LAW: CAREER OPTIONS
Information provided by our Careers & Employability service.
Fran, our Career Adviser for Law, says:
"The first thing that you will need to do is to decide whether or not you want to become a Solicitor or Barrister, as qualification routes will differ and are costly. Legal training is characterised by strict application procedures and deadlines, so you will need to be highly organised and be thinking at least two years in advance. However, not everyone with a law degree will want to become a lawyer. The skills that you have acquired on your degree can also be used across a range of other roles within the legal sector including: barrister’s clerk, legal executive, legal publishing and legal secretarial work. Others may wish to transfer their skills to opportunities outside of the legal sector; where typical pathways might be teaching, business, retail and the public sector."
Skills you can develop during this course include:
Research and analytical skills
Interpret and explain complex information
Reasoning and critical judgement
Lateral thinking and problem-solving
Effective debating skills
Attention to detail
Relevant Work Experience
Any serious law student will actively seek out work experience opportunities, and the most common of these is pro- bono, voluntary work and internships. For really successful pro- bono work, find a cause that you are passionate about. Work experience can also be extremely useful for the occupationally unfocused. Sampling different work areas throughout the duration of your degree may help you to identify appropriate career opportunities upon graduation. Remember that a degree alone will not guarantee you a graduate job, so make the most of the vast range of opportunities available to you at university.