Solicitor Career Paths
There are many different ways of being part of the legal profession. Whatever your educational background, this engaging profession has great career prospects, provided you make the appropriate education and training choices. The most rapid way of qualifying as a solicitor is to obtain a qualifying law degree.
Obtaining Your Degree
Studying law is stimulating in its own right, but it’s also a smart career move. A qualifying law degree is traditionally the first step on the road to becoming a solicitor. The law degree LLB (Hons) is the UK’s most popular undergraduate taught law degree. The four compulsory courses of this degree cover all seven foundations of legal knowledge: obligations I (contract) and II (tort); criminal law; equity and law of trusts; European Union (EU) law; property law; and public law. It has been developed in association with the College of Law and if completed within the strict time limits, is recognised as a Qualifying Law Degree (QLD) by the Law Society of England and Wales and the Bar Standards Board. A qualifying law degree satisfies the professional bodies’ first stage of legal education, known as the Academic Stage of training. The LLB Degree programme contains some comparison of English law with the law of other UK and EU countries. However, this degree will not be professionally recognised as a qualifying law degree outside England and Wales.
Common Professional Examination or Graduate Diploma in Law
If you do not have a qualifying law degree, you will have to take the Common Professional Examination (CPE) or Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL). The course is offered by a multitude of institutions across the country, from universities to traditional law schools. The CPE/GDL comprises an examination in each of the seven foundations of legal knowledge, plus one other area of legal study. As with a qualifying law degree, the LPC must be started within seven years of passing the CPE or GDL, or you will have to start again.
Legal Practice Course
The LPC is an essential component of the process of qualification for those who wish to practice as solicitors in England and Wales and features a more practical approach, ensuring trainee solicitors have the knowledge and skills they need in their first two years of practice, when they undertake their training contracts stage.
The basic framework laid down by the Law Society is broken down into five broad areas: core; compulsory; pervasive; skills; and elective. Six areas of law identified as fundamental to the course are contract law; crime; equity & trusts; EU law, property law & tort.
Training Contract
Individuals should apply for their training contract in the second year of a qualifying law degree or the final year of
any other degree. You should have identified the firm or approved organisation to do your training contract in while still at University. There is considerable competition for these places and it pays to identify your chosen firm early. The format of the training contract can vary substantially, with larger firms tending to have a more structured programme than smaller firms. Law Society guidelines stipulate that in all cases you must be allocated a ‘training principal' (who must be a partner or solicitor of equivalent status), who will monitor and appraise your work.
During your training contract, you will have to complete the professional skills course before you can be admitted as a solicitor. The course is divided into three compulsory components: financial and business skills; advocacy and communications skills; and ethics and client responsibilities. Once you have completed your training contract and the PSC, you will be eligible to apply for a Practising Certificate from the Law Society which allows you to undertake client work.
For more information relating to how to qualify to become a solicitor please visit http://www.sra.org.uk