Should I go to university or try one of the new routes, such as an apprenticeship? Some lawyers begin their careers immediately after leaving
Why are vacation schemes so important? Getting work experience at law firms is often an essential aspect
of securing a training contract. Vacation schemes (usually run during university holidays) provide an opportunity for you to find out about not only the law, but also individual firms. At the same time, many firms rely on vacation schemes to figure out which candidates they want to take on as trainees, so getting on a scheme is a great chance to impress and secure a place on a firm’s training contract.
school by taking the apprenticeship route. This enables aspiring lawyers to learn ‘on the job’ in a paid role, with time allocated for study each week. Solicitor apprenticeships also allow those with A levels to qualify as a solicitor without going to university, while there are other kinds of apprenticeships for candidates at different stages, including paralegal, CILEX Lawyer and graduate solicitor apprenticeships. See the ‘Apprenticeships’ section on page 6 for more detail and The Law Apprenticeships Guide.
Do law firms prefer candidates to have a law degree? Most firms are looking to recruit a
balance of law and non-law graduates – in fact, roughly half of solicitors are from non- law backgrounds. Studying another subject at university may also help to make you a more well-rounded individual. So, if you have a burning desire to study English literature but think you might want a career as a lawyer, it’s fine to do English at university and complete a law conversion afterwards. The postgraduate conversion course squeezes the essential elements of a qualifying law degree into one year. While a law conversion isn’t a requirement for non-law graduates qualifying via the SQE, it’s still recommended and most law firms will continue to require their non-law trainees to take one prior to starting SQE prep and the training contract with the firm. There are also several new non- law specific SQE preparation courses that have been developed, as well as conversion courses that incorporate elements of SQE prep. You can then complete further SQE preparation before sitting SQE1 and SQE2. For aspiring barristers, after taking the law conversion, you’ll join the law graduates on the Bar course, followed by a pupillage in a set of chambers. But note: traditional academic subjects (eg, history or sciences) are favoured over more modern options (eg, media studies or drama).
How do I go about getting legal work experience? As above, vacation schemes are a great way to learn more about the
profession. You can see a comprehensive list of opportunities on LawCareers.Net’s Vacation scheme deadlines page. That said, you’re not restricted to these structured programmes – you could get a day or two shadowing a trainee or lawyer simply by writing speculatively to firms/chambers you’re interested in or which are local to you. You could also get involved with university pro bono schemes or legal advice centres, such as the Citizens Advice Bureau. All these experiences provide a valuable introduction to the types of work and client relationships that lawyers are involved with every day. Plus, if the experience meets the QWE requirements, you could use it to count towards the two years’ experience needed to qualify.
11
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online