Barrister -> Solicitor

I was just looking to arrange some work experience in a Chambers in my area and I ended up on Lawcareers.net and read that “In fact, as low as only one-third of pupils find a tenancy” which rather worried me, as I want to be a Barrister but don’t want to be unemployed. So if someone completed the BVC and a pupillage but failed to find a tenancy what would they need to do to become a solicitor? Is the LPC necessary? Or could you just go straight onto a training contract?

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Reply 1

dragon_1706

I think there's some sort of abridged version of the LPC you can do, but I don't know anything about the process - I just remembered hearing about it at an open day.

Reply 2

Onearmedbandit

Only do the BVC if you're totally intent on being a barrister, because you need to bei if you want to make it. Otherwise take the LPC. You can always become a solicitor-advocate.

Reply 3

Purple

I do totally intend on being a barrister, I just dont want to be unemployed and at least know I could be a solicitor if I didn't find tenancy.

Also for how many years are you classed a 'junior' barrister'?

Reply 4

Purple

Also, what is a solicitor-advocate?

Reply 5

Fireman John

Ah... something I can answer with confidence... a solicitor-advocate is precisely what it says! About 6 or 7 years ago certain solicitors who took a special course in, wait for it - advocacy - were allowed rights of audience in court but only up to... errr... here's where my confidence evaporates - I forget which levle of court, but essentially they get to do what a barrister does in terms of rights of audience in court.

And I'd be inclined to go for the BVC - there's nothing worse than setting your sights lower than you ought to do. If you think you've got the ability the dedication, the confidence and self-assuredness, go for it.

Reply 6

Marcods

kirstinx

Also for how many years are you classed a 'junior' barrister'?

Until you become a QC. No telling when that is. I think after 10 years call you become a 'senior junior' or something equally ridiculous.

Reply 7

guccilittlepiggy

Fireman John

Don't be one of those, you won't get a wig.

I think theres ways they can get to the higher courts but its very rare iirc.

Reply 8

chalks

Marcods is right to say that you are strictly a "junior" barrister until you "take silk" - that is, you become a QC (or a KC once our Liz pops her clogs). Juniors with a substantial amount of experience are referred to as senior juniors. So, your boss might say "Chalks, could you phone Brick Court and see which good senior juniors they have available to attend a CMC on 1 September, failing which one of their more junior silks..."

Solicitor advocates have the same rights to appear in all courts as barristers. I've posted my views on the relative merits of solicitor-advocacy previously.

Reply 9

Lush Law

I used to want to be a Barrister, now I've totally lost interest. But it's true like onearmedbandit said, you need to be intent on being a Barrister - it kind of has to take over everything. I went to a dinner at Inner Temple earlier this year and one of the Barrister's said to me "at the end of the day if you are 100% committed to being a Barrister, you will get a tenancy eventually".

Reply 10

fungirl1234

I find it funny that the Barristar said "eventually". How long is that? It's true as we all know finding tenancy is tough but if you have a strong academic record then I see nothing wrong with trying to become a Barristar. While on a mini pupilage at Matrix Chambers I was able to read the hundreds of applications they recieved for pupilage when there where only 2 tenancies avaliable. I saw the high callibah of students applying and i think you should only become a Barristar if you are up to the same standard. Because with the shortage of tenancies avliable there will always be people who will never become Barristars. With cripling debt that is a situation i wouldn't want to find myself.

Reply 11

Happy1

im sure someone on this forum quoted a figure of something like 93% of all barristers still being oxbridge educated... amd i correct here or am i talking a load of crap as usual?

Reply 12

Lewisy-boy

Its a very very high percentage, especially in London.

Reply 13

Marcods

87% was the last figure I heard. The Bar council says its changing though...

Reply 14

Happy1

well 87% is still ridiculously high, and even if its changing, it will take a while.

So Kirstenx, if you're still desperate to be a barrister, maybe you shoudl consider that

Reply 15

Lewisy-boy

I think you are OK in the so called "provinces" without oxbrdige ... I really hate that term as it basically makes it sound like anywhere outside of london is useless...

Reply 16

Wiseguy.

Marcods

87% was the last figure I heard. The Bar council says its changing though...

Reply 17

Purple

SplidgeSplodge

well 87% is still ridiculously high, and even if its changing, it will take a while.

So Kirstinx, if you're still desperate to be a barrister, maybe you shoudl consider that

Well I am not even going to bother applying to Oxbridge. Looks like I'll end up being a solicitor. :frown:

Reply 18

Lewisy-boy

Dont be put off ... if you aply yourself well at uni and are really keen you should be OK ... but London will be exceptionally exceptionally hard and nowhere else will be nothing short of hard... thats just the way it is, even for the oxbridge guys.