Westminster Law School (WLS) is the

law school A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...

of the

University of Westminster , mottoeng = The Lord is our Strength , type = Public , established = 1838: Royal Polytechnic Institution 1891: Polytechnic-Regent Street 1970: Polytechnic of Central London 1992: University of Westminster , endowment = £5.1 million ...

. Located at Little Titchfield Street near

Regent Street Regent Street is a major shopping street in the West End of London. It is named after George, the Prince Regent (later George IV) and was laid out under the direction of the architect John Nash and James Burton. It runs from Waterloo Place ...

central London Central London is the innermost part of London, in England, spanning several boroughs. Over time, a number of definitions have been used to define the scope of Central London for statistics, urban planning and local government. Its characteris ...

. It awards

LLB Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

LLM A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...

and PhD degrees, and also provides professional legal education including the

Graduate Diploma in Law The Graduate Diploma in Law/Postgraduate Diploma in Law/Common Professional Examination (GDL/PGDL/CPE) is a postgraduate law course in England and Wales that is taken by non-law graduates (graduates who have a degree in a discipline that is not la ...

conversion course, the

Legal Practice Course The Legal Practice Course (LPC)also known as the Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practiceis a postgraduate course and the final educational stage for becoming a solicitor in England, Wales and Australia (where it is commonly known as "practical l ...

, for intending

solicitors 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 ...

, and the

Bar Professional Training Course The Bar Professional Training Course or BPTC is a postgraduate course which allows law graduates to be named and practise as barristers in England and Wales. The eight institutes that run the BPTC along with the four prestigious Inns of Court a ...

for intending

barristers A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

History

WLS was founded when Westminster gained university status in 1992. Professional legal training can be traced back to its antecedent institutes, the Holborn College of Law, Languages and Commerce, which was founded in 1960, and which was later designated the

Polytechnic of Central London , mottoeng = The Lord is our Strength , type = Public , established = 1838: Royal Polytechnic Institution 1891: Polytechnic-Regent Street 1970: Polytechnic of Central London 1992: University of Westminster , endowment = £5.1 million ...

, until that in turn became the

. The Law Faculty of the Polytechnic was located at

Red Lion Square Red Lion Square is a small square in Holborn, London. The square was laid out in 1684 by Nicholas Barbon, taking its name from the Red Lion Inn. According to some sources, the bodies of three regicides—Oliver Cromwell, John Bradshaw and Hen ...

, London.

Academic and professional courses

The school offers education at all levels of legal qualification, including a three-year undergraduate

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

(LLB) programme, a two-year Graduate Entry LLB degree programme, a one-year Masters of Law (LLM) and the

(GDL) course (formerly known as the Common Professional Examination). The school teaches the

(BPTC) for intending barristers, and the

(LPC) for intending

. Students who successfully complete the BPTC or LPC are awarded a

Postgraduate Diploma A postgraduate diploma (PgD, PgDip, PGDip, PG Dip., PGD, Dipl. PG, PDE) is a postgraduate qualification awarded after a university degree, which supplements the original degree and awards them with a graduate diploma. Countries that award postg ...

. The School provides both BPTC and LPC students with the ability to apply for an LL.M. degree with an additional dissertation to be completed over the summer.

BPTC Association

The purpose of the BPTC Association is to provide parties and social activities for those students at Westminster Law School reading for the Bar. The School provides the BPTC Association with funds for the purpose of undertaking this task. All BPTC students are automatically members of the BPTC Association. The Committee Officers are the President, Vice President, Social Secretary and Treasurer, all of which are elected by the BPTC students.

Student activities

Westminster Law Society is a student led society at the University of Westminster that caters for social and professional events aimed at both Law and non-Law students. It is one of the largest societies at the university. The current Head of Westminster Law School i
Professor Luke Mason
In 2016, Professor Lisa Webley, who teaches Empirical Legal Studies, was awarded the ''Law Teacher of the Year'' award. Professor Andreas Philippopoulos-Mihalopoulos and Professor Luke Mason of Westminster Law School have also previously won this award.

References

External links

Westminster Law School
Education in London Law schools in England Professional education in London University of Westminster {{UK-edu-stub