The Bar Transfer Test is the test for lawyers from overseas jurisdictions transferring to the Bar of England and Wales. The purpose of the Bar Transfer Test (BTT) is to enable candidates who are qualified lawyers to have the opportunity to transfer to the Bar of England and Wales, without having to undergo the full course of education and training as required in the Academic Stage (Qualifying Law Degree or conversion course) and the Vocational Stage (Bar Professional Training Course, ‘BPTC’).

The Bar Transfer Test consists of a maximum of 13 separate assessments, the majority of which are time-constrained formal written examinations, the remainder being oral assessments. The examination papers relate to the knowledge of the Foundation subjects as specified by the Joint Statement and covered in the Qualifying Law Degree (QLD) or the Common Professional Examination (CPE) or Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) and to the knowledge, skills and competencies that are assessed on the BPTC. Together these form the essential components for Call to the Bar of England and Wales. In some circumstances, it may not be necessary for individual candidates to take all papers and oral assessments but candidates are required to demonstrate their ability in all papers that are required. In addition, those candidates sitting the Advocacy assessment are required to attend a compulsory training course at the Test Provider, before undertaking the assessment.

The Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL)/ Common Professional Examination (CPE) is a graduate course which non-law graduates (and law graduates without a qualifying law degree (QLD)) may undertake in order to be eligible to apply for the Vocational Stage of training to qualify as either Solicitors or Barristers. The GDL satisfies the professional body requirements of the academic stage of training for Solicitors and Barristers. The completion of academic requirements will provide students with the required legal knowledge upon which to undertake vocational requirements. Academic requirements must be completed prior to the commencement of vocational training, and can be fulfilled by the completion of either:

  • a qualifying law degree (QLD); or
  • a degree in any other subject, supplemented by an approved GDL course.

The CPE is the title given by the regulatory bodies, and is the professional name of the course. However, organisations are permitted to embed this within their academic award frameworks by giving it an academic title. Many organisations choose to use the title GDL, but this is a discretionary decision for each organisation.

A valuable qualification for both legal and non-legal professionals, the University of London LLM ,offers breadth and flexibility, enabling you to tailor your LLM degree to meet your personal and professional interests, without necessarily specialising in one area of law. The LLM from the University of London International Programmes has been developed by academics within Queen Mary and UCL Law departments, both of which have outstanding reputations.

Each course is divided into four modules and there is a separate exam for each module. For some modules, there are set sequences to guide you through the modules (given under the syllabuses). For others, you decide the order in which you study your chosen modules.

You take the following number of courses and modules:

  • Postgraduate Certificate – five modules from up to four courses.
  • Postgraduate Diploma – ten modules from up to four courses.
  • Master of Laws (LLM) – sixteen modules from four courses.

You can choose whether you would like to cover several areas of the law or specialise in a particular area. It is not essential to indicate your desired specialisation when you register with us and you may wish to change your planned specialisation later in your studies. If you choose to specialise, the name of your specialisation will appear in the final certificate of your award, for example ‘Master of Laws in the specialisation: Computer and Communications Law’ or ‘Postgraduate Diploma in Laws in the specialisation: Maritime Law’. If you would like to specialise in a particular field of law, you need to study a certain number of courses or modules within that specialisation, as follows:

  • Master of Laws (LLM) – three complete courses (12 modules) chosen from one specialisation.
  • Postgraduate Diploma – eight modules chosen from one specialisation.
  • Postgraduate Certificate – four modules chosen from one specialisation.

This LLM by distance learning offers one of the widest choices of modules on the global market, including:

A degree from the University of London is a mark of excellence, respected by employers and universities worldwide. This is because the University of London is one of the world’s leading universities, internationally recognised for its high academic standards. This reputation is based on the outstanding teaching and research of its 17 world-class Colleges and 10 specialist institutes.

Since 1858, University of London degrees have been accessible to students all over the world through the University of London International Programmes. Alumni of the University of London International Programmes have gone on to shape our world. These include seven Nobel Prize winners, leaders of Commonwealth countries, government ministers, renowned authors, academics, judges and business leaders. Today, the University of London International Programmes is truly international in character with over 54,000 students in more than 180 countries.

Academic direction for all of the programmes offered through the University of London International Programmes is provided by Colleges of the University. Academics at these Colleges develop the syllabuses, prepare the study materials, and are responsible for the assessment of students. This means that students benefit from the academic rigour and leading-edge research undertaken by the Colleges. It also helps to ensure that University of London qualifications are of the same high academic standard, however they are achieved.

On successful completion of your studies you will be awarded a University of London degree or diploma. The certificate you receive will state that you were registered with the University of London and will include the name of the University of London College or Colleges that conducted the examinations.

The LLB degree is offered for both Standard Entry and Graduate Entry. You must be registered for a minimum of 30 credits at each level of study. On first registration, you must register to study Common Law Reasoning and Institutions. If you have completed the University of London Certificate of Higher Education in Common Law you may be awarded credit and progress directly to Level 5 and 6.

You receive specially designed learning materials and have access to a significant array of online resources. Please note that online access is a requirement for registration to the LLB. The study materials are designed to guide you through the syllabus for each module and direct your reading of the prescribed textbooks, study packs and Online Library resources.