Are you a Legal Eagle?

So you fancy becoming a solicitor? Why not - the profession is growing in numbers and solicitors can be found working in so many interesting areas. Your work can involve sorting out the details of big business mergers, arranging contracts for top footballers or helping a family through a difficult divorce. The work is interesting and varied - but what kind of person makes a good lawyer and how do you get there?

A career as a solicitor is open to anyone and the Law Society is actively promoting diversity in the profession. Solicitors are drawn from all walks of life and of the new solicitors who joined the profession last year more than 18% are from minority ethnic groups. In recent years the number of women qualifying as solicitors has overtaken the number of men. So if your image of the profession is middle aged men in pin striped suits, then a visit to a modern solicitors office would show you a very different picture.

However, qualifying as a solicitor is not easy. You will need to show you have academic ability and a real dedication to hard work.

The most usual route is to study for a law degree at university – however non law graduates will also have to study for the Common Professional Examination/Graduate Diploma in Law. Law is a subject that’s growing in popularity and in 2003 more than one quarter of the students starting their law degrees were from ethnic minority groups. That figure has been growing over recent years. After a degree course you will have to take the Legal Practice Course which ensures you have the skills needed to work in a solicitor’s office. The course is usually one year but it can be studied part time - however student loans are not available to cover the costs of your LPC year. Before you qualify you will need to do practice-based training – this can either be done full time over two year or part time over a longer period. The Law Society sets down a basic minimum salary for trainees but many firms pay higher than the basic to attract the best people.

There is competition all along the line – from getting a place at university to study law to persuading a firm to take you on as a trainee. But some students do get sponsorship for part of their studies and the great majority of students who pass the Legal Practice Course quality and enjoy successful careers.

Sailesh Mehta from the Society of Asian Lawyers thinks many young people are attracted to the law because it offers the chance to make a difference to society.

“We are seen to be at the cutting edge of human rights and solicitors can affect changes to the law that are important to people’s lives. Others are also attracted because it is a well-respected career that can offer good rewards. But whatever your motivation, you will need a strong will to succeed”, he said.

Yvonne Brown is the chair of the Black Solicitors Network. The network is keen to see a diversity league table among the big law firms so that young black lawyers will know that there are opportunities open them. The network also holds career workshops and offer mentoring and sponsorship to aspiring would-be solicitors. You can find details on their website: www.blacksolicitorsnetwork.co.uk

So if you think a career in the law might be for you, here’s a few ways to
find out more:


Visit the Law Society’s website www.lawsociety.org.uk Here you will be able to find out all you need to know about becoming a solicitor.
Try and get work experience in a solicitors office and see first hand about the kind of work solicitors do.

Talk to your careers adviser and see if you can find out if any law fairs are being held in your area. Here you will find lots of information from different kinds of firms – as well as the chance to see about other careers in law. Details about other career options in law can also be found at the website for the Law Careers Advice network www.lcan.org.uk

Student Profile:

Rajen Akalu graduated from UEL in 1997 with LLB (Hons), and went on to complete his LLM at the London School of Economics and is an admitted attorney in New York. He has worked at the Ministry of Trade and Industry in Guyana, Baker and McKenzie in Toronto and Flemming Zulak and Williamson, a litigation firm in New York. Rajen currently manages the Bell University Lab (BUL) in innovation law and policy. The BUL program is a multi-disciplinary collaborative research program funded in part by Canada’s leading telecommunications provider, Bell Canada. The lab is closely affiliated with Centre for Innovation Law and Policy based at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. Rajen supervises and administrates all of the law lab’s activities including knowledge transfer activities and research. Rajen represents the law lab to stakeholder groups such as the legal profession, policy makers, government officials and donors. His research interests include informational privacy, copyright and digital rights management. He is a member of the New York Commercial and Federal Litigation Section and the Internet and Litigation Committee.

“I look back at my time a UEL as wonderful chapter in my life; it has made a lasting impression on me. At the law school I developed the skills necessary deal with complex legal challenges in diverse situation. The law faculty provided me with excellent support and encouragement. I am truly thankful to be the beneficiary of their intellectual endowments!”

Related Links:

Beginner's Guide to Studying Law in the UK
Law Degree
Studying Law in the UK