BARBRI Bundle: October Round-Up
BARBRI SQE Prep
Prepare for qualifying as a solicitor in England and Wales with BARBRI's innovative SQE Prep courses.
It’s law fair month and BARBRI is out and about, meeting fresh new talent in all corners of the UK – see below an update from the Universities Partnerships team. In this month’s news round-up, we also announce our Altior training dates for 2025 and exciting new communications masterclasses with Jay Paul Skelton. Then we dig into the PGDL question: Is it useful if non-law grads do a conversion course before the SQE? And we top it off with a whole host of events coming up.
Have a great November!
📰 NEWS:
Masterclasses with the Central School for Speech and Drama
We’re excited to share two new communication skills masterclasses, presented by Jay Paul Skelton from the The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (CSSD). He currently teaches a range of theory-and-practice-based courses on their MA/MFA Actor Training and Coaching programme, and has also taught at the University of Notre Dame London Global Gateway, RADA, Rose Bruford College, Kingston University and St Mary’s Twickenham, and others.
This series of courses and masterclasses are particularly useful for young legal professionals.
New: AI Fundamentals Masterclass
We're also excited to add the AI Fundamentals masterclass with Uwais Iqbal of simplexico to our programme (date below). Uwais, who has been designing and building AI systems in the legal sector for nearly a decade, will talk about the many uses of AI in the legal industry, its benefits, and knowing how to minimise risk.
Here are our other masterclasses for the rest of the year:
(All times in GMT.)
Altior's 2025 Training Dates Released
After a highly successful year, we are pleased to announce our 2025 dates for our Altior courses. Click on the course names below for more information:
Trainee Litigation Programme: This popular litigation course is not just useful for SQE trainees, but also anyone in your team who is working on litigation and can benefit from developing contentious practice skills.
We are accredited to do training and assessments so your team can gain the necessary qualifications to represent clients in the Crown or High Court. Download HRA dates here: 2024-2025-Higher-Rights-Timetable.pdf
We offer a variety of CPD courses. Download the 2025 course dates here: CPD Timetable 2024.pdf
For enquiries or bespoke packages, please contact our Business Development Team, who will be happy to assist you.
It's Law Fair Season!
Our University Partnerships Team is busy crisscrossing the country, attending university law fairs and having exciting conversations with the next generation of solicitors!
From Southampton to St Andrews, Bristol to Nottingham, Glasgow to Galway, via King's College London and Royal Holloway to Birmingham and Manchester... Christopher Howard , Shashagay Mcintosh and Robert Dudley (and many others!) are meeting thousands of students at nearly 40 fantastic universities, answering their questions about a career in law.
Chris says, “The BARBRI Universities team have had a fantastic law and careers Fair season so far – it's been fabulous to visit universities across every part of the country and speak to students and Faculty about the SQE, U.S. Bar and Legal Life Skills. Thank you to all our hosts – and looking forward to more to come!"
Also tagging in Anastasia Kalinina, Jordan Scott Sahib Singh Juss , Imaan Razaq , Jonathan Worrell , Chloë Garrett ... it's a big group effort and we're here for it!
💡 SPOTLIGHT:
The PGDL Question: SQE vs a Conversion Course
At the law fairs this month, the question about whether non-law grads need to do a Postgraduate Diploma in Law (PGDL) conversion course keeps coming up. And we know the short answer is no: the Solicitors Regulation Association (SRA) has done away with the conversion course requirement for the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) route to qualification.
And yet, some law firms are still looking to recruit non-law-degree SQE trainees who have completed a PGDL. But in our experience, that is expensive, time-consuming and unnecessary – and here’s why.
A PGDL is an academic study of the seven core subjects of a law degree, but a properly taught SQE1 course also covers these in detail so to do both would be a duplication.
While a law degree or PGDL is concerned with the academic study of the law, the SQE’s Functional Legal Knowledge (FLK) not only tests the same material, it takes it a step further: by testing the application of these legal principles to situations that candidates may come across in practice.
A university education has many benefits in terms of critical thinking, analysis and skills development. However, a law degree – even at post-graduate level – is unlikely to deliver long-term recall of core legal principles. The application of FLK as assessed in the SQE is rarely studied (if at all), even on a typical law degree.
This reinforces the BARBRI approach to SQE preparation. We provide a comprehensive review of core legal topics in SQE1 prep, whether our students studied law or not at university. Our philosophy is that all students, irrespective of their undergraduate degree subject, need a thorough grounding in the principles of law and practice.
Working with key stakeholders, we have identified that non-law grads will have less familiarity with the concepts, terminology and key cases of our legal system when they start doing SQE1. That’s why we created our Foundations in Law course: to help students who didn’t study law to, among other things, build a strong foundational understanding of the court system, the differences between civil/criminal law and equity and the system of precedent, before they set out on their SQE journey.
If you have any questions around the SQE and PGDL, or our Foundations in Law and SQE Prep courses, get in touch!
🎟️ UPCOMING EVENTS:
Hong Kong Legal Walk
Hong Kong, 1-20 November
We are happy to be a headline sponsor of the Hong Kong Legal Walk campaign! Firms are encouraged to get their teams out on the streets this month for a walk in aid of charity, and there will be a joint walk and lunch on 2 November for everyone who wants to join up. It will culminate in the final prize-giving event on 20 November, which BARBRI's Mayumi Brown will join.
