London – December 2, 2019 – Global legal education provider BARBRI is committed to delivering exceptional preparation for the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE), and in anticipation of the SQE’s inaugural administration in 2021, has acquired the entire assets of Kaplan Altior, a leading provider of the Professional Skills Course (PSC) for trainee solicitors.
With the completion of the transaction, BARBRI Altior will offer training courses, including the PSC, much of which will be integrated into the Solicitors Qualifying Exam.
All Altior employees will transition to BARBRI, which will continue to operate the PSC courses with the same venues and tutors. This acquisition is a key step for BARBRI’s UK strategy as the company continues to build and enhance its portfolio of courses for lawyers and professionals at all stages of their careers, and substantially increases the size and capabilities of its UK-based team.
Altior brings decades of experience and expertise in legal and professional training, with more than 65 long-serving, experienced trainers and assessors offering circa 50 courses. The company has over 750 law firm clients, including over 25% of the Top 100 UK law firms.
The new offerings complement and build on the success of QLTS Prep by BARBRI, the company’s comprehensive training for the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Scheme, as well as its industry-leading BARBRI International Bar Review programme designed specifically to help non-U.S. law graduates pass the New York or California bar exam.
“This is an exciting development for BARBRI as we build our expertise in the SQE preparation course market,” said Sarah Hutchinson, managing director for BARBRI International. “Not only does it expand our team with an exceptional client service team, it also significantly enhances our base of experienced and well-respected tutors for specialist trainee and solicitor skills training.
“We are committed to maintaining the high standards Altior has set for its law firm and lawyer clients, including not only the trainees completing the PSC, but also those professionals accessing its extensive range of CPD courses.”
Peter Houillon, CEO of Kaplan Professional UK and Ireland, said: “We are delighted that our Kaplan Altior business will be joining BARBRI which has a strong reputation for high quality training in the legal sector.”
About The BARBRI Group
The BARBRI Group is a global learning company dedicated to meeting the legal education and specialised training needs of law students, lawyers and other professionals throughout their careers. BARBRI’s success is built upon its unmatched technology and innovative pedagogy, combined with the ability to harness data analytics, behavioural economics, learning science, and more to develop programmes for learners and institutions. Building on the success of its core bar courses, which have helped more than 1.3 million lawyers around the world pass a U.S. bar exam, BARBRI offers a comprehensive suite of learning solutions for higher education institutions and law- and finance-related businesses. These include U.S. bar prep, curriculum, assessment, global qualifications preparation, online programme management, and professional development. The BARBRI Group, founded in 1967, is a Leeds Equity Partners portfolio company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, with offices in London, the United States and around the world.
About Kaplan Altior
For 40 years, Kaplan Altior and its carefully selected panel of expert trainers and assessors have been delivering high quality, classroom-based, online and in-house skills training and assessments to its new and long-standing clients and delegates in the legal and professional services sectors across the UK. Kaplan Altior’s innovative, flexible, cost-effective and broad training portfolio includes regulated courses and assessments such as the SRA’s Professional Skills Course (PSC), Trainee Litigation Programme (TLP) and Higher Rights of Audience, as well as accredited courses for other regulatory bodies such as CILEx and ACCA. In addition, Kaplan Altior provides a range of non-regulated courses including management, compliance and bespoke in-house courses which are designed to meet the continued professional competence requirements of lawyers in England and Wales.
