Welcome
If you decide that a career as a lawyer is for you, there are a few things you should be doing before you even start university. Here’s a brief checklist to get you started. Your ‘first steps’ checklist:
If you’re interested in a potential future career as a lawyer, but don’t know where to start, The Beginner’s Guide to a Career in Law is for you. In this guide, you’ll find information about what a job in law involves, the differences between the three main types of lawyer (solicitors, barristers and CILEX Lawyers), and the courses, training and assessments you must complete to qualify. There are also some key questions to consider and information about the next steps for those who want to find out more. The Beginner’s Guide is brought to you by LawCareers.Net (LCN), the number one resource for those interested in joining the legal profession. On our website, you’ll find information on employers; interviews with law firm recruiters, trainees, associates, barristers and partners; podcasts, videos and blogs from people at different stages of their legal careers; and a searchable database of law courses (undergraduate and postgraduate), training contract, vacation scheme and pupillage vacancies.
Talk to your careers adviser at school to go through your options.
Research the different paths into law – university, CILEX, paralegal, apprenticeship (read The Law Apprenticeships Guide for more information) – and decide which path is right for you. Get some practical work experience at a law firm, barristers’ chambers or legal advice centre; it’ll help you to decide what suits you and will improve any applications you make.
Work hard at your academic studies. While firms have a range of criteria, good grades remain important.
Check out our Meet the Lawyer profiles for firsthand accounts of day-to- day life at different firms and chambers.
Sign up to LCN Weekly on LawCareers.Net. Our free weekly newsletter delivers news and information about the profession, plus advice and calendar reminders, straight to your inbox. Read the business pages of newspapers and visit LawCareers.Net’s Commercial awareness hub to improve your commercial awareness and get you starting to ‘think business’.
Welcome to the first stage of your legal career!
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