LawCare: Menopause and the Legal Sector
5 November, 12:30-1:30pm (GMT), online
Join us for an insightful webinar where we’ll explore the impact of menopause in the legal sector. Our panel will explain what Menopause Matters is and why it is important, and Lucie Allen and others will share personal stories and insights from important research. You’ll also hear what firms are doing to support their employees, and we’ll discuss the essential baseline of support and education that should be standard in the legal industry, followed by an interactive Q&A session. Hosted by LawCare - the mental health charity for the legal sector .
The Inspirational Women in Law Awards
5 November, Clifford Chance , London
We are happy to sponsor the Law Student of the Year award at the Next 100 Years: Women In Law Inspirational Women in Law Awards this year! This event champions legal professionals who are both excelling in practice and working for the changes needed to ensure women working in the law are able to thrive. Lucie Allen is looking forward to celebrating with law students and legal professionals across the industry!
National Paralegal Day
11 November, 7-9pm, Six Clerks Bar, Law Society, London
Paralegals are often the unsung, unrecognised members of the legal profession – and yet, each year, they support solicitors and their teams to deliver high-quality services to clients, and they work hard within organisations as diverse as firms, local authorities, charities and FTSE100 companies. Join Robert Dudley and Jonathan Worrell at the yearly NALP | National Association of Licensed Paralegals (NALP) conference to celebrate paralegals and the role they play in the legal sector!
The Lawyer: In-House Counsel as Business Partner Conference
12 November, Etc.venues County Hall, London
Join Victoria Fearne and Chloë Garrett at The Lawyer ’s flagship conference, tailored to support in-house lawyers at all levels. This exclusive event brings together 40+ experts for a day of knowledge-sharing through keynotes, case studies, panel discussions and the popular 3 Pieces of Advice sessions. The agenda covers critical topics to empower in-house legal teams as strategic business partners. Gain insights into advancing professional development, supporting broader business goals, and leading your organisation with a proactive, strategic mindset. With over 150 in-house lawyers expected, this event provides a unique opportunity for peer-to-peer networking and learning from leading industry voices. #IHBP24
LawNet 2024 Conference: Innovate to Elevate
15 November, Birmingham
BARBRI is excited to sponsor the LawNet Ltd 2024 conference. #LNconf24 brings together over 70 mid-market law firms to share insights, experiences, and strategies for innovation. If you are there, come and say hello to Jonathan Worrell , who will be at our BARBRI stand in the exhibition area.
Thriving Through Law School & Beyond: Wellbeing in Legal Education
19 November, 1-2pm (GMT), online
This webinar will discuss the Guidelines for Wellbeing in Legal Education, published by the IBA Professional Wellbeing Commission earlier this year, and is designed to equip legal education providers with valuable insights and practical guidance on enhancing the wellbeing of both staff and students. It will be moderated by Emma Jones, University of Sheffield and Commissioner, IBA Professional Wellbeing Commission and Caroline Strevens , University of Portsmouth, and Kayleigh Humphreys from BARBRI will be on the panel.
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🎟️ EVENT CATCH-UP:
Legal Tech in the SouthWest
Anastasia Kalinina recently attended the Legal Tech in the South West conference in Bristol, an event that brings together organisations from the Legal Tech space to learn and network.
“Thank you for a great day discussing legal tech and innovation in a way that keeps it human and reminds the new generation of lawyers that they are not being replaced. Instead, they need to embrace who they are fully, connect with others and jump to opportunities that are in line with their inner, most human core values. My main takeaway is that the role of legal tech is to provide the support tools that will ultimately help lawyers do more of what is irreplaceable – being excellent client relationship managers.
“Thank you to the amazing team behind the LWinSW event. Great organisation, excellent speakers and amazing atmosphere from all attending! Particular thanks to Marc May , Marco Mendola and the MC Manu Kanwar !”
READ
Addressing the Skills Gap for Trainee Solicitors Under the SQE
Business Development Manager Matthew Skelding wrote a piece about the skills gap noticed among a section of the first cohorts to pass the SQE exams, and why these skills need to be acquired.
📅 COURSE DATES:
SQE1 Prep course start dates:
July 2025 exam:
SQE2 Prep course start dates:
January 2025 exam:
April 2025 exam:
⏭️ For more information or to book, speak to our Business Development team (contacts below). Candidates can also enrol here and choose "Bill my employer".
For future exam dates and courses, click here: SQE Prep course dates 2024/2025
Extended US BAR Prep course start dates:
July 2025 exam:
Professional development:
Trainee Litigation Programme:
Next dates: 14-17 January 2025
Higher Rights of Audience:
Next dates: November 2024 and January 2025
PARTNER WITH US:
🎩 UK team
We work with law firms, corporates and universities of all sizes, in all UK regions. Whether you're at a top 100 or a small regional law firm, an in-house legal team or legal tech start-up, or a university law school, we'd love to support you with your legal training needs.
Victoria Fearne : Head of New Business and Account Management (UK)
💼 Law firms:
Jonathan Worrell : Business Development Director (law firms)
Mercedes Benjamin : Client Services Manager
💼 In-house legal teams and ALSPs:
Matthew Skelding : Account Manager
🏛️ Universities:
Christopher Howard : University Partnerships Director
Shashagay Mcintosh : University Partnerships Account Manager
🌍 International Business Development team
Our international team supports law firms, companies and faculties around the globe with their dual-qualification needs in England & Wales or the U.S.
Claire Flores : Head of International Business Development
Matthew W. : International Business Development Manager (Global West)
Mayumi Brown : International Business Development Manager (Global East)
Till December!
Proud partners - keep rocking Team BARBRI SQE Prep 👏