A law degree from the UK is the gateway to your career as a Barrister or a Solicitor. However, it isn’t the only path that one can choose. The great news is that varied opportunities are available for one beyond these legal professions. So, anyone who is passionate about law, with proper personal and professional commitment, and some initial rewards will be rewarded with a long-term perspective.
To practice law in the UK isn’t after earning a degree isn’t a problem, but one must remain aware of how one wishes to continue ahead. Like, if you intend to practice law after you have completed your graduation, and vocational training, to become a Solicitor in England and Wales, you must complete the Legal Practice Course or LPC. It is followed by the paid training contract you make with the law firm. However, if your aim is to work as a Barrister, you will be required to undertake the Bar course, which will be followed by pupillage, a one-year training period. The variations in training routes exist in Northern Ireland and Scotland for both the roles.
Either way, there are a lot of rules and regulations and certain requirements, after fulfilment of which, one can work for their dream job. However, the one question that haunts and confuses most of the candidates is, how they can practice law in the UK and what opportunities are available to them after their degree. Well, it is considering the same that this article has been prepared to provide information on some of the choices one would get and how they can proceed ahead. We hope it will help you with your goals.
What do law graduates do?
Around 35% of the law graduates work as the
● Legal professionals- 28%
● Legal Associate- 6%
Further, as per the data available, around 58% of the graduates are employed, while 11% preferred to continue their studies further to learn more. Now just this, there is a 16% crowd who continue to work and study at the same time. The rest of the crowd either remains unemployed or falls under unknown categories.
The graduates who are practicing law in the UK after their degree, they undertake work like,
● Legal, social and welfare
● Clerical, Administrative and Secretariat
● Business, HR and Finance
● Retail, Catering and Customer Service, etc.
Read our blog: What Are The Various Challenges International Students Face While Studying Abroad?
Practice Law in the UK with Choices in Profession
A law degree, it covers foundational subjects which are required for the entry into the legal profession. However, the legal obligations and implications of understanding, combined with the ability to apply the knowledge in actual practice, is valuable in varied parts of not just private but public and voluntary sectors. These jobs and practices need some of the skill requirements that one must have after their law degree in the UK. Some of them are,
● Research skills with the use of different sources (verbal questioning).
● Analytical Skills
● Ability to be able to write concisely
● Evaluation skills and abilities for interpreting and explaining the complex information
● Sound arguments formulation ability
● Critical judgment skills and reasoning skills
● Communication skills
● Attention to the detail and the ability to be able to draft the legal documents with better precision, etc.
Practice Law in the UK with Different Legal Jobs
These are some of the well-suited jobs for law degree graduates. These are based on how well one can match up with the soft and hard skills that are taught in the course. Some jobs remain accessible to the graduates during the start of their careers, while others are attainable once they continue to move ahead and climb up the ladder. Either way, there are countless jobs for the law graduates, some of which have been discussed below.
- Solicitor
The role of a Solicitor is to write the documents and the contracts while dealing with the client cases. However, it must be done precisely, to ensure offering accurate legal advice to clients. A Solicitor is also required to interpret after understanding the complexities of the law and remain committed to keeping up-to-date with all.
So, if you have great written and verbal skills, better communication, and you are not afraid to work hard with ethics and integrity, go ahead and apply for the role. - Barrister
To be a Barrister, one needs to be passionate about delivering independent and unbiased legal advice. One must also have proper reasoning and critical thinking that can not just help to understand the key concepts and the legal principles but also to apply them. - Judicial Assistant
A Judicial Assistant must have excellent research skills and intellectual ability as their key strengths. Further, one must enjoy the adversity of the role and remain keen on analytical abilities.
Apart from the above, one must collaborate with the court’s judicial members and maintain a cool head under pressure. - Paralegal
As a paralegal, one would need to juggle in between multiple caseloads with complete ease. The profession also requires candidates to prepare the documents and do proper research as part of their duties.
The firms also expect the paralegals to,
● Write legal documents, briefs and statements
● Have excellent communication with the clients
● Conduct research - Legal Secretary
Being a legal secretary, the knowledge one possesses about the law is quite considerable, and the attention to detail, it is second to none. Further, one must have excellent research, communication, and the time-management skills, apart from the administrative skills.
Further Studies
In case you, after completing LLB, do not wish to practice law but instead wish to learn more before getting into the practicing field, you can do it for sure. Once the studies are completed, and vocational training is done, you will again have all the above choices to continue ahead for practicing law.
Note that, the above-mentioned roles are some of the most popular ones. There are many more choices available to a lawyer after they have completed their studies. So, take your time and find what interests you.
Final Words
To practice law, one needs to complete their LLB/LLM degree. So, if you are planning to pursue the same in the UK, our professionals at GroupL Education are here to help you make your wish come true. We will try to help you with all our knowledge and experience and ensure you get the complete opportunity to be a part of your dream college.
For any assistance you need, we are just a call away. Connect with us today and begin the process to learn more about how to proceed ahead with continuing your legal studies in a foreign land.