How to become a solicitor

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This post is going to give you basic understanding about how you go from School Student to Solicitor. Yes it's a bit text heavy, but it's important stuff alright!? 

There are two ways to choose....here goes..... 

NUMBER 1

I'm going to start with the way that I know best as it's currently the path I am on to becoming a solicitor. Let's keep it nice and simple for now with this diagram:

Starting at the top, you can choose either to study a LLB Law degree (this is what I did) or any degree subject of your choice and then take a 1 year conversion course known as the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL). Basically, to be able to progress to the Legal Practice Course (LPC) the Law Society requires all students to have completed their six key areas (depending on where you study, the names will vary slightly):

• CRIMINAL LAW
• LAND LAW
• TORT LAW
• CONTRACT LAW
• CONSTITUTIONAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE LAW
• THE LAW OF TRUSTS

On the LLB, you will cover these six modules as well as a number of others to complete your degree program. GDL students will purely focus on completing these six modules over the course of 1 year.

The LPC is a 1 year (or more if you choose to do it part-time) course that takes all of your knowledge of legal theory, and teaches you how to put it into practice. Once again there are a number of compulsory modules (Property Law in Practice, Civil Litigation, Criminal Litigation, Business Law in Practice and so on) as well as three modules of your choice. You will also be taught how to interview effectively, research efficiently and accurately, and even manage the accounts of a law firm and businesses. Don't worry though if your math skills aren't up to scratch, calculators are always permitted! 

The 'Training Contract' is your final step to. This is the stage when you finally leave law school behind and head into the actual office (and get paid!). Each firm will handle its training slightly differently, but you will be required to complete two years of training before qualification. The law firm I have a contract with follows the most common pattern of placing its trainees in 4 seats (departments), each 6 months in length. Some however will make their trainees sit in, say, 6 seats of 4 months in length. 

AND FINALLY...*cue drum roll please*

        YOU QUALIFY!                                                

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NUMBER 2

Wow O.K, so that was route 1 of 2. Now, I have to admit, that is the only route I ever considered and therefore is the only route I am actually well genned up on. Therefore, I think it would be sensible for me to simply point you in the right direction rather than attempt to describe the other two routes when I have no first-hand knowledge myself. I'd hate to give you the wrong information!

In which case, I think the following websites will help you get a good understanding:

The non-university route- http://www.cilex.org.uk/

                                          http://www.cilexlawschool.ac.uk/

                                          http://www.lawcareers.net/MoreLaw/WhatIsALegalApprenticeship

                                       

Please note: this information is correct to my best ability, but I recommend checking out the Law Society's Routes to Qualifying page just to be sure ;)

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What GCSE options to choose?

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Choosing your GCSE options can seem to be quite a daunting thing to do, the trick is, make yourself as informed as possible before you make any decision...and that's where hopefully I can be of assistance. 

Now it was about 7 years ago that I was in your position. I remember being completely confused about what to actually choose (although I already knew that science would be a very, very bad idea), but what I did know was that when I'm older I wanted to study a law degree....

Yep, having your heart set on a degree to be studied in 4 years time seems like a great idea at the time, but let me pass on some very wise words that have been spoken to me at various stages of my educational career

                               "Keep as many doors open to you as possible, for as long as possible"

That's right. Sure you may have your heart set on being a lawyer, but just remember, thoughts change, and that's not a bad thing. 

But if you really want to know which subjects to choose that will give you the best foundations to pursue a legal education, these would be my

1) History

          2) Geography

                  3) A foreign language

Why those three? Well, basically they will begin to develop some extremely key skills that you will need. History and Geography are fairly similar with this regard. Both will require you to be able to analyse information and present it in a clear manner. You will be doing a lot of essay writing for the years to come, so it won't hurt to have as much experience now to prepare you.

You may have cringed when you read that I recommend a foreign language GCSE, but there is a very good reason why. Law firms are becoming more and more international. Practically all of the major law firms in the UK have overseas offices and any law firm is going to show more interest in you if you can say you speak (even basic) German, French, Spanish, Mandarin etc etc. I can't recall any application I made that didn't ask me a question about my additional language skills. 

By having a foreign language under your belt (even if it stops at GCSE level), you will be able to demonstrate the ability to learn a new language. There really aren't a lot of people who can say that, and it's always easier to learn something like that at a young age than it is to try pick one up in later life. 

Let me throw a spanner in the works.....

So, please do take on board what I've written above, but bare this in mind. Without good GCSE grades, you may struggle to get to your favourite college to study A-levels/IB. I know that for me to stay on at my school I needed to get Bs in the subjects I wanted to take. Always play to your strengths and avoid your weaknesses. If you know that doing History could be a very bad idea, but instead, say, choosing Electronics would pretty much guarantee you a higher grade, go for Electronics. 

And really, that brings me back to how I started this post. Always choose what YOU want to do. Not what you are made to think you should do, or what your friends are all doing, or what your parents say you should do. The same goes for the guidance I've provided above....it is exactly that....only a guide. 

If you're really stuck and want someone else's opinion, send me your questions and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. No question is a stupid question no matter how much you think it is. You have some very important decisions to make and need to get them right!

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I wanna know what Christmas is!

