Jobs & Careers with Piers Linney - 257

FOCUS :

LEGAL

o you want to be a lawyer? Want to get your teeth into righting wrongs, upholding the
law and seeing that justice is upheld? Great. But while a career in law can be dramatic
and exciting, there's much more to it than high-profile court cases.
Pursuing a career in this sector requires commitment, resilience, ambition, academic ability
and years of training and hard work. It will take at least three years to train if you have a law
degree, at least four if you have a non-law degree, and at least six years if you are not a graduate.
Studying for this amount of time is demanding, both intellectually and financially, so make sure
you are absolutely sure this is the career for you first. Look to do some work experience, and talk
to as many solicitors as you can to gather honest information about what their job involves - the
highs, the lows and the boring bits in between. A 'lawyer' is a broad term that can cover lots of
fields of expertise, but it is usually divided into two main areas: solicitors and barristers.

Words: Heledd Williams. Images: Getty Images, Shutterstock.

Be a... solicitor

Be a... barrister

As a solicitor, you act on the behalf of clients (individuals, groups or
companies) in legal matters. You could work at a private practice,
providing advice on issues such as divorce; a commercial practice,
advising and acting for businesses; or the Crown Prosecution Service
(CPS), where you examine evidence to decide whether to bring cases
to court. You may also give legal advice, research cases, write legal
documents, liaise with barristers and represent clients in court.
Once you have qualified and been practising for several years, you
can go on to apply to become a judge with the Judicial Appointments
Commission - either as a salaried judge, or on a fee-paid basis while
continuing in practice, sitting for a minimum of 15 days a year.
There are three main ways to become a solicitor: those with a
qualifying law degree must take the Legal Practice Course (LPC);
graduates with a non-law degree need to take the Common
Professional Examination (CPE) or Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL)
course; and those without a degree can follow the membership or
fellowship route of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx,
www.cilex.org.uk) while working in the legal profession. Once you have
completed your law degree or CPE/GDL conversion course, you must
then pass the Legal Practice Course (LPC), followed by a training
contract - the final stage to qualifying.
As a solicitor, you normally work 37 hours
a week, but much longer hours are common.
The minimum salary for a trainee solicitor
Find out more at
is the national minimum wage, but once
www.lawsociety.org.
qualified, salaries can rise to £25-£70,000
uk and www.nationala year. Salaries for partners in large firms can
careersservice.
reach £100,000 a year or more.
direct.gov.uk

Barristers are specialist advisers in legal matters (usually in areas
such as commercial, civil, criminal and family law). They receive their
information and instructions through a solicitor and are essentially
self-employed. When not appearing in court, they work in chambers
to prepare their court cases and arguments.
Although barristers work in a wide variety of areas of law, the
fundamental elements of the job remain largely the same. These
include: advising clients on the law and the strength of their case;
holding 'conferences' with clients to discuss their case; representing
clients in court, including presenting the case and cross-examining
witnesses; and negotiating settlements with the other side (when a
legal dispute is resolved privately outside of court).
To become a barrister, you'll need a high level of intellectual ability,
excellent writing skills, be able to think clearly under pressure, and be
very determined. You must first gain a law or other degree at class 2:2 or
above, followed by a postgraduate Common Professional Examination
(CPE) or Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL). Then you need to achieve the
The Bar Professional Course (BPTC - one year full-time or two years
part-time) and Pupillage - one year in an approved legal environment.
Salaries during pupillage are around £12,000 a year, but don't
become disheartened - within the first few years of practice, earnings
can be between £25- £200,000 a year.
Salaries in the CPS are between £28-£60,000
a year. Earnings in private practice can reach
£750,000+ a year. A few barristers are made
Find out more at
a Queen's Counsel (QC) A QC is a senior
www.prospects.
barrister with extensive experience who is
ac.uk/barrister_job_
regarded as having outstanding ability.
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J O B S & C A R E E R S /// 2 5 7

http://www.cilex.org.uk http://www.lawsociety.org http://www.national http://www.prospects http://www.ac.uk/barrister_job_ http://direct.gov.uk

Jobs & Careers with Piers Linney

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