Postgraduate Diploma with electives 

Postgraduate Diploma

Postgraduate Certificate

Postgraduate Diploma, Postgraduate Certificate

Postgraduate Diploma with electives , Postgraduate Diploma , Postgraduate Certificate

PSBARE

Core

To be certified as completing the Vocational Component and be awarded the Postgraduate Diploma you will be required to complete 10 compulsory modules described below. 

The Vocational Component 

Elective

 If you choose to complete the LLM or PG Dip (with electives) you will need to complete two additional electives that are drawn from the following specialist areas of practice. Please note that modules will only run if sufficient numbers of students choose them. 

The Specialist Practice Component 

Programme Structure

The Postgraduate Diploma in Bar Vocational Studies with electives is one of a suite of three vocational training programmes for the Bar offered by The City Law School. These routes enable you to choose your path to qualification depending on whether you simply wish to qualify as a Barrister (the Postgraduate Diploma), or whether you wish to enhance your employability and further develop the knowledge and professional skills you have acquired on the Vocational Component of the course by completing two elective modules within a specialist areas of practice of your choice (the Postgraduate Diploma with electives).  You may also wish to gain a full LLM award by completing an article or a Clinical Legal Education project.  
Please note that only the full LLM option is be eligible for the government’s Postgraduate Loan (subject to meeting the relevant personal conditions).  
The programme can be undertaken full-time over one year or part-time over two years.

The accreditation arrangements are set out in the Bar Standards Board's Authorisation Framework for the Approval of Education and Training Organisations and the supporting Guidance for organisations intending to provide vocational Bar training under the Authorisation Framework.  

Accreditation of the programme by the BSB is by submission of an application with supporting documentation and evidence, together with authorisation visits and/or meetings conducted by the Bar Standards Board. Monitoring is through annual reporting; a number of the Vocational Component assessments being set and marked centrally by the Bar Standards Board; and approval of results by External Examiners appointed by the Bar Standards Board. 

Present arguments cogently and succinctly.

Skills

Interpret and evaluate the results of all research, and apply it to the issues identified in order to draw conclusions and present the results clearly and accurately.  

Draft Skeleton arguments which present the relevant facts, law and arguments in a clear, concise and well-structured manner and which comply with all relevant Rules, Practice Directions and other relevant protocols.  

Only accept work which you believe you are competent to undertake and recognise and operate within the limits of your competence, and explain clearly the limits of your competence and knowledge to relevant others and decline to act where the Code requires you to do this.  

Values and attitudes

Identify situations where your integrity and/or independence may be put at risk, including avoiding personal bias, maintaining independence from external pressures and Identifying potential conflicts of interest, and being prepared to withdraw from a case if appropriate. 

Demonstrate practice that shows awareness of your additional responsibilities and professional duties under the Code of Conduct and other rules and regulations in cases involving litigants in person, including duties to the litigant in person, the court and your own client.  

Demonstrate understanding of the specific implications of being a self-employed and an employed barrister 

Write with clarity, accuracy and precision, using correct and appropriate vocabulary, English grammar, spelling and punctuation.  

Communicate effectively in all engagements with others using a range of skills and strategies (including adapting language and non-verbal communication) which responds appropriately to those from diverse backgrounds and which has regard to others’ particular needs and sensitivities created by individual  circumstances, vulnerabilities, objectives, priorities and constraints. 

Demonstrate sound judgments in your work, and take responsibility for them. 

Accurately apply to the matters you are dealing with the law and procedure relevant to advocacy. 

Listen and respond effectively to questions and opposing arguments and use appropriate listening and questioning techniques when obtaining information. 

Take responsibility for your actions and decisions 

Identify the client’s best interests in accordance with the client’s lawful instructions and, subject to para 3.1(c) of the Professional Statement, do not act contrary to the client’s lawful instructions 

Evaluate and synthesise knowledge and understanding of the relevant key concepts and principles of public and private law and the principles of law and rules of procedure and practice specified by the Bar Standards Board.  

Knowledge

Synthesise knowledge of the legal texts, journals, materials, documents and research tools relevant to the matters you are dealing with.  

Examine the range of organisations supporting the administration of justice and their respective roles. 

Identify inconsistencies, ambiguities and gaps in information, and advise how these should be addressed and seek clarification of instructions using appropriate communication skills. 

Effectively exercise appropriate numeracy skills and critically analyse financial and other statistical information. 

Provide clear, concise and accurate advice in writing (or orally) which addresses all relevant legal and factual issues and which takes into account the client’s circumstances and objectives

Use appropriate listening and questioning techniques when obtaining information. 

