Bar Training Course (PgDip) Cardiff University
Prepare for Practice at the Bar.
Develop the practical skills, professional judgement and legal knowledge you need to progress towards pupillage and a career as a barrister. Cardiff University’s Bar Training Course (BTC) is an intensive, skills-based programme designed to prepare prospective barristers for the work-based learning stage of qualification.
Programme Key Facts
Postgraduate Diploma (PgDip)
Cardiff University
1 Year
Full-Time
Cardiff
September
Future Careers
Prepare for life at the Bar.
The Bar Training Course is designed to prepare you for pupillage, the work-based learning stage of training to become a barrister.
You will develop the professional skills, knowledge of procedure and evidence, ethical awareness and practical ability required to progress towards professional practice.
Successful completion of the BTC enables you to become eligible for Call to the Bar of England and Wales, subject to completing the qualifying session requirements of your Inn of Court.
Possible Career Directions
Barrister, UK
Advocate & Solicitor, Malaysia
Civil Practice
Criminal Practice
Family Practice
Advocacy & Dispute Resolution
Why This Programme Matters
The Reality
- Professional Bar practice demands much more than academic legal knowledge.
- Barristers need strong advocacy, communication, drafting, research and analytical skills.
- You must be able to combine legal knowledge with information to provide clear, accurate and well-reasoned advice.
- Professional conduct, ethical responsibilities and the commercial needs of clients must form part of your decision-making.
- The BTC is designed around the professional standards established by the Bar Standards Board.
The Professional Practice Advantage
Cardiff’s BTC places significant emphasis on practical skills, giving you opportunities to practise, receive feedback, reflect on your performance and progressively improve your professional abilities.
Advocacy and conferencing are taught intensively in two-hour sessions with no more than six students.
Course Modules
- Civil Litigation
- Criminal Litigation, Evidence and Sentencing
- Conference Skills
- Opinion Writing
- Drafting
- Trial Advocacy 1
- Trial Advocacy 2
- Submission Advocacy
- Professional Ethics
- Legal Research
You will select one specialist option from areas including:
- Criminal Advocacy
- Civil Advocacy
- Family Advocacy
- Alternative Dispute Resolution
The Bar Training Experience
Intensive professional preparation for pupillage.
How You Will Learn
Small-Group Teaching
Most teaching takes place in small groups of no more than 18 students, creating opportunities for discussion, practical work and individual feedback.
Advocacy in Groups of Six
All advocacy and conferencing sessions are taught in groups of six students, allowing for intensive practice and feedback.
Practise, Reflect, Improve
Practise your oral and written work, receive tutor and peer feedback, reflect on your performance and make improvements.
Develop Professional Judgement
Combine legal knowledge and factual information to provide clear, accurate and well-reasoned advice while considering professional conduct and clients’ commercial needs.
Structured Study Week
Teaching is timetabled between Monday and Thursday, leaving time for personal study and preparation.
Prepare for BSB Assessments
Undertake centrally set BSB assessments in December, April and August during the academic year in which you are enrolled.
Professional Experience & Employability
Take your legal education beyond the classroom.
Cardiff provides additional opportunities to develop practical legal experience and professional skills alongside the formal BTC curriculum.
Law in Justice
Take part in the Innocence Project, working on cases involving alleged miscarriages of justice.
Law in Healthcare
Support work connected with the NHS Continuing Healthcare Scheme, helping families with cases relating to care home funding.
Law in Sport
Contribute to the Rugby Union Project, providing legal advice and legal newsletters to rugby clubs.
Law in Court
Gain experience supporting people dealing with family and civil court matters.
Professional Skills Activities
Participate in mooting, negotiation competitions and client interviewing competitions.
Learn from the Profession
Learn from tutors with professional legal experience.
All tutors teaching on Cardiff University’s Bar Training Course have practised as barristers or solicitors.
The programme has been delivering professional Bar training since 1997 and maintains strong links with the local employed Bar, independent Bar and Judiciary.
These connections support a practical learning environment focused on the professional standards, skills and expectations of Bar practice.
A Russell Group Bar Training Programme
Study Bar training within a Russell Group university.
Cardiff University states that it is the only Russell Group university to offer a Diploma in Bar Training.
The programme combines professional vocational preparation with the academic environment and resources of Cardiff University’s School of Law and Politics.
