Qualifi Level 7 Diploma in Law

Is it worth it taking this qualification?

With the new route to become a solicitor in the UK, one doesn’t need to have a degree in law. I already have a non-legal degree and at least 3 years experience in the legal sector.

I’d like to sit the SQE exams. Along side SQE prep courses, I thought it might be also good to take a qualification focused on Law. GDL and conversion courses are expensive and I don’t want to incur loans.

Is it worth it taking the Qualifi Level 7 diploma in law? Has anyone enrolled or taken this course? It’s only 900 Pounds or so.

Thank you! ◡̈

Reply 1

Stiffy Byng

As far as I know, a person has never needed a degree in law in order to qualify as a solicitor or barrister. You don't need a PGDL in order to do the SQE, but some law firms currently prefer non-law graduate applicants to do a PGDL before doing the SQE.

I've never heard of the Diploma you mention. At 900 quid it sounds like it might be a bit bargain basement. One of the problems with the law (and indeed life in general) is that you get what you pay for. Buy cheap, pay twice is often a sound maxim.

In the law, you can have a cheap lawyer, or a good lawyer. Choose one of the two. Is the same true of law schools? In that context, expensive does not always mean good. I think that many of the law schools selling postgraduate legal qualifications charge a lot for not much. But the market allows them to do that.

What does the Diploma you mention cover? I do not suppose that, at 900 quid, it will cover each of the core subjects covered by a PGDL in much detail.

A PGDL is the bones of a three year law degree taken in one year. It provides a foundation for the development of legal skills. I have a non-law degree and a GDL. Decades later, I still rely on what I learned while obtaining that qualification. I confess that I sometimes felt a bit legally under-educated when I first started to practise law (I caught up later). I suggest that you check carefully how much of a grounding in the law the Diploma you mention may provide.

Reply 2

Stiffy Byng

I have looked up that Diploma online. The blurb says -

"This is not a preparatory programme for the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) examinations but is aimed to provide a basis for further legal study and/or training."

It also says -

"The aim is that a specific focus will be placed on career paths leading to careers as solicitors, barristers or other qualified lawyers."

That last bit strikes me as waffle.

Recent Governments have adopted an "all have done well and all shall have prizes" approach to qualifications. These days, you can get a fancy badge if you can write your own name. In some sectors, you are required to have an "I can write my own name" certificate before you can get a job taking out the bins.

Perhaps this Diploma is fab and its provider will successfully undercut the law schools which charge megabucks for PGDLs etc; but perhaps not.