Why non-law graduates should do a GDL before enrolling on an SQE1 preparation course. - 5 Essential Questions answered before you choose a GDL.
To qualify as a solicitor of England and Wales you do not need to complete a law degree. This means if you are a non-law graduate who is thinking of becoming a solicitor, your next step towards making your goal a reality is passing SQE1. In preparation for this exam, you could, at this stage, enrol on an SQE1 training/preparation course.
However, as will be explained in this article, this is not recommended. Instead, non-law graduates are encouraged to enrol in a Graduate Diploma in law (GDL) course before enrolling in an SQE1 preparation course.
This stance is also taken by some course providers such as BPP. This institution, for example, will not enrol potential non-law graduates on their SQE preparation courses if they have not completed a GDL and cannot, through completion of the institution’s own test, demonstrate that they have knowledge of the core foundational legal subjects.
To help you understand why completion of a GDL is encouraged despite the SRA’s decision that it is not necessary for non-law graduates, the article will provide answers to the following questions:
What is a graduate diploma in law (GDL)?
What two gaps will non-law graduates have that will hinder progress on an SQE1 preparation course?
Which options on the market will NOT fill the gaps that non-law graduates need to fill before starting an SQE1 preparation course?
How will a GDL fill the knowledge and skills gaps for non-law graduates?
How do you identify good GDLs on the market?
What is a graduate diploma in law?
A Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL), sometimes referred to as a PGDL (Post-Graduate Diploma in Law) or a Law Conversion course, is a course which covers all the core subjects that a law degree covers, but in a shorter period to that of a degree programme. A traditional law degree usually requires 3 years for completion and GDLs typically last around 9 months.
Until 2021, this course was a requirement for non-law graduates who wished to qualify as solicitors and barristers of England and Wales. This meant that before 2021, if such graduates did not wish to return to university to read for a law degree, they needed to complete a Graduate Diploma in Law.
What two gaps will non-law graduates have that will hinder progress on an SQE1 course?
SQE1 assesses candidates' functioning legal knowledge of 13 subjects-12 areas of law and ethics and professional conduct. Most of these areas of law are taught on undergraduate law programmes. These include contract law, tort law, land law, equity and trusts, criminal law, EU law and the English legal system. Therefore, upon enrolling on an SQE1 training/preparation course, law graduates should know a substantial amount of highly relevant law.
As a non-law graduate, you will not have this knowledge. This is the first gap, the legal knowledge gap. This gap will hinder progress on an SQE1 preparation course because SQE1 preparation courses are designed for law graduates-who already know the law. This means the pace of these courses will normally be in alignment with law graduates’ needs and levels of knowledge, leaving little space for non-law graduates to catch up and fill the knowledge gap.
The second gap that non-law graduates have that needs to be filled before enrolment in an SQE1 training/preparation course is the ‘legal problem-solving skills’ gap. Legal problem-solving skills refer to the ability to apply knowledge of the law to practical or real life situations. This skill is necessary for success on the SQE and as a lawyer.
SQE1 tests your ability to demonstrate this skill through application of legal knowledge to practical scenarios. Law graduates will have been doing this in some form while studying for their law degree. It is a central part of good law degree programmes. Students study the law, they analyse it and apply it to sets of facts. This means that by the time law students have completed their law degrees, if they have been taught properly, and they have engaged sufficiently, they should be very skilled at applying laws to facts.
Admittedly many non-law graduates will have excellent problem solving skills, but theirs will not be legal based. While they may be adept at solving problems, they will not have had years of experience doing so in legal contexts, thus the second gap.
Consequently, coupled with the knowledge gap, most will not be on a level playing field to law graduates who enrol on an SQE1 preparation course. These gaps and their effects on non-law graduates’ confidence, will significantly hinder progress on an SQE1 preparation course.
Which options on the market will NOT fill the gaps that non-law graduates need to fill before starting an SQE1 preparation course?
When endeavouring to fill the said gaps, it is important that non-law graduates are aware of how to intelligently choose from the options available to them on the market. This section of the article will highlight two options on the market that non-law graduates are advised not to take.
One of these options is offered by some course providers that sell online SQE preparation courses. These online SQE preparation courses include access to the company’s video lessons. Customers purchase access to the online material for a particular period.
These providers may recommend non-law graduates purchase their online SQE preparation course and opt for the offer with the longest access.
