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APPLICATION FOR A CERTIFICATE OF FULL/PARTIAL EXEMPTION FROM THE ACADEMIC STAGE OF TRAINING FOR THE BAR IN RESPECT OF PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
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: / NnNo:
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 professional qualification(s) on which full/partial exemption is sought:all dates must be entered in full: ie, 00/00/00.
Full name of awarding body:
Qualification title:
Qualification subject:Final overall mark/grade or classification of qualification:
Mode of Study: Full-time/part-time/distance learning
(Delete as appropriate)
Period of study:
(Please give date of commencement (not registration) of course and date of award of qualification)
Details of any degree(s) held:all dates must be entered in full: ie, 00/00/00.
Degree title:
Degree subject:Honours/ordinary/pass/merit/distinction
(Delete as appropriate)
Class of degree:
Name of institution:
Full-time/part-time/distance learning
(Delete as appropriate)
Period of study:
(Please give date of commencement (not registration) and date of award of degree)
If you have obtained a Certificate of Academic Standing from the Bar Standards Board under the mature, non-graduate student route, you must enter the certificate number here: ______
If you have obtained a Certificate of Academic Standing from the Bar Standards Board in respect of a non-standard UK/Republic of Ireland and/or overseas degree qualifications, you must enter the certificate number here: ______
Where required, an application for full/partial exemption from the Academic Stage of Training for the Bar cannot be processed unless and until the Bar Standards Board (BSB) has issued a Certificate of Academic Standing in accordance with the above requirements. You must contact the BSB’s Academic Stage Officebefore submitting this application if you have not obtained a Certificate of Academic Standing from the BSB.
I wish to claim exemption from the following foundations of legal knowledge by virtue of the professional qualification(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 English Legal System
(*State the title of this subject as shown on your transcript):
*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: (All dates must be entered in full: ie, 00/00/00).
Institution
/Subjects
/From
/To
Expected/Actual Date of Completion: / Course:Full-time/part-time/distance learning
(Delete as appropriate)
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 mustnow refer to the checklist on page five.
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 you have changed your name either by marriage or statutory declaration since your degree qualification(s) were awarded:
- Enclosed evidence of the professional qualifications upon which your full/partial exemption application is based together with evidence of any degrees 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 BSB by the awarding institution; however, the BSB will not contact third parties for this, or any other purpose;
- Enclosed all necessary supporting evidence from the awarding body or university in the format specified;
- The completed application form, together with the supporting evidence, must be submitted as hard copy, as electronic copies are not acceptable;
- Entered the number and date of your BSB Certificate of Academic Standing where appropriate. SRA Certificates of Academic Standing are not acceptable to the BSB;
- Indicated the subjects from which exemption is sought, including English Legal System, if appropriate. If claiming exemption from Another Area of Legal Study, the title of this subject must be entered in the space provided;
- 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 10, and;
- Provided the fee of £550.00 after referring to the notes on page nine.
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 1444Facsimile:(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 BSB’s 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 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 up to 16 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 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 as all applications are assessed by the Academic Stage of Training for The Bar on an individual subject-by-subject basis.
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 professional qualifications upon which the application was based; ie, until 31 December of the relevant year.
Exemptions from the foundations of legal knowledge and one other area of legal study (the Academic Stage) may be granted where the corresponding law subjects have been passed within a professional qualification. This is subject to the professional qualification upon which the application is based being completed and awarded, the student being regarded as having met the Bar’s minimum entry requirement by having been awarded a BSB Certificate of Academic Standing either in respect of a previous degree qualification, or acceptance as a mature, non-graduate student,and the application for exemption being made within five years of 31 December of the year in which the professional qualification concerned was awarded; although, it may be possible to reactivatea professional qualification which is older. In addition, the professional qualification must contain foundations of legal knowledge subjects equivalent to those obtained in a UK Qualifying Law Degree (QLD); furthermore, you must demonstrate that you have studied the law of England and Wales in respect of the foundations of legal knowledge within an honours level course. Unless competence has been established in the English Legal System you must undertake this subject at the appropriate stage in a Common Professional Examination/an Approved Graduate Diploma in Law Course (CPE/GDL).
