The facts
Location: Gray's Inn, London
Number of LPC places: 176 FT
Number of Bar Course (BVC) places: 380 FT, 60 PT
LPC fees (2020/21): £14,750
BVC fees (2020/21): £18,500
Graduates say...
“The quality of the teaching convinced me to stay for the LPC.”
“I think City is perhaps more geared towards barristers. I was in the minority that opted for the solicitor route from the GDL. The LPC was straightforward, practical and hands on.”
“There's a clear timetable, and they give you two clear days off each week, which you can use for study, or to do mini-pupillages or work.”
Chambers says...
You certainly get bang for your buck at City, but you'll have to pay quite a few bucks, and beat out a fair few applicants, to get in. It's the Grand Old Man of Bar schools, with impressive academics, one-to-one advocacy sessions and a hard-to-beat location surrounded by barristers' chambers. Although its LPC is less famous, it offers would-be students an enviable level of personal attention and small class sizes. Both courses emphasise learning by doing, and there's a range of pro bono and extra-curricular activities to help sharpen your edge. Students with the travel bug can even volunteer in South Africa!