This option will not help you to fill the knowledge gap nor the skills gap because these courses were not designed for you. They were not designed with non-law graduates’ particular needs in mind. For true progress to be made, a course needs to recognise the two gaps that non-law graduates start their legal educational journey with, and the course needs to be designed to close them. If a course was designed for a different target group, having access to it for longer than that target group, will not benefit you.
Another option which may seem appealing to non-law graduates is an option to purchase a short online ‘‘foundation '’ law course which claims to help you prepare and learn the foundations needed to succeed on an SQE preparation course. Such offers may appear appealing because they may claim that after completing the course, you will have gained knowledge and understanding of areas of law needed to succeed on the SQE.
They may also be appealing because of their length. Current offerings on the market include a 6 week online course with no live teaching and an offer for access to an online course which the provider says you can cover in 260 to 390 hours, depending on your previous experience.
Undoubtedly some knowledge may be gained from such courses. However, the knowledge gained will likely be inadequate for a serious student who wishes to later enrol in an SQE1 preparation course and sit SQE1 immediately after. For a non-law graduate to gain adequate knowledge that will allow them to thrive on an SQE1 preparation course, more time is needed. Therefore, any course of such lengths should be avoided.
Additionally, learning occurs when students are able to engage, get feedback and confirm their level of understanding. This can be best gained through tutor support, classroom discussions and feedback on marked assessments. Typically, short foundation online courses do not include any of these.
Finally, this option will not allow you to fill the skills gap. For a foundation law course to do this, the course would need to be designed to teach you ,as a non-law graduate, the basics of the legal problem solving technique that law students learn on their degrees. Further to this, your application of the skills would need to be assessed by a qualified tutor.
How will a GDL fill the knowledge and skills gaps for non-law graduates?
In order to fill both the knowledge and legal problem solving skills gaps, non-law graduates are encouraged to enrol on a GDL. GDLs fill the knowledge and skills gaps because they provide a strong foundation in the legal foundation subjects. A graduate diploma in law is an industry respected qualification which includes study of criminal, tort, contract, equity and trusts, land law, the English legal system, EU law and constitutional and administrative law.
This qualification is designed to meet the needs of non-law graduates and when delivered and engaged with properly, learners not only gain as much knowledge of the law as law graduates do, they also develop confidence in their understanding of it. This confidence is developed as a result of engagement with effective assessments and through receiving clear feedback. Additionally, GDLs, through inclusion of particular assessments, allow learners to practise legal skills that students on undergraduate law programmes practise. This includes, but is not limited to legal problem solving skills.
Therefore, a good GDL will give you a strong foundation. It will allow you to join any SQE1 preparation course confidently, with the certainty that you know as much as any really good recent law graduate. This means you will be able to make progress as quickly as the rest of your cohort on your chosen SQE1 preparation course.
How do you identify good GDLs on the market?
The first thing to note when searching for a good GDL is that it will normally include study of at least the seven foundation legal subjects. These are contract law, criminal law, tort law, land law, public law (inc EU Law) and trusts.
You should also bear in mind that some institutions offer very traditional type GDLs and some offer less traditional courses which may be wholly or partly online programmes.
Some of the more traditional GDLs are offered by institutions such as City St George’s, University of London, London Metropolitan University, University of East Anglia and Cardiff University. Additionally, some institutions such as BPP and the University of Law offer both face to face and online courses. The online option at these institutions includes live lectures.
These traditional type courses are usually offered by recognised institutions and should incorporate sufficient knowledge and training to allow you to fill the necessary gaps. If you are considering enrolling in a traditional GDL, use of reviews, ranking tables and forums should help you decide which of the institutions to choose.
When considering non-traditional type courses, it is important to confirm if opportunities will be created for your work to be assessed, for you to receive feedback on it and for you to engage in discussions with other learners. The College of Legal Practice’s online GDL for example, not only includes watching and listening to recorded lessons, but the programme does offer opportunities for students to have contact with tutors through live online workshops which should allow you to discuss and analyse key legal issues with other students and your tutor.
You may find that some GDLs incorporate multiple choice single best answer exams as part of their assessments. One such institution is The University of Law. This will be beneficial as SQE1 includes examination through single best multiple choice questions. However, if an institution is not offering this specific type of assessment, it does not mean their GDL will not be useful to you. A good GDL helps you to fill both the knowledge and skills gap. These gaps can be filled through various other assessment methods.
To find out more about different GDLs on the market, their prices and what is included in their offerings, watch this video.