The Diploma in Legal Practice (from its introduction in 1980 until 2012/13) or Diploma in Professional Legal Practice (from 2012/13) is a Scottish postgraduate qualification required in order to practise law in Scotland, as either a

solicitor A solicitor is a legal practitioner who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally-defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and ...

or an

advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. Different countries' legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a barrister or a solicitor. However, ...

. 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 Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) is an Executive agency of the Scottish Government. It supports eligible Scottish students by paying their tuition fees, as well as offering bursaries and supplementary grants. It also assesses students ap ...

(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 range from £6,630 - £7,700. 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, which became the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice. Since the change students may apply to SAAS for a loan (£3,400 ) towards the cost of tuition. There was considerable criticism of the postgraduate funding, in particular that the changes made did not do enough to widen access to the Scottish legal profession.

Providers

the Diploma was offered at: *

University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen ( sco, University o' 'Aiberdeen; abbreviated as ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; gd, Oilthigh Obar Dheathain) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Sc ...

University of Dundee The University of Dundee; . Abbreviated as ''Dund.'' for post-nominals. is a public university, public research university based in Dundee, Scotland. It was founded as a University college#United Kingdom, university college in 1881 with a donation ...

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

The Robert Gordon University Robert Gordon University, commonly called RGU, is a public university in the city of Aberdeen, Scotland. It became a university in 1992, and originated from an educational institution founded in the 18th century by Robert Gordon (philanthropist), ...

University of Strathclyde The University of Strathclyde ( gd, Oilthigh Shrath Chluaidh) is a public research university located in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1796 as the Andersonian Institute, it is Glasgow's second-oldest university, having received its royal chart ...

The University of Stirling stopped offering the course from the start of the 2012/13 academic year

References

{{Legal education in Scotland Scots law Professional certification in law Educational qualifications in Scotland Practice of law 2013 establishments in Scotland