How do conversion courses work?

Jan 04, 2024

Written By Natasha Jones

Want to be a lawyer but don’t have a law degree? You can kickstart your career in law with a law conversion course.

What is a law conversion course?

A law conversion course is a postgraduate course designed for non-law graduates looking to make the transition into legal study and/or graduates who have a non-qualifying law degree. Persons holding other academic or vocational qualifications equivalent to a degree can also complete a law conversion. Officially called the ‘Common Professional Examination’ by the SRA (the regulatory body for solicitors in England and Wales), providers have discretion to choose their own award name. The most common name previously was the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL), although this has now been phased out in favour of the Postgraduate Diploma in Law (PGDL).

These courses are intense programmes that cover the foundations of legal knowledge, condensing the three-year LLB course into one year if studied full time (or two years part time). The foundations of legal knowledge are:

- Public Law (including Constitutional Law, Administrative Law and Human Rights)

- Law of the European Union

- Criminal Law

- Obligations (including Contract, Restitution and Tort)

- Property Law

- Equity and the Law of Trusts

After completing a law conversion course, you can continue on the path to train as either a solicitor or a barrister in England and Wales.

Aspiring solicitors

Aspiring solicitors, take note. As of 1 September 2021, the route to qualifying as a solicitor changed. To qualify under the ‘old route’, it was vital to have either a qualifying law degree or complete a law conversion course. Aspiring solicitors also had to:

- Pass the Legal Practice Course (LPC)

- Undertake a two-year training contract

- Pass the Professional Skills Course (PSC)

- Meet the SRA’s character and suitability requirements

However, it is now only possible to pursue this route if you accept an offer of a place on a qualifying law degree by 21 September 2021 or on a law conversion course by 1 September 2021. Aspiring solicitors who had not accepted an offer of a place by the cut-off date must pursue the new route to qualification – the Solicitor’s Qualifying Examination (SQE).

Under the SQE route, aspiring solicitors can have a degree (or equivalent qualification) in any subject, as long as they also:

- Have two years of full-time (or equivalent) qualifying work experience

- Pass the SQE assessments (SQE1 and SQE2)

- Meet the SRA’s character and suitability requirements

The requirement for those without a qualifying law degree to study a law conversion course is therefore removed under the SQE route. Candidates are given much more flexibility as to how they prepare for the SQE assessments.

Having said that, candidates can still choose to study a law conversion course such as the PGDL if they so wish. They might also wish to progress onto additional courses designed to further prepare them for the SQE assessments.

Aspiring barristers

To become a barrister, candidates must complete the ‘academic component’ of training.

The academic component of training to become a barrister involves studying either a qualifying law degree or completing a law conversion course. Aspiring barristers must pursue a law conversion course if their degree is in a non-law subject, their qualifying law degree was completed more than five years ago, or their degree was not a qualifying law degree.

Usually, upon completing the academic component, candidates then progress to the ‘vocational component’ of training.

Do I need to complete a law conversion course?

To summarise, if you want to become a solicitor but did not accept an offer of a place on a law conversion course by 1 September 2021, then it is no longer a requirement for you to undertake a conversion course. You can still choose to, but you can also explore other available courses designed to prepare you for the SQE assessments.

If you want to become a barrister, but studied a non-law subject, a non-qualifying law degree, or it has been more than five years since you completed your law degree, you must pursue a law conversion course.

Law Conversion Course