Law (SQE1) LLM

The LLM Law (SQE1) at Birkbeck is a professionally focused master's degree designed to combine essential professional preparation alongside internationally recognised, research-led teaching.

As well as offering you the opportunity to follow a specialised pathway, this postgraduate degree allows you to undertake comprehensive preparation for Part 1 of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE1) with expert support from BARBRI, a global leader in professional legal education.

Why choose this course?

* This LLM Law (SQE1) is ideal if you already hold a qualifying law degree (LLB) or a Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) and wish to take the first major step toward qualification as a solicitor.

* With employability at the heart of this course, it is particularly suited to motivated students who want to secure their functioning legal knowledge (FLK) for the SQE1 exam while dedicating significant time to a specialist area of law.

* It will appeal to legal professionals looking to validate their legal knowledge for the SQE1 while gaining a master’s qualification in their specific area of interest. It will also appeal to those seeking a career change.

What will I learn?

This LLM Law teaches you the functioning legal knowledge required for SQE1 alongside a specialist pathway to equip you with a rigorous grounding in black-letter law, expertise in specialist topics, and commercial and contextual awareness.

You can also choose to specialise by taking one of the following pathways:

* Commercial and Business Contexts

* Technology and Sustainable Governance

* International Law, Justice and Human Rights.

Whatever your focus, you will graduate from this course ready to pass the first stage of your solicitor qualification exams and to offer strategic value in your chosen sector.

How will I learn?

This is an intensive course, taught via lectures and seminars, in which you will balance coursework with SQE1 preparation. You will need to be organised, committed, and ready to engage deeply with both black-letter law and advanced academic topics. You will gain access to industry-leading SQE preparation materials and mock assessments.

This course can be taken either full- or part-time, with classes in the evening, and some modules available to study either on campus or online. The SQE preparation module is delivered fully online and asynchronously.

Please note that if you require a Student visa to study in the UK, you will not be able to apply for this course as the online study element may affect the conditions of your visa.

Highlights

* This course offers you the chance to undertake the SQE1 assessment while also gaining a prestigious, specialised LLM degree.

* This course is taught in partnership with BARBRI, to offer students expert professional support in their preparation for the SQE1.

* Birkbeck's Law School is internationally renowned for its pathbreaking theoretical, political and humanities-based scholarship.

Careers and employability

On successful completion of this LLM Law (SQE1) you will have gained an array of transferable skills, including developing your ability to:

* demonstrate self-direction, effective time management and resilience

* apply critical thinking, adaptability and professional judgement.

You will find LLM Law (SQE1) graduates pursuing careers in the following roles:

* Solicitor

* Barrister

* In-house legal counsel

* Paralegal or legal executive

* Compliance or regulatory officer

* Policy adviser or legal policy officer

* Legal researcher or academic

* Legal technology or innovation specialist

* Human rights or NGO legal officer

* Contracts or risk manager

Legal reasoning, research and analytical skills gained from the LLM and SQE training are highly valued within and beyond the legal profession, so graduates may also pursue career paths in areas such as dispute resolution, corporate governance, project management or consultancy.