Careers/training in law
Discussion
Following on from my last thread about looking at careers outside the police: http://pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
I'm becoming more interested in getting further training/education in Law and am seeking the wisdom of the PH faithful who have experience in this area.
As per the last thread, I'm a detective at the moment and although I have not committed to leave the cops, it's an increasing likelihood in the long term. I'm quite interested in the criminal law side of things but I'm looking to gain some additional education in other areas of Law.
Eventually I'd like to either have a broad enough depth of knowledge and experience to be able to leave the police and move into a legal career, but if I don't I figure that any education I do will be useful career development anyway.
There's no rush with any of it and I've no concerns about the academic side of things. Study would need to be either distance learning or very flexible part time as quitting work to study is not possible financially. There's no deadline to leave the cops so it doesn't matter if it takes several years to reach a point where I'm ready to leave to take up a solicitor's training contract (not saying I would do that specifically, just as an example). Also not sure what area of Law I'd like to focus on, but again no rush or deadlines to decide.
Anyone in law/police have any thoughts on/experience of similar career development? I know a Sergeant in my force has become a fully qualified solicitor while still working in the police but not quite sure how he did it.
I'm becoming more interested in getting further training/education in Law and am seeking the wisdom of the PH faithful who have experience in this area.
As per the last thread, I'm a detective at the moment and although I have not committed to leave the cops, it's an increasing likelihood in the long term. I'm quite interested in the criminal law side of things but I'm looking to gain some additional education in other areas of Law.
Eventually I'd like to either have a broad enough depth of knowledge and experience to be able to leave the police and move into a legal career, but if I don't I figure that any education I do will be useful career development anyway.
There's no rush with any of it and I've no concerns about the academic side of things. Study would need to be either distance learning or very flexible part time as quitting work to study is not possible financially. There's no deadline to leave the cops so it doesn't matter if it takes several years to reach a point where I'm ready to leave to take up a solicitor's training contract (not saying I would do that specifically, just as an example). Also not sure what area of Law I'd like to focus on, but again no rush or deadlines to decide.
Anyone in law/police have any thoughts on/experience of similar career development? I know a Sergeant in my force has become a fully qualified solicitor while still working in the police but not quite sure how he did it.
My son went through the mill and is now a fully qualified Media Solicitor. It took him 8 years from leaving school. He is now three years into what he thinks is a very rewarding career.
1. LLB at Leicester University. - 3 years. (First Class Hons).
2. Legal Practice Course. (One year and £8K over and above the uni fees).
3. 2 year Training Contract with a company of Solictors.
The two year training course was very difficult to obtain. Seems that most training contracts go to those that know someone in the business. My son searched for over a year then only got what he wanted through someone who knew someone else!
Good luck, it will be a long and sometimes rocky road. It made me glad that I only done mechanical engineering!!!!
1. LLB at Leicester University. - 3 years. (First Class Hons).
2. Legal Practice Course. (One year and £8K over and above the uni fees).
3. 2 year Training Contract with a company of Solictors.
The two year training course was very difficult to obtain. Seems that most training contracts go to those that know someone in the business. My son searched for over a year then only got what he wanted through someone who knew someone else!
Good luck, it will be a long and sometimes rocky road. It made me glad that I only done mechanical engineering!!!!
This was something I was interested in years ago but the idea of giving up work to study that long deterred me and I stayed in the army.
Now I'm in a slightly odd academic position, in that I have a postgraduate qualification (MPhil) but no first degree. I looked again at law again, but the retraining time is a worry and I wonder if my having not followed the conventional academic path to that would worry and/or deter future educators and employers.
Now I'm in a slightly odd academic position, in that I have a postgraduate qualification (MPhil) but no first degree. I looked again at law again, but the retraining time is a worry and I wonder if my having not followed the conventional academic path to that would worry and/or deter future educators and employers.
As said above, training contracts are very difficult to get.
OH is a partner at a mid-ranking London firm - not Magic Circle or anything - and they had 500 applications for one training contract.
