The Diploma in Legal Practice is a Scottish postgraduate qualification required in order to practise law in Scotland, as either a solicitor or an advocate. It is undertaken after completing undergraduate study and before commencing a traineeship.
The course is intended to provide students with the more practical skills they will require after academic study, comprising compulsory modules in conveyancing, civil court practice, criminal court practice, private client, financial services and related skills, accountancy and professional responsibility, with a choice of either company and commercial or public administration.
Until the start of the 2012/13 academic year, the Diploma attracted a quota of funded places from the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS), set at three hundred. The funding extended to a contribution of around £3,000 towards fees and a means-tested subsistence allowance. Fees for the Diploma are around £6,000.
From 2012/13, as part of a wider review of funding for postgraduate courses, the Scottish Government announced changes to the way in which Postgraduate courses would be funded, including the Diploma in Legal Practice (now known as the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice). Students will now be able to apply to SAAS for a loan of £3,400 towards the cost of tuition. There has been considerable criticism of the Postgraduate funding, in particular that the changes made do not do enough to widen access to the Scottish legal profession.
Read more about Diploma In Legal Practice: Providers
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