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I'm thinking of doing a law degree.

Hello! I'm thinking of doing the bachelor of law degree with the open university as I work full time and need to work around that! I just wondered what it is like?? Is it worth it? What can I expect?
Thank you!

Reply 1

999tigger

Original post by JoshuaL1

Perhaps post this in the OU section as well.

Reply 2

Saba XD

Well, I have just graduated this year after doing three years of LLB Hons. After that, in order to qualify as a lawyer and practice in the UK, you'd have to do postgraduate courses (either LPC which is for to become a solicitor or BPTC which is for becoming a barrister). LPC stands for Legal Practice Coursee and BPTC stands for Bar Professional Training Course. Whichever you decide to do then you'd also have to secure training contracts. For solicitors, it is called a training contract and for barristers, it is called a pupillage. Bare in mind, these are compulsory and are the final stages of training to become a solicitor or a barrister respectively.

These are the later stages, but I just wanted to demonstrate to you that you'd have to invest this much time in order to become a full fledged lawyer. Three years for the undergraduate degree, a year for the postgraduate course (either LPC or BPTC). Then, two years for the training contract in a solicitor's firm or if you plan to do Bar then it is a year for pupillage in a barrister's chamber. All in all, 6 years to be a solicitor and 5 years to be a barrister (that is to say if you don't take a gap year in between which I have - on a gap year right now).

Anyway, for the LLB degree itself, it would be hard for you to work full time and also do the degree. I'd suggest part time as this degree needs a lot of your time. Read, read and read is what you'll need to do 24/7. You would need to familiarise yourself with the case law, statutes (Acts) for each of the module. These modules are compulsory (not in any specific order):
1: Constitutional and Administrative Law (Public Law)
2: Contract Law
3: European Union Law
4: Tort Law
5: Criminal Law
6: Equity and Trusts
7: Land Law

There will be a few non-compulsory modules such as Media Law, Criminology, Thinking and Arguing Law, and Lawyers Skills (depending on your university).