collageYou don’t need a law degree to become a lawyer – in fact, the modern legal profession is full of non-law graduates, and the skills and experiences gained studying and working in other fields are assets that make you a stronger candidate.
Collegelearners is replete with relevant information on how to become a lawyer in Virginia without law school, do you need a law degree to be a lawyer, can you practice law without passing the bar, and so much more.
Non-law graduates can take a law conversion course such as the one-year Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL).
Recruiters see the law conversion route as completely equal in value to a law degree. They also recognise and value transferable skills gained from studying other subjects and working in different fields. Read on to find out more about the process of becoming a lawyer with a non-law degree, plus some encouraging examples of the diverse fields from which many currently practising lawyers have come from.
Change ahead: The Solicitors Qualifying Exam
The route to qualifying as a solicitor is going to change in 2021, when the LPC (explained below) is replaced with the new Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE). The SQE is a new assessment that all prospective solicitors must pass at the point of qualifying. Under the new rules on which qualifications are required, it will only be compulsory to have a university degree in any subject (law or non-law) to be eligible to take the SQE. However, most non-law graduates will want to complete a preparatory course to give themselves the best chance of passing the SQE. This means that law conversion courses such as the GDL will continue to be part of many candidates’ routes into the legal profession. Find out more about the SQE in LawCareers.Net’s SQE section.
First step to qualifying: graduate law conversion courses
Various universities and law schools offer graduate law conversion courses. Previously all graduate law conversions had one name – the GDL, but universities are now in the process of launching revamped conversion courses under a range of different names, in order to adjust what they teach in line with the SQE.
The GDL will also remain mandatory for non-law graduates who wish to train as a barrister.
Regardless of the differences between law conversion courses, they all provide the same qualification – a Postgraduate Diploma in Law. A law conversion enables a non-law graduate to progress onto a vocational course to become a solicitor or barrister. For aspiring solicitors, this is the Legal Practice Course (LPC) until it is replaced by the SQE from September 2021.
To become a barrister, you must complete a Bar course after your law conversion, which will then make you eligible for pupillage (the final stage of barrister training).
Different law conversion courses offer a range of extra study options, as well as the option to integrate a master’s qualification into your law conversion (making your conversion eligible for student loan funding).
Choosing the right law school at which to study is also an important decision, so be sure to read our article for more advice.
Career Research And Work Experience
As soon as you have decided that you are interested in a career in law, you should begin researching the legal profession. Firstly, you need to decide which branch of the profession appeals to you – working in teams at a law firm or the more solitary, academic and court-based lifestyle of a barrister? To get started, read The Beginner’s Guide to a Career in Law 2021.
Think about the kind of law that interests you – careers in commercial, family or crime practices are very different. However, it is best to keep an open mind about what your ultimate specialism will be at this early stage. The reality of actually working in those areas over the course of a training contract or pupillage is often different to studying it at university.
It is important to secure some legal work experience. For aspiring solicitors this means applying for law firm vacation schemes (sometimes called work placement schemes), which take place in winter, spring and summer, while those wishing to join the Bar must apply for mini-pupillages, the availability of which differ in terms of the time of year from chambers to chambers. You can use LCN to see upcoming vacation scheme application deadlines and search for mini-pupillages at chambers which interest you.
As well as formal placements, it is worth contacting local firms or chambers to ask if they might let you do a few days’ informal work experience with them, or shadow a solicitor or barrister for the day. All these types of experience are a great way to improve your CV when applying for a training contract or pupillage, while they are also valuable in helping you to decide through first-hand experience whether a career in one of these areas is really for you.
Another valuable form of work experience is voluntary pro bono work, which allows you to help your local community at the same time as boost your CV. LCN has a list of pro bono initiatives to get you started.
Applying For a Training Contract or Pupillage
Many law firms and barristers’ chambers run, respectively, training contract and pupillage interviews at the end of each vacation scheme and mini-pupillage, and make a sizeable proportion of their offers to those candidates who complete placements with them, so the importance of these schemes is clear.
We appreciate that it can be difficult for some to find the time for work experience such as this in the face of employment commitments and caring responsibilities, and the majority of firms hire at least some of their trainees from outside the pool of vacation scheme candidates.
This is all the more reason to present the life skills you have developed through non-legal experiences, such as other jobs and the things you got involved in at university, in the best possible way when making applications – although we cannot stress enough that this is absolutely crucial for all candidates, whether or not you have done a vacation scheme or mini-pupillage. Thinking about how you would take your experiences and skills, and apply them as a trainee solicitor or pupil barrister is just as important as legal work experience.
All of the solicitors we have spoken to who qualified from non-law backgrounds agree – prior experiences and skills outside of law can be a real advantage. One economics graduate, now a solicitor, said: “An economics student who applies to commercial law firms can feel confident that he or she has a competitive advantage by understanding the workings of an economy, and the drivers behind corporate decisions and growth.”
