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. Work placements/vacation schemes (usually run during university holidays) provide an opportunity for you to find out about not only the law, but also individual firms. 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, which enables an aspiring lawyer to learn ‘on the job’ in a paid role, with time each week allocated for study. 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, chartered legal executive 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 all 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. The postgraduate 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 taking the SQE, it’s still recommended and most firms will continue to require their non-law future trainees to take one prior to starting SQE prep and a training contract. There are several new non-law specific SQE preparation courses that’ve been developed. 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, with many firms now running schemes specifically for first years. You can see a comprehensive list of opportunities on LawCareers.Net’s vacation scheme deadlines page. But 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 should also get involved with university pro bono schemes or legal advice centres. All these experiences provide a valuable introduction to the types of work and client relationships that lawyers are involved with every day. Plus, with the introduction of the SQE, if the experience meets the QWE requirements it can count towards the two years’ experience needed to qualify.
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