Competition: Get your fees paid with L2B

All you have to do is prepare a 1,500 word article to appear on Lawyer2B.com on one of the following questions.

For hopeful GDL students:

“It was wrong - quite profoundly wrong - that the police changed the records of what happened and tried to blame the fans. We ask the police to do difficult and often very dangerous things on our behalf, and South Yorkshire police is a very different organisation today from what it was then, but we do the many, many honourable policemen and women a great disservice if we try to defend the indefensible.”

Prime Minister David Cameron’s statement to Parliament on the report into the 1989 Hillsborough disaster (See Commons Hansard debates for 12th September 2012, col. 285).

Are the police facing a crisis of legitimacy? If they are, does it matter?

For the LPC place:

How can a graduate be best prepared for a job as a trainee solicitor? Discuss any educational or practical preparation that you feel would best equip graduates with reference to current requirements and suggest options for the future.

Not only will the two winners see their articles published online, but they will also land a free place on either BPP’s GDL or LPC for September 2013 at any of its centres in Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Leeds, Liverpool, London or Manchester. The prize covers all programme fees, examination fees and a range of books and materials.

So get writing - the closing date for the submission of articles is Friday 22 March 2013.

Terms and conditions

• BPP is offering two prizes: one free place on the GDL and one free place on the LPC.
• The places can be taken at any of BPP’s law school centres, but apply for September 2013 only. There is no cash alternative.
• Articles must be submitted by email to lawyer2b@bpp.com no later than midnight on Friday 8 February 2012.
• Articles sent to an incorrect email address or past the deadline will not be counted. No other form of entry will be accepted.
• The decision of the judging panel is final and no correspondence will be entered into concerning the outcome of the competition.
• BPP and Lawyer 2B reserve the right to edit the winning articles.
• Winners must agree to take part in any publicity BPP or Lawyer 2B may require.
• Articles must be original work and any form of plagiarism will result in disqualification.
• The full name, job title and organisation of everyone who has been interviewed for the purpose of the article must be provided.
• Full consent must be obtained from all persons quoted in the article. BPP and Lawyer 2B reserve the right to contact such persons to fact-check their quotes, where appropriate.
• Shortlisted entrants must be able to attend a final selection panel interview in London. If you are successful at getting to this stage but either fail to attend or are unable to attend due to, but not excluding, other circumstances, holidays, sickness or work placements, you will forfeit your place on the course.
• BPP and Lawyer 2B reserve the right to change the date of the final selection panel. Finalists will be notified as soon as possible should this occur.
• Those called to the final selection panel will be provided with more detailed information of what will be involved nearer the time.
• The competition is open only to students whose GDL or LPC is not being sponsored by any other source. A candidate who obtains sponsorship during the competition will be disqualified. Existing BPP GDL students are eligible to enter.
• Winners must be available to attend publicity events. If unable to attend, the place will pass to the runner-up in their category.
• The winner must meet BPP’s admissions criteria (including residency) and have applied for a place at any of BPP’s law school centres.
• Employees, and their immediate families, of BPP and Lawyer 2B and anyone connected with members of the judging panel are not eligible to enter either of the competitions.

All articles must have a covering page, which must include the following:

• A headline for the article
• Total word count
• Title, first and last names
• Home and term-time addresses
• Landline and mobile numbers, with the number for your main correspondence highlighted, and email address
• University and course/degree (for current students and graduates)

Judging criteria:

• Eye-catching headline
• Clarity and style of writing
• Research (paper-based and interviews)
• Structure
• Content and relevance to audience
• Spelling, grammar and punctuation
• Engagement with audience