Professional Practice Course (PPC)

The unitary in-person PPC runs from September to June.

Law Society new PPC

Trainee solicitor action items

  • PPC 2024 - Academic calendar

  • Semester 01-02: Core Curriculum Timetable - updated 02 Sept 2024 (please note the timetable is subject to change).

  • iCalendar Information - links to access Outlook and / or iCalendar will be made available on 3 September 2024 during the iPad setup sessions, allowing trainees to integrate and manage their schedules immediately.

  • Semester 3: Advanced Elective Timetable - available to trainees to view during Advanced Elective selection process.

  • PPC 2024 - Core and Skills Group Information - updated 02 Sept 2024

  • iPad Selection - all trainees are required to select an iPad.  The portal will open on Friday 26 July 2024 at 4pm until 1pm on Friday 2 August 2024. For queries regarding trainee iPads, contact iPad@lawsociety.ie.

  • Upload photo for ID card - to gain access to the entire Law Society campus, you must have a valid Law Society student card. All PPC trainees are required to upload a digital photo by 28 August 2024. Click on ‘Edit Personal information’ and then ‘Upload a photo’ to upload an image of less than 4mb. For help, see accessing your Digital Student ID Card

  • Locker Application - SOLD OUT.

About the course

  • Semester 1: 03 September 2024 – 17 December 2024 (including exams)

  • Semester 2: 06 January 2025 – 10 April 2025 (including exams)

  • Semester 3: 28 April 2025 – 30 June 2025 (Advanced Electives including exams)

For additional details, please download the course academic calendar. 

Core Curriculum

The core curriculum will run from September 2024 to April 2025 (inclusive of examinations) and will include a continued focus on such skills as negotiations, research, drafting, advocacy, interviewing and advising and presentation skills, together with an enhanced focus on more general skills such as leadership, project management, office and legal technology, and finance skills.

Professional responsibility, including enhanced coverage of legal ethics, solicitors’ accounts and rules of professional conduct and law firm life, will also form an integral part of the core curriculum. These are in addition to courses, such as business law, dispute resolution, land law, probate, family law and taxation. The complete lawyer and legal practice Irish will continue to be part of the core curriculum.

Curriculum Format

Large group sessions include onsite, mixed mode, recorded, and live-streamed lectures.

  • Onsite lectures take place at the Law School. Trainees are required to attend at their designate timeslots. Attendance will be monitored through a new digital facility.

  • Mixed mode lectures feature a blend of onsite, live-streamed, and recorded sessions, providing trainees with flexibility in choosing the format that best fits their schedule. Attendance is monitored according to the chosen mode to ensure all participation requirements are fulfilled

  • Zoom live lectures require trainees to log into their assigned virtual rooms at specified times.  Like onsite sessions, attendance will be monitored.

  • eLectures are pre-recorded and released according to the related tutorial or workshop schedule, providing flexibility for trainees to prepare for interactive sessions.

  • Small group sessions, such as tutorials and workshops, are held on-site at Blackhall Place from Monday to Friday.  Trainees are placed in designated tutorial and workshop groups for the entire core PPC. Every effort is  made to balance the on-site days across these groups to ensure each group has an equal number of on-site days.

The above structure can vary at various points throughout the course. 

Attendance Overview

Attendance Policy - attendance is key to your success in the PPC, as the course builds on each session interactively. You're required to attend at least 80% of all lectures and tutorials, with attendance being monitored. Missing sessions could lead to extra assignments or delays in completing the course. 

Advanced Electives

The Law Society of Ireland offers a suite of advanced electives designed to enhance your skills and expand your career opportunities.

In-office training

The two years (24 months) of in-office training continues as a vital and essential vocational component of the overall training to become a solicitor. The in-office training period commences 14 days after the last exam on the Professional Practice Course (PPC). Trainee solicitors will continue to be entitled to potentially benefit from four months’ credit for in-office training occurring prior to commencing the PPC.

Timetable Information

Semester 01 and 02 - Core Curriculum

A .pdf version of the timetable will be available to download from 26 July 2024 at 5pm. All students will be given access to an Outlook calendar at the iPad induction sessions on 3 Sept 2024. Updates to this calendar will be published automatically.

It is important to note that the timetable will always be subject to change due to situations that can arise over which we have no control.

Semester 3 - Advanced Electives

An initial timetable and details on advanced electives will be available in December, offering a clear overview of the time commitments for each elective. Following payment completion, any necessary timetable adjustments based on elective enrollment will be made. Trainees will then receive access to Outlook and/or iCalendar, with automatic updates to the timetable

Fees and Funding

The provisional fee for the core course which runs from September to April is €11,350. The provisional fee for advanced electives undertaken with the Law Society will be advised over the coming weeks. However trainees choosing to take multiple advanced electives with the Law Society will benefit from bulk discounts. 

The Law Society is fully committed to providing excellent professional training to our future solicitors. We look forward to welcoming trainee solicitors to the new PPC on September 2023.

PPC 2024 application pack

Please note that we require applications to be submitted via email and by post. Scanned applications that are submitted by email will be prioritised. Please email your scanned application to traineesection@lawsociety.ie, then submit the originals to the Traineeship Section, Law School, Law Society of Ireland, Blackhall Place, Dublin 7, DX 79.

Queries

If you have any queries about the programme, please contact Education Standards Manager Rory O'Boyle.