Ensure you are fully prepared in order to act in the best interests of the client and provide a competent standard of work and service to the client.  

Critically analyse, assess and evaluate all relevant information and key issues and risks including the quality and reliability of information.  

Explain the implications for the conduct of the case and the additional responsibilities owned in circumstances where the client is publicly funded or otherwise not self-funded.  

Speak fluently and articulately, using correct and appropriate vocabulary and English grammar 

Demonstrate effective research skills by using appropriate methods and resources (paper, electronic or other media and/or relevant experts), assessing the quality and relevance of all sources, and ensuring that legal sources are up-to-date. 

Critically evaluate strengths and weaknesses from different parties’ perspectives and manage facts to support the argument or the position. 

Uphold the reputation of the Bar and observe your duty to the court in the administration of justice. 

Be honest in your dealings with others, including about the limits of your knowledge, your experience, qualifications and professional status and ensure that any information you give is accurate, true, and not likely to mislead. 

Apply the law on equality, diversity and discrimination, including being alert to the potential for unconscious bias, to situations that may arise in legal practice, and identify situations where the law has been breached. 

Formulate advice for clients which demonstrates a sound knowledge and understanding of situations where alternative forms of dispute resolution may be appropriate to their given circumstances. 

Draft legally effective court and other legal documents which comply with appropriate formalities, address all relevant legal and factual issues, are clear, concise and accurate and make appropriate use of precedents. 

Critically consider the importance of ensuring you practise with adaptability and flexibility, by being self-aware and self-directed, recognising and acting upon the continual need to maintain and develop your knowledge and skills and develop your competence and performance. 

Reflect on and learn from your own and others performance and achievements and identify strengths and areas for development and take positive steps to address them, and take part in activities that maintain and develop your knowledge and skills. 

Accurately apply relevant legal principles to factual issues and use reliable sources of information to make effective judgments and devise the most appropriate solution taking into account the client’s circumstances, needs, objectives, priorities and any constraints.

Ensure that advice is informed by appropriate analysis, synthesis and evaluation and where appropriate identifies and evaluates the consequences of different options. 

Evaluate the role of different types of witnesses and use appropriate techniques for witness handling, having particular regard to vulnerable witnesses. 

Deploy advocacy skills efficiently and effectively, in compliance with Core Duties, so far as possible, notwithstanding that you may be required to act at short notice or under other legitimate pressure.  

Critically consider the importance of adopting a reflective approach to your work, enabling you to identify errors of judgement, omissions and mistakes, and take appropriate action.  

Understand and exercise your duty to act in the best interests of the client, providing a competent standard of work and service to each client. 

Demonstrate suitable professional practice, politeness and respect in communications and personal interactions with others,  regardless of their differences, background or circumstances. 

Recognise and evaluate any conflict between the client’s best interests and your duty to the court, your obligation to act with honesty and integrity and to maintain your independence 

Demonstrate sound reasoning for all decisions which is supported by relevant evidence, and be able to explain and justify your analysis and evaluation.

Act independently so that your judgment is not influenced by external pressures. 

Identify ethical issues and apply the Code of Conduct and other applicable rules and regulations, relevant guidance and advice in order to reach appropriate solutions.  

Act with the utmost integrity and independence at all times, in the interests of justice, representing clients with courage, perseverance and fearlessness. 

Accurately identify the legal and non-legal issues. 

Demonstrate persuasive oral advocacy skills, by presenting a reasoned argument in a clear, logical, succinct and persuasive way and complying with all relevant formalities. 

Use and cite legal authority appropriately. 

Act ethically and consistently in accordance with regulatory requirements set down by the Bar Standards Board, including the current Code of Conduct (including the Core Duties and their interrelationship) and other applicable rules and regulations and the Professional Statement for Barristers.  

Demonstrate knowledge of appropriate conduct in court. Use the required dress, accepted forms of address, observe formalities of proceedings and follow established conventions and customs in each forum in which you represent clients. 

Critically apply the relevant (and up-to-date) legal principles and rules of procedure and practice to the matters you are dealing with. 

