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The College of Law in Birmingham has an esteemed reputation for the LPC and GDL and has recently added the Bar Vocational Course (BVC) to its list of course options. The College of Law Birmingham has an excellent academic record across all of its centres and over the last year has produced equally formidable results from BVC students.

The impending change to the course which is set to take place in 2010 is no doubt going to impact upon providers around the country and prospective students should be aware that this will include an online aptitude test as well as a change to the current syllabus.

Provincial sets of chambers, especially those in the Midlands circuit will appreciate students who have made a visible commitment to a city outside of London, and it may be this that is the extra factor on your CV that makes you stand out in applications.

The College itself is set in the Jewellery Quarter close to Birmingham’s bustling city centre with ample train, tram and bus links close by. The building itself is a combination of traditional aesthetic features and modern equipment. It is currently having a large extension built, which is due for completion in Autumn 2009, so prospective students can expect an increase in facilities in the future.

The city of Birmingham is famous for its diversity and cultural heritage. There are many cinemas and theatres in the city centre, including the Birmingham REP theatres, the Hippodrome and the Birmingham Symphony Hall. Midlands Art Centre, a renowned complex for its unique and innovative work, is located just outside of the city centre in Edgbaston opposite the city’s internationally renowned cricket fields. The centre boasts a wealth of exhibitions, independent cinema, theatre and classes. There is of course an extensive range of shops and restaurants in the centre itself including the Bullring shopping centre and the Mailbox. In addition, Birmingham’s exciting and varied nightlife is guaranteed to cater for every taste.

The College is equipped with a large, law library and an extra resources room solely for BVC students. There are both hard and electronic copies of all the major law reports and statute books as well as practitioner texts. BVC students are provided with their own manuals along with civil and criminal practitioner texts including both volumes of the Civil Procedure Rules and a copy of Blackstones.

There are no lectures for BVC students and classes are broken down into approximately ten students to allow for daily seminars, something which students continually highlight as being an invaluable asset of the course. The classrooms are complete with lecturns and witness boxes as well as the usual projectoral and electronic facilities. Each group has one tutor for each seminar on a rotating basis to give a total of approximately 14 hours of teaching a week. You will be taught by barristers and legal professionals with a wealth of practical experience. The small group sizes allow for students to raise queries in an informal setting and the opportunity to talk to tutors after teaching hours is also available. The recommended number of hours for independent study falls between 30-35 hours a week.

Throughout the year, BVC students will have practitioners’ evenings which are a compulsory part of the course. These not only allow students to perform their advocacy in front of local practitioners but also to network with them during the habitual drinks and nibbles afterwards.

Wednesdays are usually free from teaching and two or three are taken up over the course of the year for compulsory court visits which are organised by the College.


There is also the opportunity to take three extra modules and an extra assignment throughout the year in order to obtain an LLM in International or Professional Practice. This is a fast track route to the LLM solely accessible to students at the College.

The centre itself is within walking distance of the bustling city of Birmingham and is easily accessible by car, train and bus. The College is a hub of activity as it also runs the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) and Legal Practice Course (LPC)..

The College of Law is about a 15 minute walk from Birmingham city centre where there are a number of bars, clubs, restaurants and shops. The Jewellery Quarter, where the College is situated, also has shops, places to eat and some nice bars. Students are never short of things to do although the local area could look a bit better.

The cost of the BVC at The College of Law Birmingham will be £10,900 in 2009/10 payable in two instalments. This covers the cost of all printing, all necessary text books and a year’s subscription to a large number of online resources including Lexis, Lawtel, Westlaw and many more.

The cost of transport is bound to be different for individuals but those who wish to move to the city rather than commute can find advice and help on housing through the College’s accommodation officer and the online accommodation database.

You will be given access to both of these once you accept your place at the College. For BVC students, the reasonable cost of going down to London for qualifying sessions from their respective Inns of Court is also recoverable.

The College is a great place to meet other people whether its on the BVC or any of the other courses on offer. Social events are regularly organised so it becomes possible for students across the courses to integrate and meet. The BVC room in particular acts as a sort of common room as well as providing extra computers and work space. Many of the BVC students find this a comfortable place to meet fellow course mates and catch up with work.

There is a Summer Ball and a BVC end of year dinner in the social calendar and much more in between. The Social Committee organise sports teams and societies much like University and they are always open to new suggestions. The nearby pubs and regular pub quizzes allow for students to get to know each other and become involved in the social community of the College.

There are numerous debating and mooting opportunities during the year for BVC as well as GDL students. Practitioners are often invited to act as judges and there is opportunity to enter competitions enabling students to go on to represent the College as well as internal competitions.

The Careers Service at the College of Law Birmingham is second to none. There is a formidable team dedicated to helping individual students find pupillage and improve their CV. The Careers Service organise talks throughout the year giving tips on how to bolster your CV and application forms. They are equally happy to speak to students on a regular one to one basis.

There are other opportunities organised by Careers, such as working as an intern in a law firm in France for a month during the summer. There is also the mentoring scheme in which students are paired up with a barrister in practice and speak with them outside of College on a one to one basis. Careers will make sure that this practitioner is local to your area and specialising in an area you want to focus in. These are some of the existing opportunities Careers offer but they are very approachable and happy to assist individual needs.

The College also offers a range of Pro Bono centres which students can join including working for the Birmingham Employment Tribunal and the Youth Offenders Rehabilitation Scheme. This is an invaluable chance to experience legal practice firsthand as well as providing an impressive addition to your CV.