All About Law | Training Contracts | Vacation Schemes | Law School | Law Careers

The College of Law only provides legal education and training and holds a great reputation with law firms. It is well known for its expertise in providing the skills needed to start your legal career. Many leading law firms send all of their trainees to The College of Law to do their Legal Practice Course (LPC) and the Professional Skills Course (PSC).

A lot of firms also advertise for trainees on The College of Law’s careers database. There are six campuses throughout the country and a seventh one is being opened in Manchester in 2009. They offer various ways to study the courses so that studying can fit into most people’s schedules.

The Chester campus has modern facilities with plenty of computers. There is one main lecture theatre and lots of smaller classrooms. The library is quite small but the books it contains are more than ample. You are given all the books you need for the LPC shortly after you arrive anyway so the library is not essential, although you may need it at times for research assignments.

It is, however, also used as a quiet place to study. Any other research materials you need are on the online sources, such as LexisNexis and Westlaw. There is a common room with vending machines, games tables (eg pool), a few computers and a television. There is also a canteen serving hot and cold food and a grassed area at the back of the canteen where some students sit out when it’s warm.

Workshops last around two and a half hours and you have one per week for each subject. Each workshop has different outcomes so it is wise not to miss any. In the first term you will study the core practice areas, these being business law and practice, civil and criminal litigation and property law and practice. You are also taught skills such as advocacy and interviewing and advising as well as additional areas including professional conduct and regulation.

You study four subjects simultaneously at a time. Some modules only comprise two or three workshops (eg Accounts) whereas others last for ten or twelve (eg business law and practice). In the second term you study three vocational electives chosen by the student. These are spread over ten weeks (ten workshops each). At the end of each vocational elective you take an assessment (normally an exam).

Many students prefer this mode of study as the subject is fresh in your head when you come to the exams. The exams are all open book (apart from accounting). That said, you do need to make sure your notes are very organised and you know exactly where to find the information you need.

You are given outlines of what preparation you need to do for each workshop. This involves reading, watching an i-Tutorial (effectively a lecture on the internet) and various preparatory tasks.

You are put in classes of about 20 or sometimes less and you are with the same class throughout the first term. As a result, you have the opportunity to get to know people really well. A lot of the work you do in the workshops is in teams (normally of about four4). It provides a good opportunity to exchange thoughts with others and an efficient way of learning.

Christleton is a quiet, pretty village about five to ten minutes drive (depending on traffic) from Chester city centre. You can also get onto the canal path just by the College and this takes you directly into the centre. It takes about 20 minutes to walk to the centre from campus. Alternatively, there is a park and ride across the road and the buses are regular.

It is claimed that students don’t have to wait more than 2 minutes for a bus! The buildings themselves are set in lovely, quiet, tranquil grounds so it is a good place for quiet study. There is also a nice courtyard in the middle where many students tend to congregate before classes if it isn’t raining. It’s great for students who live in the area and for commuters as there is free parking at the College and most of the accommodation is in walking distance.

There are student houses in Christleton itself but a lot of the accommodation is situated in Boughton, a ten minute walk away. There is a Sainsburys quite close to the College and other supermarkets such a Morrisons and Asda a little bit further. There are plenty of shops, bars, restaurants, cafes, a cinema etc in the city centre and Cheshire Oaks is not far away either.

The course fee for the 2008 full-time LPC at Chester was £9,100. All the books you need are included in the fees. The part-time LPC was £4,550 for year one.The Solicitors Regulation Authority fee of £110 is not included within this fee. You also need to join the SRA as a student member which currently costs £80 as is paid directly to the SRA. Printing is also free (which saves you a fortune). Living in Chester is not expensive and is comfortably cheaper than Manchester or Liverpool.

In Christleton, you will pay around £60 per week for standard accommodation. The College of Law has a database where landlords advertise accommodation and there is also a housemate finder service.

This has been reported to be a great help as many students tend not to know anyone before beginning the course. A taxi to the town centre or the train station normally costs around £5.

In the first few weeks the College organises a boat trip/booze cruise on the River Dee for students which provides an excellent way to meet your course mates. They also have a winter ball and a summer ball, which are really good fun and a good excuse to get dressed up. Many students tend to go to The Bridge Pub, in Boughton for a night out or before heading into town.

They also host special nights for the students, such as Halloween fancy dress and there is a quiz night every Sunday. Some of the students work there a couple of nights per week or at weekends. If you are used to living in a big city you might find the Chester nightlife a bit restricted.

There quite a few nice bars and the main nightclub that most people go to is Rosies. You stick to the floor and it is a bit cheesy but it’s a good laugh. The drinks are cheap on weeknights and it is also quite popular with the Chester University students.

The careers service has to be one of the best parts about the College. They encourage you to apply for training contracts right from the word go. They also organise lots of talks you can go to by law firms, networking people, local authorities etc. You literally cannot escape them.

You can make an appointment with someone to go through your CV and job application letters and forms. You can even have a mock interview with one of the advisors in order to practise for a real one with a law firm. They are really friendly and know what they are talking about.

When students have had an interview at a solicitors firm they ask them to fill out a questionnaire about what the interview was like and the sorts of questions they asked. The careers service then put all the questionnaires in folders that are available for you to go and read.

If you’re preparing for an interview you can go and have a look at the sorts of questions other students have been asked to get an idea of what it will be like and the sorts of questions you might be asked. There are also pro bono schemes that you can get involved with. Many take part in the legal advice centre which involves interviewing and advising a real client.

You do it in pairs so it’s not too nerve-racking. It is a really good insight into what you will be expected to do in practice. Another scheme many students are involved in is Streetlaw, where students visit schools or community groups to give presentations on a particular area of law.

They also have various links with Citizens’ Advice Bureaux and the courts, with some students getting the opportunity to go and volunteer with them.