Graduate Careers in Law
There are more than 100,000 solicitors in England and Wales and the numbers continue to grow year on year. It's a profession that demands the highest standards from people but also delivers considerable rewards. Most people are attracted to law because the work is interesting and varied. Solicitors can be found sorting out the contracts for top premiership footballers, handling international business take-overs, appearing in court to represent their clients or helping mediate in a difficult divorce. Graduate careers in law are demanding; you will have to work hard but the benefits are unrivalled. Read on to discover more about a graduate career in law.
Although the training is rigorous and competitive, you can choose to work in an area of law that suits your particular skills and interests. As you gain more knowledge of your area of law, there are opportunities to move up the profession and for some there are the rewards of being a partner in a law firm. But solicitors are not just to be found in private practice. Many companies and government departments have in-house legal teams with specialist knowledge. A legal training is also a useful springboard to other careers and lawyers can often be found in broadcasting, business and politics.
But back to the start of your legal education. Most students who are aiming to be solicitors opt to study a qualifying law degree. Because there’s competition for these university places, standards for acceptance are high. However the profession is also open to non law graduates and these students will have to follow their degree with a further study for the Common Professional Examination/ Graduate Diploma in Law. About 20% of solicitors qualify via this route and some firms are keen to take on trainees with knowledge in other areas like science, languages and economics. However what ever first degree you chose, standards are high and 55% of trainees have either a first or upper second class degree.
After completing a degree, the next stage of training is the Legal Practice Course - this teaches you the skills you will need to work in a firm of solicitors. This is a one year full time course or you can study part time over two years, which allows more flexibility for those who want to work alongside their studies. There are more than 30 course providers across England and Wales, so you might find one near to your home. The costs of the Legal Practice Course are high – from £5,000 to £10,000 and there are no student loans available. However some students are able to get sponsorship for the course for their future employer. Before you finally qualify you will need to complete work based training – either two yeasr full time or part time over a longer period. Competition for training places in strong, so you will need to apply to many firms and be persistent. After that you can be admitted to the Roll and you are a qualified solicitor.
The Law Society oversees the training of solicitors in England and Wales and is a good source of help and information about a career in the law. You can do a lot of useful research on the website www.lawsociety.org.uk. It’s a good idea to try and get some work experience in a solicitors’ practice and see the work firsthand This is the best way to find out if you're right for a graduate career in law.
