The first major overhaul of the legal practice course (LPC) since it started 15 years ago received a positive reception from course providers this week, as the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) released final details of the new course requirements.


The new LPC will allow providers to tailor their courses to particular practice areas, while ensuring students have the 'irreducible minimum' understanding of other core areas.



Scott Slorach, LPC director at the College of Law and a member of the SRA's education and training committee, said the flexibility of the new course would meet the needs of today's fragmented legal market.



Philip Plowden, professor of law and associate dean at Northumbria University, added: 'The profession is used to a one-size-fits-all LPC and practitioners will now have to get used to looking at each student and their individual LPC.'



All courses starting from September 2010 must comply with the new requirements, although providers can choose to provide the new format courses from September 2009.



Jonathan Rayner