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BPTC: Why study at MMU?

  • State-of-the-art facilities in the new School of Law building

  • Friendly supportive staff who are all qualified barristers

  • Close links with the Northern Circuit

  • Mentoring involving the Northern Circuit

  • Particular emphasis placed on advocacy training – weekly classes in groups of six supplemented by weekly Additional Advocacy Classes provided by members of the Northern Circuit

  • Innovative additional professional programme

  • Good staff/student ratio

  • Particular emphasis placed on providing regular feedback on progress, supportive personal tutor system and careers advice

  • Each student is assigned to a base room which is well equipped with the latest IT and AV facilities. This room becomes the student 'chambers' for the year.

Accommodation

Our state-of-the-art premises at the Sandra Burslem Building contain the very latest in equipment to support learning, including a number of facilities specifically designed with the needs of BPTC students in mind, including the baserooms and mock courtroom, fully equipped for DVD-recording. Most of the BPTC accommodation is conveniently located together on the fourth floor of the building. In addition to the extensive range of paper and online resources in each syndicate room, BPTC students have an additional Resources Area for their exclusive use which houses further copies of many of the most popular practitioner texts as well as additional IT facilities.

IT Facilities

Information Technology is at the heart of the BPTC at MMU. The base rooms are equipped with PCs and there is an additional BPTC IT suite, equipped with further PCs and connection points for lap-top computers. Students use these facilities to prepare for chambers group sessions, to produce assessments and to carry out legal research via CD ROMS, legal databases and the internet. A technical support officer is based in the building to support BPTC students.

Electronic learning on the progamme is supported through the university's online learning system, WebCT. Every student gets their own personal WebCT account on entry to the programme. Students receive online training via WebCT in use of a variety of legal database ensuring our students have the legal research skills they need. There is a collection of oral skills demonstrations on WebCT as well as multiple choice questions in the knowledge areas For the part time course in particular the teaching team make use of alternative teaching and delivery methods to minimise the need for traditional lectures and to allow students greater flexibility in their own time management.

Pastoral Care

We recognise that the BPTC can be an extremely demanding course and we aim to provide pastoral, as well as academic, support to ensure our students experience their year on the BPTC in the right frame of mind. Each chambers group has its own personal tutor who meets with students on a regular basis to monitor progress. Once per term each student has a formal meeting with their personal tutor to review the student's personal appraisal record so that student and tutor can work together to develop a tailored strategy for progress throughout the rest of the course and beyond. The BPTC Director is also available to see students as is the BPTC Pastoral Care Director who has regular "drop-in" sessions. The Student Support System is underpinned by MMU's Student Service facilities which offer access to a wide range of advisory and counselling services.

Having been impressed by the teaching and resources at MMU I applied for a place on the Bar Vocational Course [now BPTC]. The content of the BVC is so different from anything else. At MMU you're encouraged to get stuck in with practical exercises right from day one for the Induction Programme. This helps to break the ice with other students. Group work is a big part of the BVC and you quickly come to rely on your fellow students for constructive criticism and feedback. I think it's especially true for the BVC that the more you put into the course, the more you get out.

- Tom Carter, former BVC student

Careers Support

In the current climate it must be said that successful completion of the BPTC is no guarantee of pupillage. However, the School of Law at MMU has, for many years, provided a comprehensive system of career advice for students contemplating a career in the legal profession. There are regular clinics run by the Schools LPC/BPTC careers advisor and there will be a number of careers events throughout the year covering a wide range of topics such as presentation of your CV, applying for Pupillage both directly to chambers and through the Pupillage Portal, opportunities for employed barristers, and alternative careers advice.

Careers Advice is an important part of the Additional Professional Programme, providing opportunities for talks from practitioners, as well as tutors and careers advisers, on applying for pupillage and beyond.