Is the Advanced Diploma in Legal Writing and Drafting UK-recognised?

Yes, the Advanced Diploma in Legal Writing and Drafting is a UK Level 5 award aligned with SRA drafting competencies, BSB written advocacy standards and CILEX drafting benchmarks.

What are the entry requirements for the Advanced Diploma in Legal Writing and Drafting?

The Advanced Diploma in Legal Writing and Drafting expects a relevant Level 4 Diploma, Foundation Year, or two years of drafting-heavy professional experience. Portfolio submissions strengthen an application.

What does the Advanced Diploma in Legal Writing and Drafting cost and is funding available?

The Advanced Diploma in Legal Writing and Drafting is quoted on the LSLPE fees page with staged payment plans and employer sponsorship documentation. Admissions issues a personalised funding letter on request.

Adv Diploma in Legal Writing & Drafting | LSLPE | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The Advanced Diploma in Legal Writing and Drafting at LSLPE is a UK Level 5 senior-track qualification running 12 to 15 months across on-campus, online and distance-learning routes. The programme is aligned with Solicitors Regulation Authority guidance on drafting competencies, Bar Standards Board expectations on written advocacy, and Chartered Institute of Legal Executives standards on legal drafting. It carries credit transfer into UK Bachelor's top-up programmes and functions as a senior credential in its own right for practitioners whose daily work is producing documents.

By graduation you will have drafted a suite of commercial contracts, produced a counsel-style written opinion, prepared pleadings for a mock civil claim, redrafted a piece of statutory instrument and completed a portfolio submission judged by a practising solicitor.

Key Features

Curriculum aligned with SRA drafting competencies, BSB written advocacy standards and CILEX drafting benchmarks.
Case-room seminars using materials drawn from the Chancery Division, the Commercial Court and House of Lords opinions.
Drafting workshops covering contracts, opinions, pleadings, notices, statutory instruments and plain-English redrafts.
One-to-one drafting tutorials with named programme tutors.
Guest sessions with parliamentary counsel, senior associates and King's Counsel.
Credit transfer into UK Bachelor's top-up programmes confirmed in writing at enrolment.

What You Will Learn

Plain English drafting under the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel style guide.
Contract structure, warranties, indemnities and boilerplate that survives litigation.
Counsel-style opinion drafting with issues, law, application and advice sections.
Pleadings under the Civil Procedure Rules including particulars of claim and defence.
Legislative drafting including primary Acts, statutory instruments and codes of practice.
Legal research methodology and citation to the OSCOLA standard.
Editing and proof-reading discipline for court and transactional documents.
Ethical duties in drafting, including honesty to the court and to counterparties.

Who This Course Is For

Paralegals and legal executives producing volume drafting work.
Contract managers, procurement officers and in-house legal support staff.
Policy officers producing statutory instruments and secondary legislation.
Aspiring solicitors preparing for the SQE and pupillage applicants preparing for advocacy assessments.
International lawyers writing in English for UK-facing transactions.

Career Pathways

Legal Executive with a drafting focus
Paralegal in a City drafting team
Contract Lawyer
Legal Adviser
Legal Analyst in a policy team
Compliance Officer producing documented policies
Legal Researcher
In-house Counsel producing standard-form documents

The LSLPE careers service holds at least one careers day each academic year connecting Advanced Diploma in Legal Writing and Drafting students with drafting-heavy employers in the City, in-house teams and chambers.

Entry Requirements

A relevant Diploma (Level 4), Foundation Year, or at least two years of relevant professional experience in a drafting-heavy legal role.
GCSE English at grade 4/C and Mathematics at grade 4/C or equivalent.
IELTS 6.0 overall (no band below 5.5) for non-native English speakers.
One academic or professional reference.
A short drafting sample is encouraged where available.

Why Study at LSLPE

LSLPE is the specialist law, politics and economics division of Harold International College of London, teaching in small tutor-visible cohorts within a short tube ride of the Royal Courts of Justice, the Chancery Lane practitioner cluster and the Inns of Court. The Advanced Diploma in Legal Writing and Drafting is built around the discipline of producing court-ready and transaction-ready documents, not merely writing about them.

Three parallel study modes let progressors, working practitioners and portfolio-route applicants complete the Advanced Diploma without leaving employment, and the LSLPE careers service refreshes curriculum annually against Solicitors Regulation Authority, Bar Standards Board and CILEX guidance. The programme is a strong foundation for the SQE drafting assessment and the Bar written skills pathway.

Apply for Advanced Diploma in Legal Writing and Drafting

Applications for the Advanced Diploma in Legal Writing and Drafting open with rolling intakes and admissions responds within one working day. Enrol on a UK Level 5 Advanced Diploma at LSLPE with credit transfer into Bachelor top-ups confirmed in writing at enrolment, and take a credentialed UK step into senior drafting practice. Enrol Now