PSBARE - Bar Vocational Studies (with electives)

The Vocational Component  
The compulsory modules on this programme in Advocacy, Civil Litigation &amp; Dispute Resolution, Criminal Litigation, Evidence &amp; Sentencing, Professional Ethics, Opinion Writing, Legal Research and Conference Skills aim to ensure that you have successfully demonstrated sufficient knowledge and understanding of the competencies set out in the Professional Statement for Barristers that are applicable to the vocational stage of training.  You will find the latest version of the Professional Statement for Barristers on the BSB’s website (<a href="http://www.barstandardsboard.org.uk/">www.barstandardsboard.org.uk</a>).The purpose of this part of the programme is to enable you, building on your previous studies of the law, to acquire and develop the skills, knowledge and values you will need in order to be called to the Bar of England and Wales.  
The Vocational Component focuses on the legal and practical knowledge, skills and attributes and the professional and personal values and standards that a barrister must have on “day one” of practice.  These competences have been defined in detail by the Bar Standards Board and are set out in the Professional Statement for Barristers. Successful completion of the compulsory modules will indicate that you have demonstrated these competences to the extent necessary to progress to pupillage or the work-based learning component of training for the Bar of England and Wales. Successful completion of the Vocational Component also enables students from overseas jurisdictions to indicate they have acquired the skills required for the commencement of pupillage at the Bar of England and Wales, thereby assisting them to undertake further training or practice in their home jurisdiction. 
In keeping with its role in training students for the Bar, the Vocational Component concentrates on: 
<ol>
<li>Advocacy training, to equip you for your work as an advocate at all levels of the courts and tribunals in England and Wales; </li>
<li>Advisory work, to equip you with the legal and interpersonal skills necessary for the purpose of providing legal advice to clients, both orally and in writing; and </li>
<li>Specialist drafting work, to equip you with the technical skills necessary to be able to draft a range of documents used in legal practice. </li>
</ol>
Barristers also need to be able to deal with a range of technical procedural and evidential issues in a court-room setting, where points often arise with very little warning. They need to be able to advise on the full range of dispute resolution processes and to act in accordance with the ethical standards laid down by the profession.  On the Vocational Component therefore you will also have compulsory modules dealing with: 
<ol>
<li>Civil Litigation &amp; Dispute Resolution; </li>
<li>Criminal Litigation, Sentencing &amp; Evidence; and </li>
<li>Professional Ethics. </li>
</ol>
You will approach your studies from a range of different perspectives, undertaking legal work (including advocacy, advisory, drafting and theoretical work) in the context of civil and criminal cases on behalf of both claimants/applicants, defendants/respondents and for the prosecution and the defence to broaden your expertise and skills. You will evaluate critically current practice and legal developments across a range of civil and criminal subjects. You will also develop your ability to synthesise a range of legal, procedural, factual, evidential and ethical concepts and materials into a coherent case theory and strategy for conducting claims, disputes, defences and prosecutions on behalf of clients, as well as your ability to provide appropriate critiques of professional skills performances using objective criteria. 
If you successfully complete the Vocational Component (only), you would be awarded the Postgraduate Diploma in Bar Vocational Studies.  
The Specialist Practice Component  
Legal practice has become increasingly specialised over the years, both nationally and internationally. The Professional Statement (paragraph 1.3) requires barristers to have knowledge and understanding of the law and procedure relevant to their area(s) of practice.  In addition to qualifying you for Call to the Bar of England and Wales, the Specialist Practice Component will enable you to develop a critical understanding of the law, procedure and real world insights in two specialist areas of professional practice of your choice and to further develop the skills that a barrister must have within the context of those specialist areas. You will do this by choosing to study two electives, each of 15 credits, in addition to the Vocational Component.  Please note that it may not always be possible to offer all of these electives in any one year.

