Options After Graduation
After completing a law degree the last thing you may want to do is more studying! However, if you want to pursue a career as a solicitor, barrister or legal executive then postgraduate study is essential.
Vocational legal study can be intense, expensive and is completely different from an undergraduate course. It will provide you with more options and open the door to an interesting and incredibly rewarding career, however, given the cost, time commitment and competition for jobs after graduation the decision to pursue further study should not be taken lightly.
After completing a qualifying law degree there are three main vocational study options available
You should ensure that you have researched the course thoroughly, spoken to many people within the industry and undertaken as much work experience as possible.
These are some of the vocational study options available if you are considering further study after completing a qualifying law degree:
Legal Practice Course
Probably the most well-known and popular form of vocational postgraduate study for law students. This course lasts for one year full-time, two years part-time and must be taken if you want to become a qualified solicitor. After finishing the LPC, graduates must then complete another two years on-the-job training within a law firm to qualify as a solicitor.
More information about what to expect on the LPC can be found here.
Course fees range from £12,550 at the College of Law London to £8,250 at the University of Huddersfield; some universities do offer as much as a 20% discount if you have completed a law degree with them.
The search for a trainee solicitor vacancy is as tough as it has ever been with research by the Association of Graduate Recruiters revealing that an average of 65 students are applying for every available training contract. For prestigious firms, expect that figure to be higher as many will pay for LPC tuition fees and even living expenses. Many of the larger firms take applications two years in advance so you will need to be on the ball if you want to walk straight out of university and into a training contract.
Bar Professional Training Course
Gaining a pupillage can be very competitive
For law graduates who prefer the excitement of advocacy and attending court to working in an office there is the BPTC. Be warned, the route to becoming a barrister is even more challenging than that of a solicitor-just 20 per cent of students who apply to the BPTC will qualify as a barrister and practice at the bar. It is estimated that the 1500 graduates from the BPTC compete for just 600 pupillages every year.
Like the LPC the course lasts one year full time with lots of periods of intensive study. Like the LPC, the course is expensive with fees ranging from £15,000 to £9,000. More information about the course can be found on the Bar Standards Board website which states:
“The purpose of the BPTC … is to ensure that students intending to become barristers acquire the skills, knowledge of procedure and evidence, attitudes and competence to prepare them, in particular, for the more specialised training in the twelve months of pupillage.”
It is an incredibly tough career to break into, with good reason. It can be an incredibly interesting, well paid role from which you can derive a great sense of satisfaction. Your performance in court as a barrister can really help to change the lives of your clients.
Train As A Legal Executive
If the cost of the LPC or BPTC makes you think twice about further study then you could always train with the Institute of Legal Executives. A legal executive can perform the same tasks as a solicitor and a number of different qualifications are now available depending on what level you have studied previously. Fees are much cheaper than the BVC or the BPTC and you can study for qualifications part-time allowing you to continue gaining practical legal experience whilst you study.
You are likely to find ILEX providers at many law careers fairs; for more information on qualifying and the rights accorded to legal executives visit their website.
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