Graduate Diploma in Law

Course Details

GDL

If you’re looking to make the change into legal study and already have an undergraduate degree in another discipline then our GDL is your pathway into legal practice.

Many employers favour GDL students in an increasingly competitive legal job market. Through studying another degree subject, and building your career in another discipline, you will have gained many transferable skills. By choosing law at a later stage than some others, you are showing motivation and determination to pursue a new career. Employers actively seek candidates with these benefits.

When you study the GDL with us you will:

• Learn to think like a lawyer and develop practical legal skills through small group workshops and problem-based learning
• Be ready to complete your legal training and go on to study the LPC or BPC
• Explore an area of law that interests you via your own Research Project or our unique Law of Organisations module
• Spread out your study and exams with our structured modular study pattern, so you can focus on key areas each semester and complete exams as you go, instead of all at the end of the year
• Enjoy flexible study – choose to study full-time or part-time at one of our locations nationwide, or online
• Receive access to our award-winning careers support to help you with your training contract and pupillage applications
• Be taught by qualified lawyers, with lectures and practical workshops to develop your legal skills

What is modular study?

Our GDL is modular. This means that you complete the exam for each module at the end of the semester while the information is still fresh in your mind, similar to how you might have done for your undergraduate degree.

Successful completion of the GDL then qualifies you to proceed on to the LPC or BPC to qualify as a solicitor or barrister, respectively.

Important Information

Progression for September 2019 and January 2020 students (GDL and MA Law)

Due to the projected end date of some of our courses, you may not be eligible to commence the Bar Practice Course (BPC) or Legal Practice Course (LPC) in September 2020.

Please note: If you require a visa to study in the UK and wish to progress on to one of our on-campus vocational courses, please refer to our UK visa requirements page for information about Tier 4 visas and progression.

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Programme Demands

This document explains the demands of the course in order to assess your ability for the course.

Download GDL full-time programme demands ➔

Download GDL part-time programme demands ➔

Course Structure

Required pre-course study

Before you start your GDL you will need to complete our online pre-course study programme on legal method (approximately 40 – 50 hours), designed specifically to prepare you for the GDL, so you're up to speed when you arrive.

Introductory module

Ethics and Professional Legal Practice

This module is taken at the start of the course. It includes:

• Insight into the different areas of the legal profession
• Consideration of the role of legal ethics within the profession
• Development of key legal skills and professional attributes required by lawyers

Foundation modules

There are seven key areas of law that you’ll study over the course:

• Public Law
• European Union Law
• Criminal Law
• Tort
• Contract Law
• Land Law
• Equity and Trusts Law

Research Study Options

Choose one:

Research Project

In this module you will plan, research and write an essay, tailored to reflect the area of law in which you intend to specialise. You will have time dedicated in your timetable to undertake this work and detailed guidance on both legal research and legal essay writing skills.

Law of Organisations

This module is for students intending to practise as a solicitor in a corporate law practice and is offered as an alternative to the Research Project module. In this module you will study the principles of contract and corporate law that underpin the creation and running of business organisations. The module will develop your legal research skills through the preparation of a legal report on an allocated problem-based question. On the full-time course, this module will be taught through face-to-face workshops and on the part-time course this module will be studied online.

What about the SQE?

Legal qualification will be changing in 2021. Get the latest insight into how this may affect you.

Find out more

Course Start Dates

September 2020

• Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL)
  • Full-time: Birmingham, Bristol, Chester, Exeter, Guildford, Hong Kong, Leeds, Liverpool, London Bloomsbury, London Moorgate, Manchester, Nottingham, Online (Hong Kong), Reading and Sheffield
  • Part-time: Online (Hong Kong)
  • Part-time Evening: Birmingham, Hong Kong, London Bloomsbury and London Moorgate
  • Part-time Weekend: Birmingham, Bristol, Guildford, London Bloomsbury, Manchester and Nottingham

January 2021

• Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL)
  • Full-time: Birmingham, Bristol, Exeter, Guildford, Hong Kong, Leeds, Liverpool, London Bloomsbury, London Moorgate, Manchester, Nottingham, Online (Hong Kong), Reading and Sheffield
  • Part-time: Online (Hong Kong)
  • Part-time Evening: Hong Kong and London Bloomsbury
  • Part-time Weekend: Hong Kong, London Bloomsbury and Manchester

September 2021

• Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL)
  • Full-time: Birmingham, Bristol, Chester, Exeter, Guildford, Hong Kong, Leeds, Liverpool, London Bloomsbury, London Moorgate, Manchester, Nottingham, Online (Hong Kong) and Reading
  • Part-time: Online (Hong Kong)
  • Part-time Evening: Birmingham, Hong Kong, Leeds, London Bloomsbury, London Moorgate and Reading
  • Part-time Weekend: Birmingham, Bristol, Chester, Guildford, London Bloomsbury, Manchester and Nottingham