Branches of the profession
solicitors/CILEX Lawyers spend many hours on their own drafting documents.
One of the key questions to ask yourself is what type of lawyer you want to be. For many, that’ll mean deciding between becoming a solicitor (private practice or in-house) or a barrister. For others, the option to ‘earn while you learn’ as a CILEX Lawyer will appeal. Simply put, a barrister appears in court, while a solicitor/CILEX Lawyer works in a law firm. All three are ‘lawyers’. However, there are key differences. The stereotype is that barristers are individualists while solicitors/CILEX Lawyers are team players. While it’s true that a barrister is almost always self-employed and a solicitor/ CILEX Lawyer may work in a law firm or business of thousands of people, the reality is more complicated. Barristers often work with each other and with solicitors, and some
Becoming a solicitor usually takes around six years if studying full time, while becoming a barrister takes around five years – these routes will take slightly longer if you study a non-law degree, followed by a law conversion. Deciding which career path would suit you best could be a challenge – factors to bear in mind include your school grades, key interests and career aspirations. Over the page is a brief guide with some key facts that may help you to decide which branch is best suited to you, including the number of practising lawyers and an overview of some of the profession’s diversity stats and salaries.
For more information on diversity in the legal profession, visit LawCareers.Net’s Diversity hub, sponsored by Gowling WLG (UK) LLP.
CILEX
Law graduates take a fast-track route to CILEX Lawyer with the CILEX Graduate Qualification, which takes account of your previous education. Alternatively, those opting for the apprenticeship route without previous legal experience would start with the paralegal apprenticeship and then progress onto the chartered legal executive apprenticeship to become a CILEX Lawyer.
CILEX offers flexible entry and exit points tailored to your previous education and your career goals. School leavers and those with no previous legal education will start on the CILEX Professional Qualification (CPQ) Foundation stage, to progress to CILEX Paralegal or CILEX Lawyer, depending on your career goals. The CPQ has three levels and you can stop or pause your learning at any time, allowing you to gain recognition for your achievements throughout your journey.
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