[peachyclean]

I'm not planning on becoming a solicitor or barrister at all, and I'm just wondering if I should look for work experience in a firm or chambers? I've been hymning and haaing about law for so long, but ultimately I do want to learn law itself; I have always been very passionate about it, and it doesn't leave me locked in a specific career. So I haven't really been applying for work placements :/
I'm buying law books and starting my personal statement, and I have a lot of volunteering, science awards (like that matters hahaha) and jobs under my belt, so is there any point?
Plus I booked two weeks off work there to look for work experience, and have found nothing, so I'm kind of stuck since I'm back to work (basically) full time.

HELP ME!!

[PatrickC]

I didn't have any work experience in my subject when I applied to uni, just a bit of work I'd done. It will help but it's not the be all and end all..

[roh]

(Original post by peachyclean)
I'm not planning on becoming a solicitor or barrister at all, and I'm just wondering if I should look for work experience in a firm or chambers? I've been hymning and haaing about law for so long, but ultimately I do want to learn law itself; I have always been very passionate about it, and it doesn't leave me locked in a specific career. So I haven't really been applying for work placements :/
I'm buying law books and starting my personal statement, and I have a lot of volunteering, science awards (like that matters hahaha) and jobs under my belt, so is there any point?
Plus I booked two weeks off work there to look for work experience, and have found nothing, so I'm kind of stuck since I'm back to work (basically) full time.

HELP ME!!

It's no disaster. The degree is not a passport to the profession like it is for some healthcare subjects (eg. Medicine to Doctor) so universities look for people with an interest in studying Law, which you clearly have, rather than an interest in becoming a lawyer. I know a girl who's just graduated from Oxford in Law who had no legal work experience when she applied as she changed her mind at the last minute from PPE.

If you do decide you want to be a lawyer later on then you will need experience of a law firm, chambers or Marshalling in order to secure a TC/pupillage.

[jacketpotato]

You don't necessarily need to do work experience, but your personal statement does need to show you have a genuine interest in law.

A good alternative would be to spend a couple of hours in your nearest crown court or county court (High Court if you are in London) watching proceedings.

[xobile]

Go to taster courses and lectures on law. Follow legal debates. That's more valuable than photocopying bundles at a law firm for a few days.

[thelawstudent]

buying law books is definitely NOT necessary too

[smoked_salmon]

(Original post by roh)
It's no disaster. The degree is not a passport to the profession like it is for some healthcare subjects (eg. Medicine to Doctor) so universities look for people with an interest in studying Law, which you clearly have, rather than an interest in becoming a lawyer. I know a girl who's just graduated from Oxford in Law who had no legal work experience when she applied as she changed her mind at the last minute from PPE.

If you do decide you want to be a lawyer later on then you will need experience of a law firm, chambers or Marshalling in order to secure a TC/pupillage.

The thing with medicine is that a lot of the hands on work is incorporated into the degree. Student doctors will assist and participate in surgeries as well as being left to make their own independent conclusions and be overseen by qualified doctors and given feedback on their conclusions.

So it's not like in medicine you study study study all the time and then you enter the workplace for the first time after graduation. But in Law, it is possible to go through uni and not do any real work.

It's by no means necessary to have legal experience at work, but if you do and you're a right match in all other areas it can really help your application.

But don't feel that you're out of luck if you're facing a candidate that has some legal work experience. Interpersonal skills and personality matches are really important, often these are more important because employers want to know that you're a good match for their firm, and they can get along with you for the years that they might have to work with you.

[roh]

(Original post by smoked_salmon)
The thing with medicine is that a lot of the hands on work is incorporated into the degree. Student doctors will assist and participate in surgeries as well as being left to make their own independent conclusions and be overseen by qualified doctors and given feedback on their conclusions.

So it's not like in medicine you study study study all the time and then you enter the workplace for the first time after graduation. But in Law, it is possible to go through uni and not do any real work.

It's by no means necessary to have legal experience at work, but if you do and you're a right match in all other areas it can really help your application.

But don't feel that you're out of luck if you're facing a candidate that has some legal work experience. Interpersonal skills and personality matches are really important, often these are more important because employers want to know that you're a good match for their firm, and they can get along with you for the years that they might have to work with you.

I know, I'm a third year Law student and my girlfriend's a medic

I was answering the OP's original post about getting into study Law at uni without any legal work experience

I think legal work experience is pretty much obligatory for a TC/pupillage isn't it? Given how competitive it is nowadays you'd need some blinding academics and the rest of your application to make it without. You can get a VS or mini but I've not heard of anyone with no legal work experience making it on to a TC or pupillage.