the very least, they will have a view on where you do it and you should of course discuss with them the options. Admission to Postgraduate Diploma of Law and CPE courses is arranged through a Central Applications Board.