A commenter on Simon Myerson QC’s blog Pupillage and how to get it – made an amusing comment about me riding in on my white charger to complain about BPP – noting that I am ex-BPP – providing guidance on pupillage applications along the lines of the service provided by Oxbridge Training Contracts.
I have given Oxbridge Training Contracts a fair opportunity to justify their essay writing / pupillage application services and do not propose to rehearse the matter further. (See my blog /podcasts etc etc)
I did, however, reply to the commenter on Simon Myerson’s blog. I repeat my comment here….
Manage Change…
I may have founded BPP Law School – I have no interest however, commercial or other indirect interest , in what BPP do now.
I sold my shares over 10 years years ago and while I am pleased to have founded a law school with others in my career – BPP moved in a different direction to the vision I was interested in – and that is, of course, their prerogative.
My vision was then, and is still now, to provide access to education at a very modest price. This, however, is not consistent with modern law school practice at vocational level – whether PLC, charity or university.
The BVC course is a useful source of revenue for all law schools currently validated. I remain convinced that when it proves to be unattractive to law schools to run the BVC – they will simply pull out. I have a feeling, given the furore about fees, that this may not take too long.
We shall see. Then, of course, there will be an entirely different problem to solve – adequate provision for those who seek to qualify. We live in interesting times – but for so long as students are prepared to pay the fees to law schools – be sure, the law schools will charge the fees and continue to raise them. That, unfortunately, is the law of the market.
Unless.. you do something about it and complain.
I suspect that the Bar Council and BSB will do little in terms of direct action….
But… there again… I would be happy to be proved wrong.
Charon QC 