Law is one of the most prestigious areas of work in the world and becoming a member of this elite group of legal experts is no mean feat.
Working as a lawyer can be an incredibly fulfilling, if stressful, career path, but its pretty competitive out there and only the most dedicated will make it to the top.
It may be that you set out to become a certain type of lawyer and have already looked up criminal lawyers, corporate lawyers, or extradition lawyer near me to see what your future competition is looking like.
Or maybe you simply have a passion for the law and have decided to wait and see what takes your fancy during your study at university or law school. Either way, one thing that is the same for every prospect lawyers is that the road to qualification is long and challenging and you must be fully committed if you wish to be successful.
Apologies if we have made becoming a lawyer sound like an impossible task, it certainly isn’t, you just need to be committed. In fact, we are actually here to make things easier for you, with our simply 5 step guide to becoming a lawyer in the United Kingdom.
How to become a lawyer in the UK
Step 1: Obtain the qualifications needed to get into law school
Law school is essential for any wannabe lawyer, but before you can study hard and ace all of your university exams, you first need to obtain the qualifications required to get there.
Most top law schools in the UK will require you to have exceptional school results in order to gain admittance, with at least three As at A-level or above expected in England.
The good news is that there are no exact subjects that you need to take at this stage, although a background in history, modern studies, or economics would go amiss.
Step 2: Get a degree
Lawyers need an undergraduate degree to proceed to the next level of their training so this is the first thing that you will need to acquire once leaving school.
Undergraduate degrees take 3 or 4 years to complete.
Step 3: Choose between being a lawyer and a solicitor
Solicitors and barristers are both lawyers, but they do different things, so make sure you know what exactly it is you wish to be.
Step 3: Study for a LPC
An LPC or Legal Practice Course is the last barrier of training between you and becoming a qualified lawyers.
It is normally obtained after the completion of an undergraduate degree in law but there are several more unorthodox routes to be considered such as training as a accountant or financial advisor before making the switch to corporate law.
Step 4: Get a training contract
Training contracts are the first experience of a law firm environment for most new lawyers, are usually around 2 years in duration and will involve a mixture of training and work experience.
S