A biochemistry graduate points out that her degree has proven useful at both the application stage and in practice: “I applied to law firms that had strong IP and life sciences practices, where I could sell my scientific background on the basis that I understood life sciences business. I felt it would be an advantage to be able to discuss with clients the scientific concepts that underpin their products.”
Another commercial lawyer explains how his degree in engineering really helped him during his training contract: “During my IP litigation seats, I worked on three patent cases at different stages and therefore experienced commencing proceedings, prior art searches and exchanging expert reports, and assisting at trial. Understanding the underlying technology helped me to appreciate information that others might not. It also helped me to consider what further information might be required from our clients and experts in order to provide comprehensive legal advice.”
Arts and humanities subjects are also valuable in developing the broad life skills you will need as a lawyer. One English graduate we spoke to sees plenty of correlation between her degree subject and her day-to-day work at an international commercial firm: “I am often asked to carry out detailed research which involves producing a cohesive and thorough written analysis. I have to set out the question that I am being asked to consider, detail my findings and the resources that I used to reach these findings and form practical, commercial conclusions.” Meanwhile, another corporate solicitor is quick to acknowledge the value of the skills she developed over the course of her classics degree: “The analytical skills and attention to detail that I have developed from translating ancient texts have been of great benefit. For example, I was involved in drafting a merger submission to the Office of Fair Trading. This required me to research and evaluate potential arguments as to why the merger should not be referred to the Competition Commission, demanding a high-level economic analysis of the markets of the merging entities.”
LCN has plenty more in-depth advice on applying for a training contract, as well as how to approach pupillage interviews and training contract interviews.
Reality check: The LPC and Bar courses
Our advice is to apply for training contracts/pupillages before you take the LPC/Bar course. This is because the high competition for places means that securing one is by no means a certainty, so paying out in excess of £16,000 in some cases to take the LPC or Bar course without a job lined up is risky. Some firms and chambers will also reimburse your course fees once your training has started. If you do decide to go ahead and enrol on the LPC or Bar course in the hope of securing a training contract or pupillage during this final year of postgraduate study or later, think carefully about whether you can afford the course fees and what alternative careers you might explore if a training contract or pupillage doesn’t materialise.
It is also important to note that some firms require their future trainees to take the LPC at a specific law school (because that school’s course is designed to prepare law students for practising at that type of firm) and/or choose specific modules – check with the firms to which you are planning on applying. Meanwhile those planning to go into high street or general practice should join a law school offering electives such as family law, employment law, immigration law, wills and probate and personal injury litigation. Those intending to enter City/commercial practice should ensure that they join a school with the good connections to City firms just mentioned and which provides appropriate electives such as advanced commercial litigation, private acquisitions, equity finance and debt finance.
Becoming A Solicitor Without A Law Degree
You don’t need to do the three-year law degree course (also known as the LLB) to become a successful lawyer in the UK. You can study any undergraduate degree, such as English or engineering, and then convert that non-law degree by studying a one-year law conversion course.
Most law firms have a balanced intake of trainee solicitors from law and non-law backgrounds, recruiting roughly 50% from non-law degrees. Let’s be clear: you are at no disadvantage having studied a non-law degree before beginning your legal training and qualifications. In fact, some law firms, such as intellectually property specialists Bristows, actively seek out those with a science or engineering background. Last year the firm told us that 80% of its trainee solicitors had a non-law degree.
‘Firms don’t tend to give preference to law students – I often find that non-law graduates end up being more rounded and better educated lawyers,’ explains Sarah Clover, a professional negligence partner at international law firm Clyde & Co. ‘I would advise any student contemplating a career in law to think carefully about not studying law at university. You end up doing law for so many years as a professional so I would advise choosing a university degree that you are genuinely interested in. I did a law degree but looking back I wish I’d studied history – a subject I loved at school. I found the academic study of law to be somewhat dry and only began to enjoy studying law in the context of actual practice where one could see the impact of it in real life.’
What is a law conversion course? Is it the same as the graduate diploma in law (or GDL course)?
Recognised law conversion courses come with a variety of names. The two most widely used are the graduate diploma in law (GDL) and the common professional examination (CPE). The ‘common’ in common professional examination stems from the fact that the course is common to both future solicitors and those wanting to train as barristers.
The law conversion course is intensive since it brings non-law graduates up to speed with law graduates in one year (two years if taken part time or as an MA). You’ll need a lot of drive and self-discipline to do well so consider your motivation for a career in law carefully before you apply. Successful completion of the course qualifies graduates for entry onto the Bar course or LPC, but this may change for solicitors with the introduction of the SQE. Some commercial law firms sponsor their future trainee solicitors through the law conversion course and the LPC.
