Diploma in Professional Legal Practice

[Photo by Robert Steinhauser ]

The Diploma in Professional Legal Practice (DPLP) is a practical transaction- based learning programme which aims to prepare suitably qualified graduates for legal practice in Scotland. The DPLP will satisfy the requirements of Professional Education and Training Stage 1 (PEAT 1) of the professional training programme for solicitors in Scotland. Completion of PEAT 1 is required for entry into the legal profession in Scotland.

The University of Aberdeen is one of seven Scottish universities to offer the DPLP. The Diploma is taught over the academic year (September to April).

The Co-Directors for the DPLP at the University of Aberdeen are Donna McKenzie Skene and Karen Fullerton.

Entry Requirements

A degree in law from a Scottish University or other institution recognised for this purpose by the Senatus Academicus on the recommendation of the Academic Standards Committee (Postgraduate) which includes passes in the Law Society’s professional subjects or equivalent.

Those passes for Aberdeen University graduates are currently: Foundations of Public Law; Criminal Law; Legal System and Method; Civil Liberties; Contract; Non-Contractual Obligations; Commercial Law; Property Law; Commercial Organisations; Family Law; Trusts and Succession; Evidence; Conveyancing; and Revenue Law. Less recent graduates of Aberdeen, graduates of other institutions, and those who have taken the Law Society exams as a pre-Diploma trainee, should produce evidence of passes in equivalent areas.

Admission will be on academic merit based on the marks obtained in the Law Society’s professional subjects at first sitting as moderated (up or down) by the class and type of degree obtained; the overall number of failed subjects at undergraduate level; any other qualifications (undergraduate and/or postgraduate; special circumstances (unless already taken into account internally (e.g. illness, personal factors)); and the possession of a traineeship.

How to apply

In order to apply for admission to the DPLP, you need to do two things:

• Application for admission to a DPLP programme offered by any of the seven institutions (University of Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Robert Gordon, Stirling and Strathclyde) is by a Law Society application form. Paper application forms can be collected from the Law School office ("Reception", room C41, Taylor building). Alternatively copies of the application form are also available for download here:
  • Diploma in Professional Legal Practice Application Form 2011
  • Information Sheet for Diploma in Professional Legal Practice Applicants to Aberdeen University
  • The Law Society of Scotland Guidance Notes for Students 2011
  • The Pritchard Educational Trust Application Form
• In addition to this, if you are applying to the University of Aberdeen, you will need to complete the Aberdeen application form for postgraduate study, which you can download here.

The Law Society application must be submitted via the DPLP co-ordinator in the University at which the applicant has been an undergraduate student of law or, for those who are not such graduates, to the DPLP co-ordinator of the Institution in which it is intended to take the DPLP. The applicant is required to indicate on the application one choice of DPLP provider. Where appropriate, the application is then forwarded to the applicant's choice of provider.

The deadline for submission of completed application forms is 18th April 2011

The DPLP Curriculum at the University of Aberdeen

Induction Week

There is a compulsory one week induction at the beginning of the course.

Semester 1: Compulsory Courses

There are four core courses:

• Conveyancing
• Private Client
• Litigation
• Business Environment and Ethics

Students may only progress to the electives when they have passed all of the core courses.

Semester 2: Electives

Students will be required to take four electives from the following:

• Advanced Civil Litigation
• Contracts
• Corporate Finance and Acquisition
• Dispute Resolution
• Energy Law
• Family Law

Teaching and Learning

As a programme of professional study and performance the learning and teaching methods employed ensure active engagement with ‘real life’ tasks and professional issues within a secure and supportive yet challenging environment.

Transaction based learning is at the centre of learning and teaching on the Diploma. Each course has been designed to include scenarios which mirror situations which students are likely to encounter as trainees. The teaching approach is to coach rather than to provide direct instruction.

Throughout the Diploma a variety of teaching and learning methods are used which have been chosen as the most appropriate to achieve the relevant learning outcome. Thus,

• The majority of classes will take the form of small group seminars. ‘Learning by doing’ is key to acquiring professional skills. Much of the learning on the DPLP centres around student preparation which usually involves preparing material related to a scenario designed to mirror a real life situation. The seminar itself may involve feedback on that particular activity leading on to the next stage in the transaction concerned. The small group seminars are also the forum for role play exercises which allow the student to develop and practice (albeit in a safe environment) key professional skills such as interviewing a client or taking part in a criminal trial. The small group sessions are also the venue for interactive discussions and presentations.
• Many of the initial classes are in the form of workshops which are designed to adopt the ‘tell-show-do-review’ approach.
• Podcasts have in most cases replaced the traditional lecture format. They have been used in order to promote flexibility and to allow the students to access the material at a time of their choosing and as often as they wish.
• It is recognised that students learn from, and with, each other. Group work is introduced via a workshop in induction and built on in the courses.
• There is one self assessed online course which is used on the programme. Appropriate online materials are used to facilitate learning on the courses.
• Given the practical nature of the Diploma, visits (both class and individual) are used as a method of engagement with relevant institutions/bodies.

One of the design features of the programme is the speed of the feedback on both activities and assessments. Generally students will receive feedback at that week’s class following submission of assessment on a Monday.

The effective skills development which is integrative to the Diploma involves carrying out an activity, receiving feedback and reflecting on both the experience and the feedback. The process of reflection is central to moving on to the next stage of skills development. According a Reflective Logbook is required to be completed throughout semester 1 and is an element of assessment. It has been designed as a key learning tool which encourages students to:

• Chart their progress in a variety of skills;
• Reflect on and analyse their achievement of the core and mandatory outcomes;
• Reflect on their development of a sense of professionalism;
• Reflect on their continuing personal development

Contacts

DPLP Co-Directors: Donna McKenzie Skene and Karen Fullerton

Professional Programmes Secretary: Jackie Ewen

Telephone: +44 (0) 1224 272865

Email: dlpenquiries@abdn.ac.uk