Higher Diploma in Criminal Law
Course Overview
The Higher Diploma in Criminal Law is a 15 to 18 month UK Level 5 programme covering the substantive, evidential and procedural law that governs criminal justice in England and Wales. Students read the substantive law of offences, the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, the Criminal Procedure Rules and the Sentencing Council guidelines. The syllabus is aligned with SRA foundations of legal knowledge and CILEX practitioner routes. The programme is a strong foundation for the SQE and Bar routes but does not by itself qualify graduates to practise as solicitors or barristers.
By graduation you will have prepared trial bundles, drafted charge decisions, argued in moot-court exercises, produced a sentencing brief in Sentencing Council format, and defended a Level 5 capstone on a live criminal justice question.
Key Features
- Curriculum aligned with SRA foundations of legal knowledge and CILEX guidance.
- Case-room seminars set against live Sentencing Council and CPS material.
- Moot-court advocacy in the Inns of Court style with supervised feedback.
- Guided drafting of case theories, charge decisions and sentencing briefs.
- Capstone project supervised by tutors with practitioner backgrounds.
- Confirmed credit transfer into an LSLPE LLB top-up.
- Three parallel study modes for progressors and working paralegals.
What You Will Learn
- Apply the substantive law of offences against the person, property and the state at senior-track depth.
- Read and use the Criminal Procedure Rules in trial preparation.
- Assess police powers, PACE codes and evidential procedure.
- Draft charge decisions and case theory documents.
- Prepare and cross-examine in mock trials to Inns of Court advocacy standards.
- Analyse the interaction between statute, common law and human rights instruments.
- Present legal argument to a court-facing audience.
- Structure a Level 5 capstone on a criminal justice question.
Who This Course Is For
- Diploma holders in law progressing to senior-track work.
- Working paralegals moving toward an LLB top-up.
- Public sector staff in policing, probation and criminal justice agencies.
- Career changers with public policy or regulatory backgrounds.
- International applicants preparing for UK legal practice pathways.
Career Pathways
- Paralegal in a criminal defence practice or chambers.
- Legal Executive on the CILEX criminal practice route.
- Public Prosecutor trainee within CPS graduate schemes.
- Judicial Clerk supporting Crown Court and magistrates' courts work.
- Legal Researcher for a chambers or academic institute.
- Compliance Officer at a regulated firm.
- Legal Adviser to a criminal justice regulator or NGO.
The LSLPE careers service links Higher Diploma in Criminal Law students to chambers, CPS teams and CILEX-aligned employers at its annual careers day.
Entry Requirements
- A relevant Diploma (Level 4) in law or comparable qualification.
- 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, policing or probation roles are especially welcomed onto the Higher Diploma in Criminal Law.
Why Study at LSLPE
LSLPE places the Royal Courts of Justice, the Old Bailey and central London chambers within a short walk of the seminar room, and the Higher Diploma in Criminal Law is taught with live case material in the case-room. Cohorts are small and every seminar is argued in public.
Three parallel study modes let progressors and working paralegals complete the Higher Diploma in Criminal Law without leaving employment, and the LSLPE careers service refreshes its SRA, Bar Standards Board and CILEX-aligned curriculum links annually.
Apply for Higher Diploma in Criminal Law
Complete a Higher Diploma at LSLPE and articulate into a UK LLB top-up in the same discipline. Credit transfer for the Higher Diploma in Criminal Law is confirmed at enrolment. Enrol Now
