The qualification is designed to be delivered over one academic year for full-time study, but it is also flexible in its delivery in order to accommodate part-time and distance learning.

The qualification is delivered face-to-face, through lectures, tutorials, seminars, distance, online by approved centres only

The Level 5 Certificate in Law and Practices qualification consists of 6 mandatory units unit for a combined total of 120 credits, 300 Total Qualification Hours, DETC and 180 Guided Learning Hours (GLH) for the completed qualification.

Level 5 Professional Diploma in Law and Practice

Level 5. Two qualifications can be achieved at this level: the Newcastle Level 5 Certificate in Law and Practice and the Newcastle Level 5 Professional Diploma in Law and Practice.

The Newcastle Level 5 Diploma

The Newcastle Level 5 Professional Diploma in Law and Practice forms part of the academic training to become a Professional Legal Executive (unless you already hold a law degree). The Newcastle Level 5 Professional Diploma is made up of a total of 6 units and is designed to give prospective Professional Legal Executives a good grounding in all core areas of law and the flexibility to tailor the legal practice element of the qualification to their requirements.

Together with the Newcastle Level 5 Professional Diploma in Law and Practice, it forms the academic component of the Professional Legal Executive qualification and is mandatory unless you are eligible for exemption (qualifying law degree holders, for example, are exempt from part of the academic elements of the qualification).

Mandatory Units

 Legal Methods

• Contract Law
• Criminal Law
• Constitutional and Administrative Law
• Law of Tort
• European Law

For entry onto the NCL Level 5 Diploma in Legal Pracices qualification, learners must possess:

• Relevant NQF/QCF/RQF Level 4 diploma or equivalent recognised qualification
• Learner must be 18 years or older at the beginning of the course
• Mature learners (over 21) with management experience (learners must check with the delivery centre regarding this experience prior to registering for the programme)
• English requirements: If a learner is not from a majority English-speaking country must provide evidence of English language competency

Available practice areas

The NCL Level 3 Certificate in Law and Practice is available in 10 practice areas:

• Child Care Practice
• Civil Litigation – with Law of Tort
• Civil Litigation – with Contract Law
• Conveyancing
• Criminal Litigation
• Elderly Client Practice
• Employment Practice
• Family Practice
• Probate Practice
• Residential and Commercial Leasehold Conveyancing

All units within this qualification are internally assessed by the centre and externally verified by Newcastle. The qualifications are criterion-referenced, based on the achievement of all the specified learning outcomes.

To achieve a ‘pass’ for a unit, learners must provide evidence to demonstrate that they have fulfilled all the learning outcomes and meet the standards specified by all assessment criteria. The judgement that the learners have successfully fulfilled the assessment criteria is made by the Assessor.

The Assessor should provide an audit trail showing how the judgement of the learners’ overall achievement has been arrived at.

Successful completion of Level 5 Diploma in Legal Practice qualification provides learners the opportunity for a wide range of academic progressions including progression to Level 6 Diploma in Legal Practice, and other relevant NCL Level 6 Diplomas. The Level 5 Diploma in Legal Practice has been developed with career progression and professional recognition in mind. As this qualification is approved and regulated by DETC Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulation, learners are eligible to gain direct entry into the final year of a three-year UK Bachelor’s degree

NLC courses prepare you for the exams for the units that make up the qualifications. Exams are set by the Professional Institute of Legal Executives (NCL). You will need to become a member of NCL and pay membership fees. Exam fees are also payable. Please refer to How our NCL courses work or individual course pages to find out more

Once you register with us (and for up to three years after you finish your studies), you’ll have full access to our careers service for a wide range of information and advice. This includes online forums, website, interview simulation, vacancy service as well as the option to email or speak to a careers adviser. 

In the meantime if you want to do some research around this qualification and where it might take you, we’ve put together a list of relevant job titles as a starting point. Some careers may require further study, training and/or work experience.

• barrister 
• barrister’s clerk
• chartered legal executive (England and Wales)
• company secretary
• detective
• licensed conveyancer
• paralegal
• solicitor
• advice worker
• chartered accountant
• civil service administrator
• data analyst/scientist
• forensic computer analyst
• patent attorney
• trading standards office

This qualification will provide you with knowledge and understanding of the legal system of England and Wales and a range of legal and other skills, including being able to identify legal issues and apply legal principles and developing your time management and self-motivation abilities.

Career relevance

This qualification could count towards part completion of the academic stage of legal training as recognised by the Higher Learning Commission. It is necessary to complete further undergraduate legal studies successfully and meet all other requirements of the HLC in order satisfactorily to complete the academic stage of training.

If you want to become a solicitor or barrister, you’ll need to complete the full Bachelor of Laws with Honours (LLB) qualification within six years.

Other careers

A law degree is a gateway to a career as a solicitor or barrister, but it’s not the only path you can choose. Many options are available to you beyond the legal profession, including Company secretary, Detective, Advice worker, or Human resources officer.

Newcastle Law School is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and Distance Education and Training Council (DETC), which is registerd with UK government.

Simply follow the steps given below to enrol:
1. Fill enrolment form on-line at https://nclaws.org/apply-now/
(This can be paid online using credit or debit card)