LLM Legal Practice Top-up (distance learning) at Nottingham Trent University

Programme overview

The LLM Legal Practice Top-up is a part-time, fully online Master of Laws that tops up a professional legal qualification or verified professional experience. It is equivalent to 600 hours of study and is completed through a 12,000-word dissertation or an article of publishable quality of around 7,000 words. Accredited prior experiential learning, awarded at the Course Leader's discretion, can account for two-thirds of the LLM.

Faculty: Nottingham Law School | Duration: From 4 to 24 months | Intake: September 2026 / January 2027 / April 2027 | Study mode: distance learning | Location: Nottingham, England, United Kingdom

What you will study

After an online induction covering legal academic writing, methods and online resources, students choose between a dissertation and an article on a topic of their choice, subject to the availability of expert supervision, with personalised guidance on research methods and legal writing through supervision.

Career pathways

The course demonstrates academic ability and specialised knowledge of legal practice, and satisfies CPD requirements for practitioners.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

UK and international applicants: successful completion of the Legal Practice Course, the SQE (1 and 2) or the Barristers Training Course, their precursors or equivalents; members of other legal professions with proof of a professional qualification; applicants with at least two years of verifiable legal professional experience (APEL); legal professionals from other jurisdictions with qualifications equivalent to the LPC or BTC; or those certified by the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Scheme. Applicants are assessed individually on their ability to benefit from the course.

Intake: September 2026 / January 2027 / April 2027

Duration: From 4 to 24 months

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