Coventry Law School

The law school offers modern facilities such as a moot court room, lecture and seminar spaces, as well as social and study areas. The moot room provides students with the opportunity to experience a modern courtroom setting within an academic environment. An insider shared: “The mock courtroom even stores wigs and gowns, allowing students to dress up as barristers and conduct mock trials to practice their advocacy skills — it’s not just informative but also really enjoyable!”

Coventry Law School provides students with opportunities for work experience through pro-bono law clinics available at the university. Teaming up with the Central England Law Centre, the law school offers student real life legal experience across a range of law clinics. These include areas such as social and welfare law as well as a legal health clinic run in partnership with the NHS. Time spent on these volunteering projects may count towards Qualifying Work Experience (QWE), and staff overseeing them can assist students in registering this with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).

Coventry Law Society stands out as a popular extra-curricular option for law students. These include additional advocacy sessions, mooting competitions, negotiations, and practice bail applications. These sessions not only aid students in their coursework but also offer opportunities to develop practical legal skills outside the standard curriculum.

With study spaces in the popular Lanchester Library, both silent and collaborative, law students can also utilise the lesser-known sixth floor of the George Eliot building for focused study. Beyond the main campus, the Herbert Museum and Art Gallery’s “gorgeous café” provides a perfect spot for a quick caffeine refresh, while The Hub, located just opposite the law school, serves as a more social area for students to relax during study breaks and grab a Starbucks.

SQE preparation for law and non-law graduates

The PgDip Understanding Legal Practice Understanding Legal Practice Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) is aimed at law graduates and can be completed full-time or part-time. During the first six modules, students will undertake the necessary study to prepare them for SQE 1, whilst also developing the skills for SQE 2. The course culminates in a case study project module specifically focusing on SQE 2 preparation. This module will see students immersed in a simulated law firm environment to hone their skills and expertise.

The coursePgDip Understanding Legal Practice focuses on preparation for SQE 1 and is ideal for a student who already has some legal practice experience. The course is offered on a full-time or part time basis, so that a student can fit their preparation for SQE 1 around their work commitments.

SQE prep is also packaged into an LLM programme at Coventry Law School for those wanting to take advantage of student loan funding. The Professional Legal Practice LLM course covers the legal principles and related professional practice aligned to Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) Part 1 and Part 2. The LLM includes an additional Case Study Project, in which students will act as a legal professional, using the skills they have acquired during their legal practice modules, to advice a client on a hypothetical problem. The course can be undertaken full-time over the course of a year, or part-time over a two-year period.

For students with a non-law background or who have studied law in another jurisdiction, there is the Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) in Principles of Law. This intensive course studied over 13 weeks, is specifically designed to provide you with the understanding of the relevant legal principles required to undertake SQE 1 and 2. Students who successfully complete this course can proceed directly on to one of the other programmes listed above.