…and nothing but the truth… about career pathways into the legal profession.

The legal profession is complex and the job roles within it are varied, ranging from legal secretary to lawyer. The routes into careers within the legal sector are diverse; you may wish to take an apprenticeship or other vocational route or to study at university. It is important to note that you cannot become a qualified solicitor or barrister by taking an apprenticeship, however there are plenty of other job roles within the legal profession which can be accessed this way such as legal secretary, paralegal officer or assistant, junior paralegal, senior paralegal or senior claims handler.

Lawyer is a term that covers solicitors, barristers and chartered legal executives - solicitors work directly with clients, providing legal services, barristers work on behalf of clients, primarily in court and chartered legal executives specialise in particular areas of law, undertaking many of the same legal activities as solicitors.

You don’t have to study at university to become a lawyer; there is a vocational route available. However, should you choose to study law at university, you could opt for a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) or you could study for a BA or BSc in Law. If you know already that you want to specialise in a particular area of law, such as criminal or international law, there are specific degree courses offered.

If you want to go on to practice as a solicitor after gaining a law degree, you will need to enrol as a student with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) in order to complete the vocational stage of your training. The most important thing is to do your research and find the right option for you, which will depend on what you want to progress to post university and in what way – for example some LLB degrees, which are recognised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Bar Standards Board satisfy the academic stage of your training and allow you to gain exemptions from some institutes.

If you choose to study for a degree in a subject other than law, you can still progress to becoming a solicitor or barrister but you will need to complete a law conversion course after you graduate and gain the Legal Practice Certificate (LPC) or the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC).