Foreword
Paul Philip Chief executive of the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA)
Derek Sweeting QC Chair of the Bar Council
Welcome to The LawCareers.Net Handbook.
The Bar offers one of the most rewarding, varied and stimulating careers there is.
Wherever your career in law takes you, it’s key that all those entering the solicitor profession have reached the high standards that everyone expects. After a decade of preparation, the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE), a single rigorous assessment for all aspiring solicitors, is now a reality. What does this mean for you? You need a qualification that’s equivalent to a degree, to meet our character and suitability requirements, to undertake two years qualifying work experience and, of course, to pass the assessments themselves. SQE gives you real choice about your training. For example, you might choose a solicitor apprenticeship, or a law degree and then get that important work experience, or perhaps you’re a paralegal and see SQE as a great opportunity to become a solicitor. Our Career in Law Facebook or Instagram accounts can help you to decide. And if you’ve already started your training journey, you will likely still have a choice to qualify either through the Legal Practice Course or SQE.
Barristers are advocates and specialist legal advisors who play an extremely important role in helping individuals and institutions understand, exercise and defend their legal rights. The Bar’s reputation is recognised and respected around the world. Choosing a career as a barrister involves hard work, dedication, commitment and effort, but it is a profession which offers real fulfilment – combining intellectual challenge, persuasion and the opportunity to help people who need specialist advice or who would otherwise be unable to put their case across.
Pupillage (training) provides aspiring barristers with the practical skills and
experience needed to become a barrister. The pupillage application process is highly competitive, but we are doing all that we can to attract and encourage the best candidates from the widest possible pool of talent. This Handbook will help you with your application for pupillage and guide you through the various stages. It contains a comprehensive account of the training required for a career at the Bar, as well as information on the many different areas in which barristers practise. Good luck to all of you who are applying for pupillage. I hope you will enjoy a career in this wonderful profession, as I have.
I wish you all the best in your training.
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THE LAWCAREERS.NET HANDBOOK
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