The University of Law (ULaw) has announced the purchase of Central Law Training Scotland (CLT Scotland) from Wilmington plc giving the UK’s longest established specialist provider of legal education a presence in Scotland for the first time.
With nine campuses across England, as well as an online campus and provision of courses through six other UK universities, ULaw is now set to transition CLT Scotland into its first Scottish operation over the next 18 months. The deal sees ULaw acquire one of the two main providers of professional development courses in the Scottish jurisdiction.
CLT Scotland currently operates principally in providing continued professional development (CPD) courses to Scottish solicitors and trainees and, accredited courses to the paralegal sector, all designed to aid the future generation of legal practitioners.
Combining CLT Scotland’s experience in the Scottish market, and in particular in paralegal operations, with ULaw’s wealth of teaching resources and expertise, will provide first class content and ensure a wide range of legal courses are available to the legal profession in Scotland.
As part of the share purchase, ULaw is retaining the CLT Scotland team and will implement a smooth and gradual transition over the coming months, which will see CLT Scotland adopt the ULaw brand.
Professor Andrea Nollent, Vice Chancellor and CEO at The University of Law, commented: “This is a hugely exciting opportunity for our University, giving us an important presence in Scotland with a well-known provider in the market. We are confident this agreement will be very beneficial for both parties, allowing us to pool our resources to expand both the range and quality of the courses we offer.
“It is important to make a gradual transition to ensure all the valuable aspects of CLT Scotland are incorporated under the ULaw banner. Our intention is for the business to initially continue to run as it is and we will gradually integrate it into the University over roughly the first 18 months, adapting branding, employee contracts and courses.”
“We’d like to thank the Wilmington Group for its support in facilitating this deal and are confident of bringing the very best opportunities for legal education to students in Scotland.”
Mark Milner, CEO of Wilmington plc, added: “We are pleased to have found a great new home for CLT Scotland within The University of Law. CLT Scotland has been an integral part of Wilmington plc for many years and we wish them the very best for the future.”