Difference between LLM (SQE preparation course) and MA Law (SQE1)

[Sebasstianprzr]

Hi everyone,

I just wondering whether someone knows what is the difference between an LLM and MA Law. I am a foreign lawyer currently interested in doing an LLM in order to practice as a solicitor in England in the near future. The University of Law offers a programme called MA Law (SQE1) which is a law conversion course and includes an SQE1 Preparation Course. However, I am not really sure what is the weight of an MA in law versus an LLM. Although my goal is to take SQE assessments, I would also like to obtain a Master's degree to enhance my academic record in case I have to return to my country someday. Furthermore, I would like to get a job as a paralegal or something similar before I become a solicitor. Therefore, I would like to know which course to choose. I have reviewed academic LLM programmes and also the LLM Law and Legal Practice: SQE 1 Preparation Course from Nottingham Trent University, so I would like to know whether I should choose one of these programmes or the MA Law (SQE1).

Thanks for your help,

Regards,

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi everyone,

I just wondering whether someone knows what is the difference between an LLM and MA Law. I am a foreign lawyer currently interested in doing an LLM in order to practice as a solicitor in England in the near future. The University of Law offers a programme called MA Law (SQE1) which is a law conversion course and includes an SQE1 Preparation Course. However, I am not really sure what is the weight of an MA in law versus an LLM. Although my goal is to take SQE assessments, I would also like to obtain a Master's degree to enhance my academic record in case I have to return to my country someday. Furthermore, I would like to get a job as a paralegal or something similar before I become a solicitor. Therefore, I would like to know which course to choose. I have reviewed academic LLM programmes and also the LLM Law and Legal Practice: SQE 1 Preparation Course from Nottingham Trent University, so I would like to know whether I should choose one of these programmes or the MA Law (SQE1).

Thanks for your help,

Regards,

You won't need an LLM to practice as a solicitor in England and Wales. You will just need an undergraduate degree (but that doesn't need to be a UK degree).

LLMs tend to be more specialised courses, where you focus on a sub division of law. This isn't always the case though, some universities just badge up postgraduate courses law courses as LLMs to help sell them.

I would expect these two courses to be very similar. They will be built around teaching SQE1 topics to prepare you for the SQE1 assessments, but by labelling them up, they clearly do not expect they will prepare you for SQE2 (which is pretty shocking in my opinion!). If you have studied law at undergraduate level and your jurisdiction is aligned to English law, you may find an SQE1 course fairly straight forward where you have studied similar topics before.

 

[Sebasstianprzr]

Thanks Jessica. I know I do not need an LLM or MA to practice as a solicitor in England and Wales. I just want to do one of them to enhance my CV in case I have to come back to my country someday. That is why I am wondering what is the difference between them. I don't just want to apply to pass the exams, I am also interested in having a degree that I can use (even if only slightly) to apply for jobs before I qualify as a solicitor. That is the whole situation. I am a Colombian lawyer by the way.

Thanks so much.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Thanks Jessica. I know I do not need an LLM or MA to practice as a solicitor in England and Wales. I just want to do one of them to enhance my CV in case I have to come back to my country someday. That is why I am wondering what is the difference between them. I don't just want to apply to pass the exams, I am also interested in having a degree that I can use (even if only slightly) to apply for jobs before I qualify as a solicitor. That is the whole situation. I am a Colombian lawyer by the way.

Thanks so much.

It really won’t matter from a U.K. perspective, so if it is the case that one term has potentially more weight than the other in your home country, then factor that into your decision. But I suspect they are very similar courses just badged up differently.

 

[Jane Smith]

Good points above (and plenty of people do an LLM under the current system with an LPC course just to obtain a student loan in England from the state so it is not really like most other masters).

If I were you I would do the BPP law conversion with SQE1 and 2 preparation course - if your foreign law degree is not common law this course might be wise - https://www.bpp.com/courses/law/postgraduate/sqe. The bigger firms in the City Consortium use BPP.