The College of Law of England and Wales (CoL) is a private educational institution in England and a registered charity which provides legal education for students and professionals. The Law Society of England and Wales created the College of Law by merging its own School of Law and the tutorial firm Gibson and Weldon in 1962. The College was created in its current legal form by Royal Charter on 5 December 1975. It was registered as a charity on 24 May 1976 with the aim " to promote the advancement of legal education and the study of law in all its branches". In 1975, the College of Law submitted proposals which changed the face of legal education, recommending a 36-week Final Examination course for aspiring solicitors and a Common Professional Examination (CPE) or law conversion course for non-law graduates. It became a major provider of – and examining body for – the CPE (now known as the Graduate Diploma in Law). In the 1980s, The Law Society asked the College to produce a scheme for additional tuition in accounts for articled clerks (now trainee solicitors), combining distance learning with one-day’s attendance at lectures.