The law conversion course includes an introduction to the English legal system and basic legal research skills. There are seven compulsory foundation subjects:
- Contract law
- Tort law
- Criminal law
- Public law (including constitutional law, administrative law and human rights)
- Land law
- Law of equity and trusts
- Law of the European Union
The introduction of the solicitors qualifying exam in 2021 and its impact on the GDL
The system is planned to change from autumn 2021, with the SRA’s introduction of the solicitors qualifying examination (SQE). Unlike the LPC, non-law graduates will not be required to complete a conversion course before completing the SQE. However, it may still be advisable, as an appropriate postgraduate conversion course will include the legal knowledge that aspiring lawyers will need to complete the two stages of the SQE. Some course providers are planning to introduce SQE-specific conversion courses, but details of these have yet to be announced. For more information on the SQE, see our SQE special report here.
The skills needed to become a successful lawyer
If you talk to law recruiters at a careers fair, you’ll see that your degree subject is rarely on their list of top ten things to look for in future trainee solicitors. Intellectual rigour, teamwork skills, resilience, ambition and motivation are all important factors that firms seek in future trainees and they can all be developed outside your degree.
‘Commercial awareness’ – an ability to understand your client’s business and an appreciation of how the City works – is something that is built up over time by reading the financial papers, keeping your ear to the ground or picking up work experience in an investment bank or City institution. Making yourself irresistible to law recruiters is often a case of demonstrating your interest in law and gaining relevant experiences.
Demand for language skills from global law firms
Linguists should note that the larger City law firms, like their counterparts in investment banking and accountancy, are global and as such have offices or associate offices all over the world. Trainees and qualified practitioners can expect to be seconded overseas if they so wish and a second language is a huge bonus.
How a science or engineering degree can boost your career in law
Legal practice involves analysing masses of information, drafting succinct and unambiguous documents, deciphering complicated legislation and explaining it in clear terms to your lay client. An ordered, logical mind is a huge advantage and, as a result, scientists, engineers and mathematicians tend to make good lawyers. A science background is particularly helpful in intellectual property work where you will be dealing with technical jargon behind new and groundbreaking inventions. Sam Lee, head of recruitment at Womble Bond Dickinson LLP, says her firm’s intellectual property team is ‘crying out for people who have science or engineering degrees’.
Other attributes developed on non-law degrees
Those with a numerical background would arguably have an edge in employment, tax or banking law where transactions involve complicated calculations. History or English degrees also develop useful research skills for legal practice: ‘Traditionally, a history degree is seen as being in sync with law because of the research skills you develop,’ says Samantha Hope, graduate recruitment manager at Shoosmiths, ‘but we don’t have a preference of degree subject.’
Show your commitment to a career in law with legal work experience
A word of warning. Whatever your background, law is a competitive profession. On top of a consistently strong academic record, communication skills and extracurricular activities, recruiters will want to see evidence of a strong commitment to law. While prior legal work experience isn’t essential in securing a place on the law conversion course, getting some before you start the course is highly recommended and will help you to confirm your interest in the legal profession.
To a point, law degree students can show that from their interest in the academic subject at university. Non-law graduates need to be a bit more creative: make sure you have legal work experience on your CV. Frankly, you’d be foolish to enter the profession without trying out life at a firm for size: it’s the best way to prove to yourself as well as recruiters that the profession is for you. ‘Work experience and open days are an invaluable opportunity to see what working in a law firm is really like,’ says the trainee recruitment assistant at Slaughter and May. ‘It is important to have all the facts and first-hand knowledge is one of the best ways to do so.’
As a non-law graduate, applying to firms’ vacation schemes, open days and insight programmes is crucial in showing you’re serious about entering this profession. Make sure you visit your careers centre to get the lowdown on legal careers and attend as many talks, presentations and open days from law firms visiting your careers service as you can. Search for vacation schemes in law firms here and mini-pupillages in barristers’ chambers here.
Alexander Flather is a trainee solicitor who, like Sarah Clover, works at international law firm Clyde & Co. He studied politics and East European studies at UCL and did the law conversion course at City, University of London. He advises: ‘My GDL course provider offered CV advice, interview coaching and plenty of networking opportunities with law firms – all of which are tailored to people studying law. Make sure you are taking full advantage of all the things your institution offers. Debates and mooting in particular are great ways of networking and honing your skills.’
This article is supported by The University of Law.
Find out what ‘supported by’ means by visiting our FAQ page.
You might also like
- How will the new SQE super exam affect graduates?
- Which law firms will fund your LPC and GDL course fees and pay maintenance costs?
- Commercial awareness and how to achieve it, by trainee solicitors and law recruiters
- What skills do law firms look for when recruiting graduates for trainee solicitor jobs?
- How to become a lawyer in the UK
collage