Students will begin studying 'new style', more flexible legal practice courses (LPCs) by the start of the academic year 2008/09, after a timetable was set this week for introducing the first changes agreed in the training framework review.

The LPC will still be compulsory under the new rules, but students will be able to apply for exemptions from parts of the course where they have already passed relevant exams or assessments.


It will also be possible to study the elective elements of the course independently of the core elements, so that they may be studied at different times, and potentially with different providers.


The key skills of writing and drafting, interviewing and advising clients and conducting research will be assessed in the context of each of the core practice areas of property, litigation, and business law and practice. While this will increase the burden on students, it is intended to emphasise the importance of those skills.


The Law Society's Regulation Board will not set detailed criteria on course content for LPC providers. However, providers will need to show that their courses will be well structured, delivered and assessed before they will be authorised to offer the course.


Regulation Board chairman Peter Williamson said: 'These are the first changes that stem from the training framework review. We hope this new flexibility will be welcomed by the course providers and students and are interested in their comments.'