West Midlands Welcomes its First Bar Course at the College of Law, Birmingham

January 15 2008

The College of Law, Birmingham, welcomed its first intake of Bar Vocational Course (BVC) students this month.  This will be the first time that aspiring barristers have been able to study in the West Midlands for the Bar qualification.

To celebrate this further development in the range of courses offered by The College of Law, Birmingham, a drinks evening was held in the College's impressive library.  The event was attended by a wide variety of students, tutors, barristers and solicitors, who enjoyed food and drink, and music by the Dan Nicholls jazz band.

The Honourable Mr Justice Treacy addressed the audience and Professor Bernardette Griffin thanked people for coming; 'We are delighted to be delivering the BVC and meeting the needs of the Midlands legal community. The support from the Midlands Chambers, the judiciary and the legal community has been tremendous and with this input from practice students will be receiving excellent experience whilst on the course'.

The College's BVC has been designed by practitioners to resemble practice as closely as possible and students have the opportunity to participate in practice related activities such as mock trials, and the College's award winning pro bono scheme.

The BVC tutors are all legally qualified from a wide variety of backgrounds, all with a wealth of legal experience and some are still practicing as well as teaching. Anna-Rose Landes, head of the BVC Birmingham who has practiced as a barrister in Birmingham believes 'The practical knowledge that the tutors can bring to the workshops is invaluable. Students learn in small close-knit training groups with classrooms set up as courtrooms to mirror practice'. The students have access to a dedicated BVC resources room equipped with PCs and the full range of BVC course materials and text books, enabling them to dedicate essential time and energy to their studies, in a supportive learning environment.

Students at the College also have the benefit of an interactive online learning support system which not only provides online access to materials but also enables students to test themselves and receive feedback online from anywhere they can access the internet.

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