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APPLICATION FOR A CERTIFICATE OF FULL/PARTIAL EXEMPTION FROM THE ACADEMIC STAGE OF TRAINING FOR THE BAR IN RESPECT OF A DEGREE AWARDED BY A RECOGNISED QUALIFYING LAW DEGREE PROVIDER

Before completing and submitting this form, you must read the accompanying guidance notes in full together with the checklist.

This form must be completed in type or BLOCK capitals.

BPTC Online no: / BSB Database no:
(Office use only)
Full name:
(Please underline family name/surname)
Title: Miss/Mr/Mrs/Ms (Delete as appropriate)
Address:
Daytime telephone no. / Code: / N No:
email address:
(Please print clearly)
Date of birth:
Inn of court (if known):
If you have been offered a place on the BPTC, you must complete the following:
Year:
Institution:
Full-time/part-time/distance learning (Delete as appropriate)

Details of the degree on which full/partial exemption is sought. All dates must be entered in full: ie, 00/00/00.

Degree title:

Degree subject:
Honours/ordinary (Delete as appropriate)
Class of degree:
Name of institution:
Full-time/part-time/distance learning
(Delete as appropriate)
Period of study:
(ie: the dates of commencement and award of the degree)

Details of any other degree(s) held. All dates must be entered in full: ie, 00/00/00.

Degree title:

Degree subject:
Honours/ordinary (Delete as appropriate)
Class of degree:
Name of institution:
Full-time/part-time/distance learning
(Delete as appropriate)
Period of study:
(ie: dates of commencement and award of the degree)


I wish to claim exemption from the following foundations of legal knowledge by virtue of the degree(s) obtained and detailed on page two. You must mark with an ‘x’, in the column second to the right, the subject from which exemption is sought and enter the full date (ie, 00/00/00) on which that assessment was passed under ‘Date passed’. You must not mark subjects which are outstanding: ie, those which you intend to undertake within the CPE/GDL.

Subject

/

Date passed

/

X

/

Subject

/

Date passed

/

X

Obligations I (Contract) /

Public Law

(Constitutional & Administrative Law)
Obligations II (Tort) / Equity & The Law of Trusts

Criminal Law

/
European Union Law
Property Law (Land Law) / Another Area of Legal Study
Title of subject claimed*:
In addition, I wish to claim exemption from the English Legal System
(State the title of this subject as shown on your transcript*):

Institution

/

Subjects

/

From

/

To

Expected/Actual Date of Completion: / Course:
Full-time/part-time/distance learning
(Delete as appropriate)

*You must refer to the section of the guidance notes relating to Another Area of Legal Study and English Legal System before completing these sections.

I intend to complete the Academic Stage of Training for the Bar by passing the CPE/GDL at: (All dates must be entered in full: ie, 00/00/00)

Applicants must be aware that the Bar Professional Training Course cannot be commenced unless and until the Academic Stage of Training for the Bar has been fully and satisfactorily completed.

I declare that:

i) I have read the guidance notes;

ii) The information I have given in this application is complete and true;

iii) Any supporting evidence that I have supplied with this application that refers to third parties has been suitably redacted so as to preserve the anonymity of third parties;

iv) I am submitting this application with the intention of undertaking the Academic Stage of Training for The Bar, and;

v) I consent to my personal data being processed for the purpose of consideration of this application and in accordance with the Bar Council’s Privacy Statement[1]

Signature:

Name:

Date:

You must now refer to the checklist on page seven.


You must forward this pro-forma to your university, requesting that it be completed and signed by the Head of Law, or the Registry Office, then forwarded to the BSB along with your transcript in a sealed envelope over-stamped with the official seal, or stamp, of the awarding university. If, for any reason, your university is unable to sign this pro-forma, you must request the relevant member of academic staff to provide a full explanation for this as your application for exemption cannot be assessed unless and until this pro-forma has been completed and returned, or an explanation, as stated above has been received.

I confirm that ______has passed the foundation(s) of legal knowledge subject(s) indicated below within The University of ______course and that this/these subject(s) have been studied and examined to both the same coverage and level as this/those within a Qualifying Law Degree course at this institution.