If you intend to apply for full/partial exemption from the Academic Stage of Training for the Barsolely on the basis of law degree not awarded by a QLD provider, you must use application form ‘H’.
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.
Applicants are warned that 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, and that the issue of such a certificate, together with successful completion of the CPE/GDL, where required, does not guarantee a place on the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC).
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 all subjects taken; 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 and/or professional qualification 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.
Procedures for submission of an application
Certificate of Academic Standing requirement
Holders of UK/Republic of Ireland non-standard degrees, overseas degree qualifications, or professional qualifications (both UK/Republic of Ireland and overseas) must, in the first instance, apply for and obtain a Certificate of Academic Standing from the BSB (for which there is a separate application process) before any exemptions from the Academic Stage will be considered. You must contact the BSB’s Academic Stage Office for further advice regarding these procedures.
A Certificate of Academic Standing issued by the Solicitors Regulation Authority is not acceptable for this purpose; therefore, a separate application must be submitted to the BSB.
Supporting evidence
When submitting this application, you must enclose the following evidence in the form of official material bearing the official stamp, or seal of, the awarding university or professional body:
- One examination paper (that was attempted by the applicant) for each subject for which exemption is sought
- A detailed syllabus and reading list for all subjects for which exemption is sought
- A list of cases and statutes taught for all subjects for which exemption is sought
- A module/unit description form for all subjects for which exemption is sought
- A plan of teaching hours for all subjects for which exemption is sought.
- A letter from the awarding body stating that the above covers the courses as studied by yourself together with the dates of the courses concerned,and;
- An official transcript of your qualification as stated above unless this has been submitted previously as part of a Certificate of Academic Standing application to the BSB.
The above evidence must be submitted in respect ofall subjects from which exemption is sought.
The above list is not exhaustive; therefore, it is possible that further evidence may be required once an initial appraisal of your application has been made by the Academic Stage Panel of the Qualifications Committee.
Another Area of Legal Study: if you are claiming exemption from this subject, you must have completed and passed a law subject within your professional qualification course, which must be a full subject having sufficient legal content and relevance. An exemption may be granted notwithstanding that the subject is not designated Another Area of Legal Study on the CPE/GDL at the institution concerned. Another Area of Legal Study must not be a foundation of legal knowledge subject, English Legal System, Legal Method or Legal Research.
If you wish to claim exemption from Another Area of Legal Study, you must indicate this in the table on page three of the application form together with the title of the subject which you wish the Academic Stage Panel of the Qualifications Committee to assess as Another Area of Legal Study.
English Legal System: Unless competence has been established in this subject within your degree, you must do so at the appropriate stage in a CPE/GDL.
You must ensure that the above documentation, duly certified by the awarding body, is submitted in the form of official evidence, fully indexed including details of the academic year to which it relates, in a ring binder with dividers clearly stating the nature of the material included (ie, syllabus, exam papers, plans and teaching hours details) and the foundation subject to which it relates. This material will not be sorted upon receipt; therefore, it is essential that it is submitted in the format stated, even when sent directly by the institution concerned.It must be made clear that if you fail to comply with these instructions, or to submit all of the evidence requested, your application will not be accepted.
Your application for exemptions from the Academic Stage of Training for the Bar will only be considered on the basis of the syllabi, etc. studied by yourself covering the subjects from which you are seeking exemption; therefore, it will be necessary for you to supply the documentation requested which relates to the relevant year of study. Should you be unable to obtain this, you must request the appropriate member of the awarding body’s academic staff to provide a letter confirming that there have not been any significant changes to that particular course. In addition, this letter must set out the dates of evidence provided together with the dates of the courses studied. If you are unable to submit the primary material, or a letter of verification, your exemption application for the subject concerned will not be considered.
In view of the requirement for the supporting evidence to be endorsed by the awarding institution, the BSB will not refer to a university website for these details; however, it is acceptable for the awarding institution to send this evidence electronically to the BSB, provided that there is clear evidence that it has come directly from that body and that your name and nature of your application are clearly stated in the institution’s email