Guess who got it? The Managing Partner's son.
There being so many law graduates looking for contracts, I can envisage the scenario where trainees will have to pay firms to train them.
It's already happening in other quarters, over and above huge numbers of unpaid internships.
That said, I don't think an unconventional career to date should deter anyone from trying. The fact you've had a successful career at all should make you stand out from the grads who studied law because they thought it would be an easy way to make lots of money, or because they simply didn't know what else to do.
OH is a partner at a mid-ranking London firm - not Magic Circle or anything - and they had 500 applications for one training contract.
Guess who got it? The Managing Partner's son.
There being so many law graduates looking for contracts, I can envisage the scenario where trainees will have to pay firms to train them.
It's already happening in other quarters, over and above huge numbers of unpaid internships.
That said, I don't think an unconventional career to date should deter anyone from trying. The fact you've had a successful career at all should make you stand out from the grads who studied law because they thought it would be an easy way to make lots of money, or because they simply didn't know what else to do.
My gf is currently halfway through her training contract. She did University(1st)/lpc(top grade) then worked as a litigation executive for a couple of firms for 2 years before securing her contract after about 6million applications.
It seems to me that unless your a real high flyer then the process is slow and expensive and the pay is crap until you qualify where it becomes average.
It seems to me that unless your a real high flyer then the process is slow and expensive and the pay is crap until you qualify where it becomes average.
Thanks all for the helpful replies.
I reckon the cost of doing a graduate law conversion course (already have a first degree) would cost me the best part of £15k part-time, and then there's the cost of a Legal Practitioner's Course on top. The downside is that if I did want to go the solicitor route and try for a training contract, then I'm looking at a huge drop in pay about 6-7 years from now, with several more years before I'd start to earn decent money again. In conclusion it may not be worth it financially but I'll keep on playing with my calculator.
I'll have to retrain for a different career at some point but I need a strategy that won't leave me in the lurch financially in such a big way.
I reckon the cost of doing a graduate law conversion course (already have a first degree) would cost me the best part of £15k part-time, and then there's the cost of a Legal Practitioner's Course on top. The downside is that if I did want to go the solicitor route and try for a training contract, then I'm looking at a huge drop in pay about 6-7 years from now, with several more years before I'd start to earn decent money again. In conclusion it may not be worth it financially but I'll keep on playing with my calculator.
I'll have to retrain for a different career at some point but I need a strategy that won't leave me in the lurch financially in such a big way.
As others have said, getting the TC is not that easy and plenty of people on my conversion course started the process without a TC so were taking a large risk.
However, people who have had a previous career are always able to bring something more to the table than the usual student can. The experience you have is often invaluable and something that a student will take time to learn.
I don't necessarily think you should discount the route if you want to do it but just be aware it's not easy. It never really has been that easy to become a lawyer and it is certainly no easier now.
However, people who have had a previous career are always able to bring something more to the table than the usual student can. The experience you have is often invaluable and something that a student will take time to learn.
I don't necessarily think you should discount the route if you want to do it but just be aware it's not easy. It never really has been that easy to become a lawyer and it is certainly no easier now.
The training contract always seems to be the killer. My OH was lucky enough to get into M&A with a magic circle firm straight from university, but if it was 'just' a general firm doing bits and bobs the pay would have been very low until fully qualified (and even then, not brilliant).
10 Pence Short said:
The training contract always seems to be the killer. My OH was lucky enough to get into M&A with a magic circle firm straight from university, but if it was 'just' a general firm doing bits and bobs the pay would have been very low until fully qualified (and even then, not brilliant).
Indeed so. The pay outside London is markedly different, however, it's better than most jobs unless you are at a very small high street firm. Nevertheless, if you are at such a firm I would imagine that the work/life balance, general enjoyment in the work, variety and interesting clients balance it out to some extent. Magic Circle money is great, no two ways about it, work pressure makes it a killer though.
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