The Academic Stage is the first part of training for the Bar and consists of a "Qualifying Law Degree" or a Degree in another subject supplemented by the Common Professional Examination (CPE) or an approved Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) course.
The Academic Stage is designed to ensure that the student has a basic body of legal knowledge, which may be assumed and built upon at the Vocational Stage (BVC). Students should note however that neither entry to a Law Degree or the CPE/GDL, nor successful completion thereof, is a guarantee of progress onto the Bar Vocational Course for intending Barristers.
The standard requirement for completion of the Academic Stage is a II(ii) UK Honours Degree or its equivalent; this applies to Law and Non-Law Degrees alike. Under the Consolidated Regulations of the Inns of Court and the General Council of the Bar, Professional Qualifications may not be accepted in lieu of this requirement.
In addition to the II(ii) minimum requirement, students must study the seven Foundations of Legal Knowledge, which now form the Academic Stage of Legal Education and which are compulsory for professional exemption purposes where students are seeking to enter the Vocational Stage of Legal Education and Training.
The seven Foundation subjects are: Obligations I (Contract), Obligations II (Tort), Criminal Law, Equity and the Law of Trusts, the Law of the European Union, Property Law (Land Law) and Public Law (Constitutional and Administrative Law). In addition, students will also be expected to have appropriate expertise in Legal Research Skills, The English Legal System and Another Area of Legal Study.
If you would like a copy of the CPE/GDL Handbook, or a list of CPE/GDL courses, please visit The Central Applications Board website at www.lawcabs.ac.uk
Contacts:
Stephen Behr - Training Regulations Officer (Academic Stage)
Lucy Mersh - Training Regulations Assistant
