Getting into the Legal Profession

The legal profession is prestigious and many people aspire to be lawyers, solicitors and barristers. However, it can also be quite a confusing profession to get your head around. The purpose of this article is to clear up some common questions about the legal profession such as: What is the difference between a solicitor and a barrister and what are their job roles, what education is required to become a lawyer and many others.

The first thing to establish is what exactly a lawyer does. Popular culture often gives those in the legal profession a bad name. In reality, they're not as bad as they're made out to be (i.e. they're not all ambulance chasers with no morals).

There are two main branches of the legal professions - barristers and solicitors. The role of a solicitor is to advise and assist on legal matters. They are often the first point of call at the beginning of a legal procedure. Solicitors generally have a specialist area of the law that they work in. Most of a solicitors work is office based, usually in a firm where they work with other solicitors.

Barristers are the other side of the profession. A barrister advises on specific legal issues and represents clients in court. Barristers generally receive their information and instructions through a solicitor. Although, public access barristers are eligible to be approached by and deal directly with the general public. When not in court, barristers work in offices known as chambers with other barristers. Much like their solicitor counterparts, barristers often specialise in certain areas of the law.

There are many different areas and strands of the law, choosing an area to specialise in is done by choosing an area which interests you as well as an area in which you have proven results in.

The road to getting a job in the legal sector is a long, challenging and expensive one. And even if you succeed academically there is no guarantee of a job at the end of it.

The road to becoming a lawyer starts at GCSE level. Unlike many other professions, in order to become a lawyer your GCSE's need to be of a good standard as employers often use them to thin out applications early on in the recruitment process. Following GCSE's, A-Levels are the next logical step (although it is possible to do a CILEx qualification). At A-Level, it is important to do as many academic qualifications as possible. Gaining good grades in these subjects will prove your ability to learn. Ironically, it is not necessary to study Law at A-Level, although it obviously can't hurt, especially if you obtain an excellent grade.

Most lawyers are degree educated; however, not all lawyers have a degree in a law-based subject. Law firms often value the knowledge gained in other degree subjects just as highly. Although, it is worth noting that if your degree is in a non-related subject you will have to undertake a GDL (Graduate diploma in Law) these can be completed in a year but can be quite demanding.

The next stage is the fork in the road; the point at which you must choose to go down the solicitor or barrister route.

To become a solicitor, the next stage is the vocational LPC - Legal Practice Course. This is a vocational 1 year course that is designed to bridge the gap between academic study and training in a professional law firm. It equips you with a range of practical skills as well as allowing for a certain amount of specialisation.

Following this is a training contract. A training contract is a contract with a professional law firm designed to allow you to utilise the knowledge you have gained in education and put it into practice in a professional environment. The firm will assess the matter of retention at the end of a 2 year period.

After this, you are qualified as a solicitor.

The route to become a barrister is slightly different. Upon completing your degree or GDL, you must undertake a BPTC. BPTC stands for The Bar Professional Training Course. This is a one year vocational training course, designed to put students' knowledge to the test with scenarios such as mock court cases and debating.

Following the successful completion of this, the next stage of training to be a barrister is pupillage. This is essentially yearlong work training where trainees are guided and supervised by a barrister with at least 5 years' experience. This is the final step of training.

While training, it is well worth investigating local law firms and specific law firms that interest you, this will allow you to monitor job prospects as well as stay informed on particular firms or areas of law.

For information on specific law firms, it's worth visiting law careers . 'Law careers' contains a host of specialised knowledge as well as general information on law, law firms and working in the legal field.