Subject

/

Year

Passed

/

Subject

/

Year Passed

Obligations I (Contract) /

Public Law

(Constitutional & Administrative Law)
Obligations II (Tort) / Equity & The Law of Trusts

Criminal Law

/
European Union Law
Property Law (Land Law) / Another Area of Legal Study
Subject Title:
English Legal System

Signature: ______

Name: ______

Position/Job Title: ______

Date: ______

University stamp or seal:

When completed, this form must be submitted with an official transcript (as described in the guidance notes) in a sealed envelope over-stamped with the official seal, or stamp, of the awarding university. Open copies are not acceptable.


THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK.


Checklist

Under the provisions of rQ28.1, a student is not eligible to commence the BPTC unless and until that student has fully and satisfactorily completed the Academic Stage of Training for The Bar, or been granted a waiver to commence the BPTC by the Bar Standards Board; therefore, in order to ensure that this requirement is met, applicants intending to undertake the 2015 BPTC must allow at least eight weeks for the processing of this application.

Before returning this form, you must ensure that you have:

·  Provided a certified copy (please see notes on completing application form) of the relevant documentation, if for any reason, you have changed your family name/surname since your degree qualification(s) were awarded:

·  Enclosed evidence of the degree(s) upon which your full/partial exemption application is based together with evidence of any other degree(s) listed on this form which must be in the form of official transcripts. You must refer to the transcript format requirements section of the guidance notes before submitting transcripts. If necessary, it is acceptable for you to request that these documents are sent directly to the Bar Standards Board (BSB) by the awarding institution; however, the BSB will not contact third parties for this, or any other purpose;

·  Enclosed the completed form on page five from the Head of Law, or the Registry Office, as requested on page nine of the guidance notes;

·  The completed application form, together with the supporting evidence, must be submitted in hard copy, as electronic copies are not acceptable;

·  Indicated the subjects from which exemption is sought, including Another Area of Legal Study and English Legal System, if appropriate;

·  Signed, named and dated the declaration on page four as your application cannot be processed unless this declaration has been fully completed

·  Completed the Equal Opportunities Monitoring form on page 12, and;

·  Provided the fee of £275.00 after referring to the notes on pages 10 and 11.

Unless specifically requested by ticking the box below, any documents provided in support of an application will be destroyed through the BSB’s confidential waste procedures; therefore, do not send original degree/qualification certificates.

You must tick this box if you require your documents to be returned. £

This form must now be returned to:

The Academic Stage Office

The Bar Standards Board

289 - 293 High Holborn

London

WC1V 7HZ

Telephone: (020) 7611 1444 Facsimile: (020) 7611 1332


Guidance Notes

You must retain these notes for your information.

This form and guidance notes are applicable only to students submitting an application by 28 August 2015. If you intend to submit an application after this date, you must contact the Academic Stage Office for a copy of the new form. You must read these notes carefully, in conjunction with the current Academic Stage Book, and the general application guidelines document available to download from www.barstandardsboard.org.uk, before completing and submitting your application.

In every case, the Academic Stage Panel of the Qualifications Committee has the power to request that further information, or documentation, be supplied in support of an application; however, applicants must note that it is the primary responsibility of the applicant to provide all relevant information and supporting evidence rather than the task of the Academic Stage Panel of the Qualifications Committee to request this. Your application cannot be processed where evidence is incomplete; furthermore, the processing period (normally six to eight weeks) runs from the date upon which your application is complete: ie, the date that all necessary evidence has been received by the BSB. Applications are dealt with strictly in order of date of receipt of the complete application.

Submission of an application for a certificate of full/partial exemption from the Academic Stage of Training for the Bar must not be taken as an indication that such an application will be successful.

Should you be granted a Certificate of Full/Partial Exemption from the Academic Stage of Training for the Bar, this will be valid for a period of five years after the award of the degree upon which the application was based; ie, until 31 December of the relevant year.