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It really is starting to heat up in the LPC world. Having got over my angst regarding the Interview and Advising assessment on Monday (Click Here if you missed it) we have our first mock exam this coming week, two the following week and then it's Christmas 'break'. Yep that's 'break' in inverted commas. I can't actually remember when I last had a normal Christmas. Each and every year Christmas 'break' is actually a nice way of saying 'exam revision period', and this year is no different. Come 5th January I'll be sitting an exam on Solicitor's Accounts, followed an hour later with Professional Conduct and Regulation. Oh did I mention that my research coursework is set on that day too?  

Speaking of which- here's a tip for all of you poor people with coursework assignments to complete......

.....enough said.

More updates to come next week, for now I'll be focusing on the topic areas mentioned here. 

   DON'T FORGET TO SEND IN ANY QUESTIONS

 ABOUT STUDYING

  LAW 

FAQs and HAs (Honest Answers)

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Hi, remember, my blog is new but have faith.

If you've got a question about anything to do with studying law, choosing subjects, university opportunities, career guidance, perhaps you're from another country and want to know about studying law in the UK......ask me a question by sending me a message, and if I'm not sure, I'll try to point you in the right direction.

LPC- MY FIRST TWO MONTHS.....whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy??!!

Hi!- If you've not already done so, give this a quick read first-Law Shool Rulez Intro

This is my first post about my experiences on the LPC (Legal Practice Course). I probably should have thought about doing this as soon as I started the course, but never mind, I'll soon get you up to date.

Firstly, I'm studying at BPP law school. Why did I choose BPP? I'll write why, edit this post, and put the link here when I get chance.

It has been an unbelievably intense start to the year at BPP.  There is certainly no easing you in. Before I'd even set foot in the place, I needed to have completed about 140 pages of pre-module reading and have sat an online test about business law (it doesn't actually count towards anything don't worry). 

BPP has a variety of ways you can study the LPC, I am on the program that means I only have to attend class on Mondays and Wednesdays. This is great because it means I don't have to pay travel fairs every day of the week, can fit in lecturers (which are provided online) at any time of the day, and work twice a week as a Bar Associate. Don't get the wrong idea though, despite only being officially twice a week, the amount of preparation work beggars belief. I'm not exaggerating when I say I work every day I have 'off' and have to be incredibly efficient to meet deadlines. In fact, the last time I did absolutely no work was at the start of September....the day before the LPC started. 

So what are my thoughts about the course generally?

Here's where I will get very truthful. I don't like it. I don't like it at all. Yes, learning about the various forms you have to fill in, procedures, techniques etc etc makes a change to sitting and learning solid legal theory, but really these are all skills that you could learn on the job, and probably get to grips with quicker that way too. I know I should be grateful that I'm not having to pay the extortionate £11,000 ish in tuition fees as my law firm has very kindly sponsored me, but that doesn't make spending a year of my life doing this course seem any easier to stomach. 

What am I studying?

In the first half of your LPC year you study three core practice areas (CPEs); these being Business Law in Practice, Civil Litigation, and Property Law in Practice. Besides that you teach yourselves Wills and the Administration of Estates, have online sessions in Interviewing and Advising and Practical Legal Research, as well as monthly(ish) classroom sessions of Solicitor's Accounts and Professional Conduct and Regulations. There's so much all at once...I'm told the second half of the year when youc choose your own modules is a lot, lot better... 

Yesterday I sat my Interviewing and Advising assessment. This entailed me entering a room containing an actor and my tutor. I had to interview the actor and basically play at being a solicitor. Armed with a pre-released sheet of A4 containing an area of law and a few case precedents, I questioned and advised my client as a camera recorded my every movement, and my tutor scribbled notes about my performance.....it's probably the most unnatural place you will ever sit an assessment. God I hope I passed it. You are marked as 'Competent' or 'Not Yet Competent' and put it this way, if I've got the latter, then I can kiss goodbye to my training contract....I'm not panicking...honest

Last week wasn't exactly relaxing either. With my notes spread right across the living room, I logged into my online BPP profile and sat the Wills assessment. 10 multiple choice questions in 90 minutes, open book. It was alright. The first two questions threw me as they were pretty complicated inheritance tax problems (thrilling stuff) but the rest were relatively straight forward.

Oh and did I mention I had a 1700 word formative (practice) legal research assignment due about whether or not an employer can be vicariously liable for the harassment by one employee to another?....In case you were wondering, the answer is....yes. 

It's not all doom and gloom though....

One thing I love about doing the LPC is that I have made so many new friends and the tutors are great people. From day one you are put in a sort of form group, and that group becomes your LPC family. You spend every lesson with those people, and it really does feel like a 'we're in it together' kind of atmosphere. If one person is struggling, others always step in to help. I can't stress enough how thankful I am to be amongst such wonderful people. I'm not even kidding when I say it's keeping us all sane.

Also, a lot of my friends haven't got a training contract yet, and BPP are unbelievable at providing you with help and guidance to help you get one. Every week there seems to be another law firm visiting to give presentations, or another pro bono opportunity is brought to our attention in the weekly update. If your CV is looking a bit bare, it soon won't be!

OK OK OK- 

Yes I've painted a pretty bleak picture on the LPC so far and I'll be the first to admit that I worry about things a little bit too much, panic and ultimately need to get a grip. The LPC is not as hard as the LLB. It's just a large quantity to manage. Time management is key (see my other post that I'll be writing soon)

If you're on the LPC, or are dreading the sound of it, just think like this. There is no other way. It's only one year and before you know it, it'll be the summer, and you'll be preparing for the big, wide, legal world. Then begins the real work.......along with the pay cheques of course ;)