Number of places: 150 FT, 100 PT

Fees (2011/12):£8,880

Northumbria University has run a pioneering programme of work-based learning on its LPC for the last few years in the form of its Student Law Office (SLO). This makes up part of the elective stage of the LPC and is an ever-popular choice among students, who hand in a portfolio of real work experiences – on which they are assessed – at the end of the course. “You get real mini-office experience,” say students, “taking client queries, covering the basics of a case and doing file management.” Students advising SLO clients find themselves drafting court documents, briefing barristers and generally experiencing all aspects of a case.

Full-time LPC students initially choose between a commercial or general route LPC at Stage One. They can opt for teaching over two or four days a week with one lecture, two workshops and one small group session per subject. The school places an emphasis on face-to-face teaching, with workshops and small groups accommodating around 18 students. Students enthused about the teaching, saying: “Tutors are in part-time practice so they're all on the ball – we got the best quality teaching, and they could give us tips of the trade. They were really supportive as well.” There’s a good selection of general practice and commercial electives, with guest lecturers from local firms holding sessions on a regular basis.

Those who don’t want to use up an elective on the SLO can get involved in Streetlaw, working in conjunction with law firm Eversheds. The school runs a top-up LLM for successful LPC students, and the school has careers advice on offer from both a dedicated LPC adviser and the university’s careers team. It offers students a guaranteed legal placement or professional mentor at law firms in the region, in-house or with local authorities. To increase the chances of students turning these opportunities into real jobs, Northumbria organises an optional 'law as a business' module that runs alongside the electives in Stage Two. It covers issues such as 'the current and future legal landscape', 'profitability and financial management of law firms' and 'looking after clients'.

Northumbria has long been known as a good place to take an exempting degree that incorporates LPC teaching into a five-year undergraduate law course. This gives a very practical emphasis to the study of law, including a compulsory stint in the SLO, and those trainees who’ve spoken to us about the course have rated it highly. An active social life awaits students here, be it through sport, mooting or pub crawls.