BPP names director for new LLM programme

Professor Barry Rider will start in the newly-created role on 1 April and will oversee the teaching, development and management of the fledgling Masters of Law courses.

Rider, a financial crime specialist, has previously taught law at Cambridge university and in Hong Kong, and is a former director of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies.

Rider commented: "BPP's ability to design and offer new and highly relevant Masters degrees in law [in areas] practitioners both want and increasingly need to have specialised knowledge of is a challenge and opportunity that I am delighted to be part of."

The news comes after BPP last week announced a 10% hike in its fees for the Legal Practice Certificate (LPC) up to £11,500 - making it the most expensive LPC provider in London by almost a £1,000.

Meanwhile, BPP - the course provider to the City LPC consortium comprising Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Herbert Smith, Lovells, Norton Rose and Slaughter and May - last year became the first private-sector company to be conferred degree-awarding powers.