About the ICCA Bar Course

Designed and taught by experienced barristers and educational specialists, the ICCA Bar Course is innovative, flexible and accessible, offering a learning experience of outstanding quality.

Even if you have studied law at postgraduate level, this Vocational Stage of Bar training will introduce you to many new skills. It is useful to think of the Vocational Stage as the bridge between academic study and practical work experience in pupillage or work-based learning.

You will be learning the procedural and practical aspects of civil litigation, alternative dispute resolution and criminal litigation, evidence and sentencing. You will learn the fundamental skills of advocacy, from making submissions to a judge to handling witnesses in examination-in-chief and cross-examination. You will be introduced to the skills utilised in conducting effective conferences with clients, to how to draft pleadings or statements of case and how to write legal opinions. You will be introduced to Professional Ethics, including the core duties of barristers to the court and to clients.

The ICCA Bar Course is delivered in two parts using a combination of in-person teaching, e-learning, and self-study. Validated by King’s College London, the ICCA Bar Course is designed to equip you with the knowledge and vital practitioner skills required to achieve success in pupillage and then in professional practice as a barrister.

In this section you can read more about the course structure, course cycles and how we support your development and wellbeing. If you prefer, watch our 3-minute ICCA Bar Course video.

Course Structure

• Part One
• Part Two
• Course Cycles
• Your Development
• Your Wellbeing
• Course Award

Part One

Part One is delivered entirely online. Your learning is through self-study at your own pace or by following a guided pathway (over 12-14 weeks). This means there are no timetabled sessions and Part One can be taken from any location.

The online lessons are accessed through the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) where you will find online forums for tutor and peer support and a number of pre-assessment revision webinars. Part One students are in regular communication with one another and are assigned a personal tutor for pastoral support.

You will also be provided with (included in the fees) all the learning resources required, including a hardcopy of the White Book (2 volumes), e-book versions of Blackstone’s Criminal Practice, the Jackson ADR Handbook and access to Westlaw and LexisNexis legal databases.

There are three opportunities each year to sit the BSB assessments: April, August and December. For example, if you start Part One in September, you can take your BSB exams in December, or the following April. Assessments may be taken online or in person. If an in-person assessment is required outside the UK, there may be an additional cost for this.

Part Two

Part Two is delivered in person. Teaching takes place within the Inns of Court (Gray’s Inn, Inner Temple, Lincoln’s Inn and Middle Temple). This means you will benefit from modern, first-class training facilities, have access to the Inns’ libraries for quiet study and share your environment on a daily basis with members of the profession. All sessions are timetabled in small groups, with a focus on individual attention.

Course start dates

The ICCA Bar Course offers two in-takes per year with dates as follows:

The anticipated completion dates above assume passing assessments at the first attempt and following our recommended structured learning pathway for Part One. Commencing Part Two is conditional on passing all Part One assessments at the first or second attempt and joining an Inn of Court.

Your Development

Throughout the course you can benefit from:

• joining extra-curricular seminars and visiting guest lectures from senior practitioners and the judiciary spanning a diverse range of specialist practice areas.
• access to the ICCA Careers Hub, providing a wealth of advice from pupillage applications and interview preparation to the numerous areas of practice open to you.
• one-to-one support from our experienced Careers Advisers.
• joining the Advocacy Committee to enhance your advocacy skills and build your CV, as well as access to pro bono work experience with Advocate (previously the Bar Pro Bono Unit) and JUSTICE.
• Chambers-sponsored prizes and awards, including opportunities for mini-pupillage and one-to-one mentoring.

Your Wellbeing

Your health and wellbeing is a priority for us.

• We have been awarded a Certificate of Recognition by the Bar Council for our commitment to the wellbeing of our students and bespoke wellbeing materials are embedded into the ICCA Bar Course.
• We provide learning and studying support, as well as personalised assessment arrangements, to support students with a disabilities and specific learning difficulties, or other temporary conditions that may affect learning, studying and assessment performance at the ICCA.
• You will also be allocated a personal tutor, your key contact to provide pastoral support throughout the course and to guide and encourage you academically on Part Two.
• Our students have access to free 24/7 counselling services via Health Assured.

Course Award

On successful completion of the ICCA Bar Course, you will be:

• awarded a Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) in Bar Practice from King’s College London.
• eligible to be Called to the Bar of England and Wales (subject to meeting the qualifying session requirements of your Inn of Court and passing their ‘fit and proper person’ checks).
• eligible to commence pupillage or work-based learning.

More information

Academic Regulations 2022-2023

Fair Admissions Policy