ABSTRACT
In England and Wales those aspiring to join the main legal professions of solicitor and barrister must complete undergraduate education before taking a one-year professional course. At each stage, the individual has alternatives. The undergraduate or ‘initial’ stage (ACLEC, 1996) may be completed either by taking a qualifying law degree or by taking a degree in another subject and then the oneyear Common Professional Examination (CPE) course, which provides students with the foundations of legal knowledge identified by the two professions (Law Society/Bar Council, 1999).
