How long does the Higher Diploma in Civil Law take?

The Higher Diploma in Civil Law runs 15 to 18 months. All modes of the Higher Diploma in Civil Law follow the same weekly seminar and drafting-workshop timetable.

How is the Higher Diploma in Civil Law delivered?

You can study the Higher Diploma in Civil Law on-campus in central London, fully online or by structured distance learning. All modes of the Higher Diploma in Civil Law share the same supervised capstone pathway.

Is the Higher Diploma in Civil Law recognised in the UK?

Yes. The Higher Diploma in Civil Law is a UK Level 5 award with confirmed Bachelor's top-up credit transfer, aligned with SRA, BSB and CILEX standards. It is a strong foundation for SQE and Bar progression.

What are the entry requirements for the Higher Diploma in Civil Law?

You need a relevant Level 4 Diploma or comparable law qualification for the Higher Diploma in Civil Law. Working paralegals and legal executives are welcomed.

What are the fees and funding options for the Higher Diploma in Civil Law?

Fees vary by study mode and residency. LSLPE offers structured instalment plans and early-application discounts on the Higher Diploma in Civil Law; contact admissions for a personalised quotation.

Higher Diploma in Civil Law | LSLPE | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The Higher Diploma in Civil Law at LSLPE is a Level 5 programme running 15 to 18 months across on-campus, online and distance routes, with structured articulation into a UK Bachelor's top-up in law. The syllabus is a wide civil-law grounding covering contract, tort, property and civil-procedure practice, aligned with Solicitors Regulation Authority, Bar Standards Board and CILEX expectations. This programme is a strong foundation for progression to the SQE or the Bar route.

By graduation you will have drafted particulars of claim, defences and Part 18 requests, prepared a mock case-management conference, produced a property-transaction advice note, and completed a capstone supervised by a serving civil practitioner.

Key Features

Case sessions across contract, tort and property including modern Supreme Court civil authority.
Alignment with Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), Bar Standards Board (BSB) and CILEX technical expectations.
Weekly drafting workshops to Civil Procedure Rules (CPR) standard.
Guest sessions from City-firm partners and civil-set barristers.
Confirmed credit transfer into a UK Bachelor's top-up in law.
Three parallel study modes so paralegals and progressor students share the same cohort.

What You Will Learn

Applying contract, tort and property principles to modern civil files.
Drafting particulars of claim, defences and interlocutory applications.
Handling case-management conferences and disclosure obligations.
Producing a property-transaction advice note with title-review considerations.
Advising on remedies, damages and settlement value.
Understanding costs, funding and after-the-event insurance.
Running a mock civil trial exercise.
Defending a capstone conclusion in an oral panel.

Who This Course Is For

Paralegals in civil-litigation, property or family-adjacent teams.
Progressor students from a Level 4 Diploma articulating into a Bachelor's top-up.
Legal-executive candidates targeting CILEX progression.
Working professionals in property, insurance and dispute resolution moving into legal-analyst roles.
International applicants preparing for UK-jurisdiction civil practice.

Career Pathways

Paralegal in a civil-litigation team
Legal Executive on civil files
Compliance Officer with a civil-remedies remit
Legal Adviser at a dispute-resolution consultancy
In-house Counsel supporting civil-claim defence
Contract Lawyer
Legal Analyst at a City firm
Legal Researcher in a civil-set chambers

The LSLPE careers service curates introductions across City firms, civil chambers, property practices and dispute-resolution consultancies, and refreshes curriculum alignment annually against Bar Standards Board, Political Studies Association and Royal Economic Society guidance.

Entry Requirements

A relevant Diploma (Level 4), Advanced Diploma or comparable qualification in law.
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.
Working professionals moving from paralegal, policy officer, research assistant or public administration roles are welcomed.

Why Study at LSLPE

LSLPE is a specialist division of Harold International College of London teaching in small, tutor-visible cohorts. Central London places the Royal Courts of Justice, the Rolls Building, the Inns of Court and the City's civil-litigation firms within a short tube ride of every seminar room, which matters when the civil judgments you will study are handed down a few streets away.

Every intake, on-campus or remote, joins the same weekly seminar structure with named programme-tutor support. Seminars are run in the case-room tradition, evidence-led and argued in public, and the careers service connects students with employers across City firms, civil chambers and property practices.

Apply for Higher Diploma in Civil Law

Applications for the Higher Diploma in Civil Law are open now with confirmed Bachelor's top-up articulation. Complete a Higher Diploma at LSLPE and articulate into a UK Bachelor's top-up in law with a civil-litigation portfolio to your name. Enrol Now