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hello, i am a first year law student and just had a few questions about becoming a solicitor or barrister.

solicitor -
i know that you have your law degree, then the sqe and qualifying work experience, but there’s also a training contract. i was wondering when you would apply for one, like how early.

also like for being a barrister, you need to be a member of an inn - is there anything here which needs you to be part of a firm. going back to barristers, for them you need to be good as advocacy, mooting and such, what would the equivalent be for a solicitor?

barrister -
you’ve got the law degree and then the bar course and then a pupilage. at some point in between you need to apply for a pupilage and become a member of an inn. how early do you do this? also there’s scholarships available, how early would i apply to them?

both -
also when you apply for undergrad uni, it’s through ucas and that. is it the same for the bar course and sqe, but there’s entrance exams? i guess my questions is, is it through ucas or is there another way we’re meant to apply?

i would really appreciate any help. if there’s other importance stuff i should know or it would be good of me to do/read/research, please let me know! x

thank you :smile:

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 1

2410MMU

Original post by spacingoutagainx

I can only comment on the pathway to the Bar since that is the route I chose.

Pupillage - You can apply for a pupillage at any time after you have your qualifying law degree but it is extremely competitive and you will be up against students with work experience, prizes, scholarships, career changers, etc. That's not to say you shouldn't try though, it isn't impossible!

Inn membership - You need to join an Inn before you start the Bar course.

Scholarships - Check each Inn's website to make sure, but I know you can apply usually around October/November of the year before you begin the Bar course. I would definitely apply at this point since you don't have to join an Inn to apply, but you do have to join before the Bar course begins - so you can test the scholarship waters with one Inn before making your final decision. The Inns have different scholarship policies (e.g. Middle and Inner interview all applicants BUT awards are means-tested) so it's good to see how you fare before you commit to membership. If you choose to study the Bar course part-time (and fail to get a scholarship before you start a Bar course) you can have a second attempt around October/November of the first year of study.

Entrance exam - As far as I know the entrance exam for the Bar course (the BCAT) has now been scrapped on the grounds that it was bloody useless for weeding out unsuitable candidates since the fail rate was under 1%, and was simply a way to extract an extra £150 from potential Bar students. Check each provider to find out what their individual entrance requirements are.

Hope this helps; good luck :h: