Reality check
There are a few things worth mentioning as a reminder that starting a legal career is competitive and expensive. So, without wanting to detract from the exciting and challenging career on offer, here follows some food for thought…
Finances With up to £9,250 per year undergrad fees, plus postgrad study in 2023/2024 costing up
Academics There’s real competition for training contracts and pupillages. You must get strong grades
to £19,500 for the LPC, up to £18,350 for the Bar course, and the new SQE assessments costing £4,564 from September 2023 (excluding the fees for preparation courses), the road to qualification isn’t cheap. In addition, some firms at the smaller end of the market may pay trainees no more than the national minimum wage. Your ability to afford the courses and a potentially low starting wage must be a factor in deciding whether to pursue law as a career. That said, there are options to complete the new SQE for around £10,000 in total depending on the SQE preparation course provider. However, prices for the SQE1 and SQE2 preparation courses vary, with the more extensive SQE preparation courses closer to the cost of the LPC.
from your first year of university onwards. Your A-level grades are also important, even though some firms have recently dropped A-level requirements for training contract applications. Many firms are adopting contextual recruitment to look beyond A-level grades to assess academic potential and identify candidates they may otherwise miss.
Online Make sure you set up a LinkedIn profile to connect with employers and other contacts and start to build
up the ‘professional’ side of your social media presence. Legal Twitter is a great place to learn about the profession and begin building your knowledge, and you can even gain legal careers information through Instagram and TikTok!
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