Criminology at Uni , law placement

I do Criminology at university, is it possible to be able to get a placement at a law firm? Hopefully they can pay for my masters degree in law too?

Reply 1

UEA Rep Daniel

Official Rep

Hi there,

Good news, yes, this is absolutely possible!

However, the opportunities for this are few and far between and often very competitively applied for...

In general, most law placement opportunities will have far more applicants than places and you can expect this to be even more so the case for larger firms, those in bigger cities, of course especially London-based and Silver/Magic Circle firms.

Additionally, the opportunities in these areas for non-law graduates are only just starting to appear as it is only with the new Solicitor Qualifying Exams (SQE) that non-law graduates can now directly move onto post-graduate law studies without needing to study the conversion course (GDL).

Further, it is primarily the larger, national and more specialist law firms that tend to offer paid-for training placements, it is never a guarantee that a training contract will mean your post-graduate studies are going to be paid for by the firm.

So, not to burst any bubbles because as I say it is most definitely possible, it is worth bearing in mind the relatively few number of placements available and the subjectivity therefore involved. It is always most important to ensure that any firm you apply to is as good a fit for you as you are for them.

I hope this helps, if you have any further questions please do let me know!

Leah :smile:

UEA Law

Reply 2

UniofLaw Student

Official Rep

Original post by S19laras

I do Criminology at university, is it possible to be able to get a placement at a law firm? Hopefully they can pay for my masters degree in law too?

Hi @S19laras!

You can definitely get a law placement at a firm and have them pay for your degree! However, you often have to apply around two years in advance for training contracts etc.
These are also really competitive, so I'd recommend looking at the various scholarship programmes around to help with funding a conversion. I know that ULAW has lots of scholarships to offer so it worth having a look at!
Also, if you choose to do a MA Law instead of PGDL you can access student finance and take a loan which is another worthwhile option. Hope this helps :smile:

Sophie
Student Ambassador at the University of Law

(edited 9 months ago)