Different class

This year sees Nottingham Law School, the Oxford Institute of Legal Practice and BPP Law School all offering the controversial new legal practice course (LPC) aimed predominantly at City practice.

Never to be outdone, the College of Law - snubbed by the City consortium - has opened the doors of a new Birmingham branch.The new LPC emerged from an eight-firm consortium - Allen & Overy, Clifford Chance, Freshfields, Herbert Smith, Linklaters, Lovells, Norton Rose and Slaughter and May - and was criticised by the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Woolf, for elitism.The Law Society approved the course, subject to three conditions: intake at colleges can only be reserved for up to 60% of trainees from the consortium; ongoing monitoring to avoid discrimination; and assessment levels must continue to track the mainstream LPC.Nottingham Law School's dean and chief executive, Peter Jones, says the accusations of elitism arose from a misunderstanding of what the course is about.He says: 'Although the firms concerned all had clear ideas about what the course should contain, it was never a course exclusive to those eight firms.'As far as our compulsory subjects are concerned, all our students will study them, it is only when they get to the elective stage that the students going to those eight firms will pursue corporate electives.

But those going to other law firms can study the same electives.'The title "City LPC" is a mis-description.

It's not just designed for a City audience.

The course will deal with the fundamentals that are necessary for trainees going into any large law firm with a commercial and corporate base.'However, the new LPC has sent shock-waves through legal training and signals a determination from the main recruiters - large law firms - that the huge amounts they spend in sponsorship money on students will deliver them trainees with the skills they require.The Law Society recently launched a consultation paper aimed at identifying the common skills that all would-be solicitors should have and the Society's director of legal education and training, Roger Smith, admits this has arisen, in part, in response to the City firms setting up this course.'What it has forced us to do is look again at the LPC, having in mind the demands of the firms that take a large number of trainees.

'This consultation is to be a two-stage exercise: we must sort out a theoretical level which we want all solicitors to reach and then look at the existing provisions and see how they need to be changed to achieve that,' says Smith.'We have historically focused on what ought to be taught rather than on the outcome of the teaching.

If we can identify the common skills expected from all, we can be more relaxed about how they are taught.'The consultation - which will culminate in a conference on 5 October - will also focus on law degrees.

Mr Smith says: 'The profession's view of the law degree is quite critical.

Most higher education has seen a massive change and although accusations of "dumbing down" might not be correct, there has certainly been a diminution in the teaching each student gets with larger seminar groups.'The Law Society and the Bar are quite concerned about the quality of law degrees, with law firms saying that students are finding it hard to identify and manipulate basic concepts of law, which is clearly a problem.

We are actively contemplating what we can do to combat this.'Nigel Savage, the College of Law's chief executive, says: 'The problem is that most of the people taking law degrees don't want to be lawyers.

Universities say they have an obligation to those who are not going to be lawyers but I say they have an obligation to society to train those who are going to be lawyers.' Judith Willis, an LPC lecturer at London Guildhall University, chairs the University Providers Association (UPA) - an organisation set up to combat elitism, give voice to smaller LPC providers and share best practice.The UPA, she says, sees the City LPC as an opportunity, not a threat.

'In the past, the agenda for training solicitors at LPC stage was driven by what City firms required.

Now they have their own course, this will allow other courses to explore individualism.

We are all capable of training people for City life but now the rest of us can also look more creatively at what we might do for people who won't go to the City.'She admits that some smaller universities are struggling at present to fill the spaces they have.

'Some courses are finding it hard, it depends on the locale.

Universities in London seem to be all right, as to those outside London, some are and some aren't.'The strugglers should perhaps pray for a recession: US law schools have seen an 18.6% rise in intake in the past year.

As Mr Savage explains: 'As we move into recession more will go into law because it's seen as safe.

Law firms carry on recruiting.

We are already seeing our CPE numbers rising.'He adds: 'Some university providers are struggling because of the new funding system.

In general LPC providers tend to be new universities and they are struggling with overall student numbers.'Mr Savage says all the College of Law's branches are full this year - apart from the newly opened Birmingham branch which has filled only 300 of its 600 possible spaces.The director of the new branch, John James, explains: 'We didn't push it too hard because we only had a building site until quite recently and it would have been pretty difficult to persuade people to come.'We have spent 7 million buying and refurbishing it and have modern IT equipment.

Now we have that, we are looking to take numbers up to 500 next year and 600 the year after that.'Mr James says the Birmingham course was designed in close consultation with local law firms.

'The top law firms are actively participating with the college in developing commercial awareness programmes which will fit side by side with the LPC and the CPE.'A lot of law firms complain that people don't hit the ground running when they join a firm even though they have excellent qualifications and training at law schools.'He says the programmes - which will focus on issues such as client care and expectations - will make students more marketable in getting a training contract, as will the college's intention to invite local firms to meet its students informally.

'We want to create effectively a marriage bureau, putting together firms with students in a non-challenging way.'Birmingham also has a purpose-built pro bono unit for which Wragge & Co will provide trained solicitors to oversee pairs of students offering advice to the local community.Mr Smith says the Law Society supports the move towards pro bono in law schools but notes: 'The question is whether we should make it compulsory.'He adds that the use of virtual learning - where students can download courses from the Internet - is likely to increase.

'The potential of the technology is clearly there although at present there are issues about the content.

People also find it hard to concentrate on screen learning for more than 25 minutes.'Mr James predicts that in the next few years, law firm demand will mean trainees will go straight from university into firms and develop their training through on-line or intensive training courses.'They want to mould them to what they want.

They want them juicier.

It will mirror the accountancy profession - the law firms won't lose them for long periods of time.'However, Mr Smith says: 'The LPC is so well established now and I think it is a good course.

I think you are more likely to see more use made of the part-time course, which will allow people to combine their LPC with their training contract.'One thing appears certain: recent rumours that the LPC and Bar Vocational Course may one day merge are without substance.

Says Mr Smith: 'We have had no discussions with the Bar on this.

There is no truth in it and as director of legal education, I think I'd know.'Lucy Hickman is a freelance writer