Introduction

The Academic Stage is the first stage of training for the Bar which is designed to ensure that, in addition to having achieved an appropriate level of academic ability, the student has a basic body of knowledge and understanding of English Law that may be assumed and built upon in the Vocational Stage of Training. The subjects forming the Academic Stage are: Obligations, Criminal Law, Property Law, Public Law, Equity & the Law of Trusts and Law of the European Union. Students are also expected to have appropriate expertise in Legal Research.

The term ‘CPE/GDL’ used in this application form refers to the Common Professional Examination or an Approved Graduate Diploma in Law Course which covers the foundations of legal knowledge that comprise the Academic Stage of Training for The Bar of England & Wales.

Notes on completing the application form

If, for any reason, the names you have entered on your application form differ in any way from those given on any part of the official supporting evidence, appropriate evidence of this/these change(s) must be enclosed with your application. Photocopies of this documentation must be certified copies: ie, certified as true copies by a UK Notary Public, or, if you are unable to access a UK Notary Public, a qualified legal practitioner from your home jurisdiction. Any other form of certification is not acceptable.

All communications will be sent to the address given on the application form; therefore, if after submitting your application, you subsequently change your personal details, you must notify the BSB immediately in writing. Additionally, as it may be necessary for you to be contacted regarding your application, it is essential that you provide both a daytime telephone number and an email address.

General notes

Any foundations of legal knowledge outstanding after partial exemption has been granted must be taken and passed through the CPE/GDL, not by any other means. Where permission has been granted by the BSB to undertake individual subjects within the CPE/GDL, all such students must comply with the assessment requirements of their chosen CPE/GDL provider.

The granting of a certificate of full/partial exemption from the Academic Stage of Training for the Bar by the BSB does not guarantee a place on the CPE/GDL; furthermore, the issue of such a certificate, together with successful completion of the CPE/GDL, where required, does not guarantee a place on the BPTC.

Please note that a certificate of full/partial exemption issued by the Solicitors Regulation Authority is not acceptable for the Bar; therefore, a separate application must be made to the BSB.

Transcripts

All applications must be accompanied by official transcripts showing: the applicant’s full name; the final overall classification/overall mark; the date of award; all subjects taken; the number of attempts at each subject and all marks and credits obtained in all years of your degree studies. Where an alpha/numeric grading system is used, a key must be included showing the actual marks, or mark ranges, represented by the grades used. Currently dated transcripts must be provided for all degree qualifications listed and be submitted as originals in a sealed envelope over-stamped with the official stamp, or seal, of the awarding institution. Open copies: ie, those not contained in a sealed, over-stamped/officially sealed envelope are not acceptable, notwithstanding that these may be the original documents issued to you by the awarding institution.

Applications based on a law degree awarded by a recognised Qualifying Law Degree (QLD) provider which does not satisfy the requirements of the Joint Statement 1999

A graduate who has been awarded a law degree of the required standard which fails to satisfy any aspect of the Joint Statement, or for which the university has not sought QLD status, and is therefore not listed on the BSB’s list of QLDs, may apply for full/partial exemption from the Academic Stage in accordance with the following procedures.

The Head of Law, or the Registry Office, must complete the form on page five to confirm that the foundation subjects were studied to both the same coverage and level, and assessed in the same way, as those within a QLD course at the institution concerned. This form must be submitted, together with the degree transcript(s), in a sealed envelope over-stamped with the official seal, or stamp, of the awarding university. Open copies: ie, those not contained in a sealed, over-stamped/officially sealed envelope are not acceptable; notwithstanding that these may be the original documents issued to you by the awarding institution.

Exemption from the Academic Stage of Training for the Bar may be granted where the corresponding law subjects have been passed within a law degree awarded as above. Applications for exemption must be made within five years after 31 December of the year in which the degree upon which the application is based was awarded; although, it may be possible to reactivate a degree which is older. Such exemptions will only be granted where the degree upon which the application is based has been awarded, the final overall classification is a lower second class honours or above and the subjects studied were the same as those on the institution’s own QLD. Partial exemption is unlikely to be granted to students having graduated in England and Wales from an institution which does not have a QLD programme.