Strong BSB Assessment Performance
Cardiff states that it is one of the top-performing providers across the centralised examinations set by the Bar Standards Board for the Bar Training Course. Its staff-to-student ratio is designed to provide substantial individual feedback and support in preparation for the BSB centralised assessments.
Industry Partners
Connect with the legal profession from day one.
Your legal education at BAC goes beyond the classroom. Through our strong connections with leading law firms, professional bodies and the Inns of Court Malaysia, you gain valuable exposure to the people, institutions and networks shaping the legal profession.
These partnerships help you better understand legal practice, explore different career pathways, and develop the professional confidence to take your next step.
Industry Partners
- Thomas Philip Advocates & Solicitors
- Lavania & Balan Chambers
- Messrs. Jamie Wong
- Alvin John & Partners
- Shearn Delamore & Co.
- Richard Wee Chambers
- Daljit Singh Partnership
- Chooi & Company
- Cheang & Ariff
- Messrs. Farez Jinnah
- Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill
- Zul Rafique & Partners
- Izral Partnership
- Messrs. Kuek, Ong & Associates
- Mah-Kamariyah & Philip Koh
- Haeme Lew Advocates & Solicitors
- Halim Hong & Quek
- Vilasiny Gan & Co
- Tan Norizan & Associates
- Belden Advocates & Solicitors
- C.Y. Ng & Barry
- Low & Partners
- Malek, Gan & Partners
- Zaid Ibrahim & Co.
- Rosli Dahlan Saravana Partnership
- Raj, Ong & Yudistra
- Raja, Darryl & Loh
- MahWengKwai & Associates
- Rahmat Lim & Partners
- WongPartnership LLP
- Baskaran Law
- Shook Lin & Bok
- Lee & Poh Partnership
- Jeeva Partnership
- Arief & Iskandar
- K.H. Ong & Ng
- Azmi & Associates
- Skrine
- Adnan Sundra & Low
- LAW Partnership
- Gan Partnership
- Christopher & Lee Ong
- Wong & Partners
- Albar & Partners
- Othman Hashim & Co
- Kadir Andri & Partners
- Jeff Leong, Poon & Wong
- Wong Boon & Toh
- Teng, Sheng & Fatima
- Abdullah Chan & Co
- Teh & Partners
- Nazmi Zaini Chambers
- Inns of Court Malaysia
- Great Eastern Sdn Bhd
- SLB
- UN Global Compact Network Malaysia, Brunei & Cambodia
- Asian Institute of Alternative Dispute Resolution
- The Malaysian Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (MAICSA)
- The Malaysian Institute of Arbitrators (MIArb)
- TrialSim
- LexisNexis
- WestLaw
- Coursera for Campus
- CLJ Law
Earn Microcredentials from the World's Best Universities & Global Tech Giants
- IBM Applied AI Professional Certificate
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Career Outcomes
Progress towards pupillage and professional legal practice.
The BTC develops the vocational skills and professional judgement needed to progress towards pupillage. Graduates who do not immediately secure pupillage may also move into other forms of legal employment while continuing to pursue it.
Roles in Focus
- Barrister, UKProgress towards Call to the Bar and pupillage.
- Advocate & Solicitor, MalaysiaPursue professional legal practice in Malaysia, subject to applicable qualification requirements.
- Civil PracticeApply litigation, evidence and advocacy skills to civil matters.
- Criminal PracticeBuild expertise in criminal litigation, evidence and sentencing.
- Family PracticeDevelop client, conference and advocacy skills for family matters.
- Advocacy & Dispute ResolutionStrengthen persuasive advocacy and dispute-resolution skills.
Why Cardiff University?
Bar Training Since 1997
Benefit from decades of experience delivering professional training for prospective barristers.
Russell Group University
Cardiff states that it is the only Russell Group university offering a Diploma in Bar Training.
BSB-Accredited
Complete vocational Bar training accredited by the Bar Standards Board.
Learn from Legal Professionals
All BTC tutors have professional experience practising as barristers or solicitors.
Specialist Advocacy Options
Develop further expertise in civil, criminal or family advocacy, or alternative dispute resolution.
Links with the Legal Profession
Benefit from a programme strongly supported by the local employed Bar, independent Bar and Judiciary.
Entry Requirements
To be confirmed by BAC.
Tuition Fees
To be confirmed by BAC.
Speak to a Future Advisor
Ready to take the next step towards becoming a barrister?
Find out more about Cardiff University’s Bar Training Course, entry requirements, fees and application process.