The Vocational Component: Face-to-face teaching takes place mainly in tutorials (normally 12 students) and small group classes (normally 6 students). You may also have some lectures in larger groups. There are also some one-to-one feedback sessions.  
Small group classes are designed to support the skills and knowledge you will be developing.   
<ul>
<li>Knowledge subjects tend to be based around complex factual and authentic case studies or problem questions. You will work on these in advance of the class, which will then explore the issues raised and how you have applied the relevant principles.  Classes also consider how to develop and construct arguments, organize material, how to assess what the court is likely to do, and how best to advise the client in the circumstances. For the knowledge subjects, we also provide you with an extensive bank of assessment-standard single best answer and multiple choice questions for self-assessment and consolidation and to assist you to prepare effectively for the examinations in these subjects.  </li>
<li>Skills classes tend to be based around authentic simulated case papers which raise issues similar to those you will encounter in junior practice. The emphasis is on the performance of typical tasks undertaken by members of the Bar.  The case papers are designed to enable you to see how cases develop in practice.  Just as happens in real life, you meet some of these cases at various points as they progress through the stages of court proceedings.  While legal research and a sound application of the law remain of crucial importance, the emphasis will also be on the practical application of the law to the facts and the drafting of concise legally and factually accurate documents, advising orally or in writing, or making an advocacy submission or conducting an examination-in-chief or cross-examination of a witness. In the class, you will get feedback on your work. You will be given guidance on how to give constructive comments on the performance of your peers, but the bulk of the feedback is given by your class tutors.  They will be aiming to identify underlying issues in your performance, with guidance on how to improve, and you will be given opportunities to put the guidance into effect.  In this way, you should find that you are able to make steady improvement as you progress through the programme.  </li>
</ul>
Each module is carefully structured and broken down into discrete learning units, with carefully designed online and accessible resources designed to give you as much flexibility as possible in relation to how you learn. These resources may include video, audio, graphical and text-based resources. They will enable you to master the basic elements of each topic or skill, test your knowledge and understanding and prepare effectively for classes. You will also have asynchronous online activities (making use of video, audio and other media) which are carefully designed to: 
<ul>
<li>provide general guidance on how to approach the different modules on the course; </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>help you acquire and assimilate the necessary knowledge you need for the class work that will follow; </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>assist you to prepare effectively for each class; </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>build your skills and knowledge in an effective and incremental way in relation to each module; </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>provide effective consolidation and revision after classes and at other strategic points in the programme; </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>provide you with additional opportunities to practice skills and knowledge and gain feedback. </li>
</ul>
If you choose to study full-time, for the Vocational Component you will typically have around 10 hours of face-to-face teaching each week and asynchronous online activities of around 4 to 6 hours per week.  You will also be expected to do about 25 hours of personal study each week, engaging in reading and research, online activities, writing opinions and drafts and preparing for classes.   Most classes are timetabled between 9am and 6pm.  There may also be some occasional complimentary extra-curricular evening sessions, usually between 6pm and 7pm, which are usually delivered by practitioners.  You will have a regular study day with no classes each week, and we try to timetable classes to create a second study day if this is possible. Study leave, reading weeks, and holidays at Christmas and Easter are incorporated into the teaching programme.   
If you choose to study part-time, the course will be taught over two years. In the first year you will complete the following modules: Criminal Litigation, Evidence &amp; Sentencing, Professional Ethics, Conference Skills, Advocacy: Examination in Chief and Advocacy: Cross Examination.  You will have approximately 4 hours of face to face teaching each week, plus about 10 hours of personal study. 
In the second year you will complete the remaining modules in Civil Litigation &amp; Dispute Resolution, Advocacy: Submissions, Drafting, Opinion Writing and Legal Research.  You will have approximately 6 hours face to face teaching each week, plus about 15 hours of personal study.   
Teaching on the part-time course will take place on weekdays, usually between 9am and 6pm.  You will normally be required to attend classes one day per week in year one and two days per week in year two. 
The teaching period for the Vocational Component typically runs from September to April in the following year. During this time you will study and undertake assessment in the vocational modules.  
The programme therefore: 
<ul>
<li>provides you with opportunities for learning by doing;  </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>requires you to play an active role in the course and to take responsibility for your own learning; </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>requires you to reflect on your own learning; </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>seeks to inculcate a professional approach to work and to develop your knowledge and application of the principles of professional ethics in all aspects of your work; and </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>seeks to provide you with an informed view of a barrister's working life. </li>
</ul>
The Specialist Legal Practice Component  : This component requires you to complete two elective modules.  
You will undertake the electives between April and June. During this period, you will have face-to-face classes of approximately 4 to 6 hours per week and asynchronous online activities of around 4 hours per week which are designed to assist you to gain the relevant knowledge for the classes and to prepare for them effectively. You will also be expected to do about 15 to 20 hours of private study per week researching, reading and preparing for these classes. The classes will be either tutorials (normally 12 students) and or small groups (approximately 6 students), depending on the subject.  
If you are studying part-time you will undertake both your electives at the end of the second year.  Please note that it is likely you will need to attend classes on two half days during this period and that it may not be possible to accommodate preferred teaching days, due to the low numbers of students taking each subject. 
Small group classes are designed to support the knowledge of the law that you will acquire and apply in the context of realistic and authentic case papers, raising issues commonly encountered in practice.  Although the electives will enable you to develop a critical understanding of the law and demonstrate high-quality legal research skills, the focus will be on developing, the professional legal skills and competences that you gained in the vocational modules. You will work on the case papers in advance of the class, which will then explore the issues raised and how you have applied the relevant principles to those issues and you will be given feedback on your work

Curriculum Catalogue

Bar Vocational Studies (with electives) - PG Dip

PSBARE