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Having just celebrated its first birthday, Nottingham Law at Kaplan Law School is one of the newest additions to the world of LPC and GDL provision. It is the brainchild of Kaplan, (which has an immense reputation in the US) and Nottingham Law School, already an outstanding LPC and GDL provider.

The aim of the joint venture is to break up London’s legal education market, currently dominated by College of Law and BPP. What is certain is that it’s off to a cracking start. The small size of the school last year – roughly 15 on the GDL and 50 on the LPC – makes it stand out from the crowd.

And with students numbers set to rise steadily, there look to be many others hopping aboard. It offers you the opportunity for you to create your own GDL or LPC experience – which may suit some people more than others.

The facilities on campus are absolutely top notch – as you’d expect from a spanking new college. Granted, the building is small, however KLS’s size reflects its intention to stay tight-knit; it doesn’t aim to manufacture solicitors on a conveyor belt. Tutorial rooms are fitted with the standard whiteboard-projector-flipchart combination, and seat up to 15.

The library is adequately stocked and well serviced. Competition for books tends to heat up when students do the research module, but there’s normally more than enough to go around. There are also two main computer rooms, with plenty of units. There’s even a direct line to Nottingham for IT assistance, should your computer ever stage a rebellion.

Teaching is split between London and Nottingham. About half the tutors flit down from Nottingham to teach classes on a weekly basis. The idea behind this was to instantly bring the high quality of Nottingham’s teaching to London – at least during these early years. Although there were reservations at first, the arrangement has worked wonderfully.

Aside from the high level of academic support, Kaplan Law School tutors are refreshingly approachable. They aren’t afraid to get involved in the social side and this really helps avoid the usual stuffiness of student-teacher dynamics.

The course follows the strict guidelines set by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, and therefore differs little from other LPC providers in terms of content. There is probably more of a commercial slant to the electives, but if you have any intention of working in the City this is massively helpful.

Most of the teaching is done in person, and “virtual” lectures are kept to a minimum – useful in times of confusion.

Nottingham Law at Kaplan Law School is incredibly well located on London’s South Bank. The library overlooks both the Thames and, more importantly, the Golden Hinde – an inspiring replica of Sir Francis Drake’s ship. Borough market is seconds away and offers gourmet lunch options – though not exactly at student prices. There are a number of cheaper alternatives, however, as well as decent selection of local pubs (£3 range for a glass of wine).

There’s no denying that living costs are high, but you’ll find the same all over London. The unpleasant reality is that a student monthly tube pass is around £60 and rent seldom drops below £100/week. However, being in London will give you easy access to places such as the Law Courts and the British Library.

More crucial to the student experience is the plethora of bars, not to mention the many cultural hotspots (museums, parks and so on). KLS does help put future students in contact if they’re just moving to London and need to find flatmates.

Because of Kaplan Law School’s short history, there is no legacy of organised extracurricular activities. However, the upside of this is a unique opportunity for proactive students. Last year, many events were set up through a “staff-student liaison committee”. However the real driving force has proved to be the students themselves.

They took the initiative to establish a huge range of activities – pro bono, five-a-side football and innumerable fundraising events. For the larger parties, Kaplan Law School liaised with its big brother at Nottingham – last year they sent all the London students up for the end of year ball.

These links will only become stronger with time. KLS is a fantastic place for independently-minded, driven students who are prepared to put in the effort to shape the way in which is school is run.

There is good career advice for students who are looking for training contracts, with a dedicated adviser who typically has an open door policy. Further, the tutors are always willing to help with applications or share “real” advice – and the majority of them have had experience working in City firms themselves.

In applying to a new school, KLS is working very hard to promote its budding reputation in the City, and it’s only a matter of time before it gets recognised alongside the other London powerhouses.

It’s worth remembering that Kaplan Law School will offer you a real chance to get stuck into a small college environment (see “Social life” above), and can therefore give you a lot of fresh ammo for interviews.