Common Professional Examination

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.
Please discuss this issue on the talk page or replace this tag with a more specific message.
This article has been tagged since March 2007.

Common Professional Examination (CPE) courses (most of which award a diploma and are thus often titled Graduate Diploma in Law or GDL) allow non-law students in England and Wales to convert to law after university (exceptions exist for non-graduates depending on circumstances). It is commonly known as a 'law conversion course'.

Some law students study for four years (rather than three years, although this is usually only the case for students taking a combined law degree with the LPC, or for those whose courses include study abroad), making it possible for both non-law and law graduates of the same starting year to finish at the same time, with the CPE providing the 'foundations of legal knowledge'. The CPE is regulated by the Law Society of England & Wales with admissions handled through the Central Applications Board. After completing the CPE a graduate must continue onto the Legal Practice Course should they wish to become a solicitor, or the Bar Vocational Course should they wish to become barrister. This course can be taken over one year (full-time), or up to three years (part-time) during evenings or on weekends.

In Hong Kong the CPE is also recognised for the purpose of admitting to the Postgraduate Certificate in Laws (PCLL) course, which is a prerequisite to become a solicitor or barrister in Hong Kong. However CPE graduates are required to take additional conversion courses before the commencement of PCLL course.

The CPE course is offered by the University of Hong Kong's School of Professional and Continuing Education (HKU SPACE) in Hong Kong, jointly with Manchester Metropolitan University. The program is also known as, and completion of the program leads to the awarding of, the Graduate Diploma in English and Hong Kong Law (GDEHKL).

The CPE tends to be offered through private institutions or new universities. The largest course providers are The College of Law and BPP Professional Education, while new universities (such as the Kingston University and University of East Anglia) also offer courses. Tuition varies widely from £2,000 and BPP fees are in excess of £7,000 p.a. for a London full-time CPE, as of [[2007] which makes it the most expensive prvodier of the course in the UK.].