Job prospects after CPE and LPC...

I'm donig a 2 yr conversion so I have some idea. Alot of the top firms and bigger firms offer LPC assistance the smaller firms don't.
I'd say your prospects are the same pretty much as any other law grad provided that you have essentials, you need decent A Level grades I'm talking AAB or ABB minimum and you need a decent first degree 2.1 or above at a decent uni. If you don't you won't get a top job in law on a conversion, it isn't a substitute for the essentials but if you have those you have will be ok.
Also the CPE is one year and most of the big law firms recruit 2 yrs in advance so apply for a training contract before your CPE and then some firms will pay for your LPC and CPE ask vitriol about that he is our resident expert.
Also if you get in with a top firm alot specify which LPC centre they wish you to do your LPC at as college of law and BPP run customised courses for some of the firms.
Hope this helps.

Reply 2

rah2

6

At the moment the majority of city firms take ~40% non-law grads(some places it's *far* higher) which means as a non-law grad you do actually have some advantage over the scores of straight law ones. Nottingham will stand you in good stead and i imagine with a finance based degree, you are exactly what they will be looking for.

Strengthen your chances with some good extra circs, particularly volunteering, and make sure you have some relevant legal experience. A few firms take non-law for easter/summer in the 2nd year but most will wait till 3rd.

Good luck :smile:

Reply 3

OP

thanx guys...
yeh it helps for definate. my a-levels werent very good to be honest....but either way i wasnt looking to do a straight law degree.

but yeah with my finance degree im looking to aim high - and at the end of the day if because of my not so high a-level grades, i dont get a contract for LPC...or job opportunities arent very good, i have the finance career to fall back on..(hopefully)

but would they consider a-level grades, even if i hav a 2.1?

i hope so...

Reply 4

OP

i'll definately look to do some extra circ's over the summer, along with volanteering work.

viviki how r u findin the CPE,...? what kind of a-level grades/and degree did u do?

Reply 5

I'm doing a 2 yr masters conversion not a CPE and the answer is ok but don't expect to do it and have a masive social life. Its hard work.

Reply 6

OP

yeh definately, ....can i assume ure a-levels were top standard?
isnt CPE the same as masters conversion??

Reply 7

Janak

thanx guys...
yeh it helps for definate. my a-levels werent very good to be honest....but either way i wasnt looking to do a straight law degree.

but yeah with my finance degree im looking to aim high - and at the end of the day if because of my not so high a-level grades, i dont get a contract for LPC...or job opportunities arent very good, i have the finance career to fall back on..(hopefully)

but would they consider a-level grades, even if i hav a 2.1?

i hope so...

Yes totally my downfall is my A level grades even though I did them in 1998 and in my area they were regarded as being pretty good. I think only a couple of people did better than me in my year at school ABCC, but the firms really do still look at A Level grades you are unlikely to even get a look in at a city firm with less than AAB ABB. So get good A Levels or don't look for a firm that sponsors the LPC or CPE because you are highly unlikely to get sponsorship without really good A Levels.
I have a 2.1 English degree.

I am realistic I'm not looking for a job with one of the bigger firms I'm only looking at high street with a couple of offices I prefer the social side of law anway rather than the big corporate stuff but even so I am going to be doing another A Level next year part time at college alongside my LPC to stand me in better stead.

Reply 8

OP

ohhhh right...that sounds good. so if for instance, i dont get sponsorship for my LPC, or a contract (or is that required by the law council?) actually dont know if thats even possible, but if i didnt get sponsored, and completed the LPC with a good result....then would the A-levels still be considered? i doubt i would even be looking to work for a top city firm...

Reply 9

Janak

yeh definately, ....can i assume ure a-levels were top standard?
isnt CPE the same as masters conversion??

No a CPE is a diploma in law. Its a 1 yr degree where you do all the foundation subjects in law.
I do all of them but in more detail we studied a couple of extra topics that the undergrads don't do as well as their syllabus then 2 option modules and a 10000 word dissertation for the MA.
Thats over 2 yrs.
You can do a CPE 1 yr course
or a senior status LLB - you do the LLB in 2 yrs instead of 3 as a postgrad
and MA (as I described above)
or an LLM conversion where you do a more detailed dissertation and it counts for more of the course.

Reply 10

OP

damn this is so confusing...if they'll consider a-level grades everywhere - im better off working in finance

Reply 11

Janak

ohhhh right...that sounds good. so if for instance, i dont get sponsorship for my LPC, or a contract (or is that required by the law council?) actually dont know if thats even possible, but if i didnt get sponsored, and completed the LPC with a good result....then would the A-levels still be considered? i doubt i would even be looking to work for a top city firm...

Yes.
Probably not to the same extent though. The smaller firms only have to pay trainees the law society minimum which I think is about 14.5 k therefore they don't attract the same calibre of students who are after the corporate careers and want to be where the prestige and money is at.
But your A Levels would still need to be decent and they would still definitely look at them, and you would need a 2.1 to compensate for them at degree level.
The smaller law firms don't all recruit 2 yrs in advance like the big firms so you can get a job while you are doing your LPC but only about 77% I think of LPC students has a job by the end of their LPC (I'm sure I read that stat somewhere) some temp and carry on getting interviews, some get jobs as legal execs and get into law that way and some do other courses etc after. Its a pretty competitive business and its getting tougher each year.

Reply 12

OP

damn - i feel so put off law now.... ive wanted to do it all my life, but at this rate i dont know.

so basically, if i did the CPE, then the LPC without sponsorship, they'd still look at A-Level grades? even if i got a 2.1....

i'm obviously not looking to work for a really downgraded firm, but something reputable and decent.

Reply 13

What are your A Level grades?
They will really look at them in any graduate recruitment scheme application.

Reply 14

OP

put it like this, they're not even B's....but i was told that either way if you did a non-law degree, then by doin the CPE you can still get into the law field....i guess that rules it out then

Reply 15

Janak

damn - i feel so put off law now.... ive wanted to do it all my life, but at this rate i dont know.

so basically, if i did the CPE, then the LPC without sponsorship, they'd still look at A-Level grades? even if i got a 2.1....

i'm obviously not looking to work for a really downgraded firm, but something reputable and decent.

yes totally its amazingly competitive.

So many people come out with 2.1 degrees that they are ten a penny.
I have a friend who did A Levels back in the really early 90s, finished uni in like 94 I think and worked in the IT industry for many years and has now converted to law and he still misses out on recruitment due to his A Levels when he did them nearly 15 yrs ago.

Reply 16

OP

damn...im screwed now. i guess i hav to make something of myself in the finance field.

Reply 17

Janak

put it like this, they're not even B's....but i was told that either way if you did a non-law degree, then by doin the CPE you can still get into the law field....i guess that rules it out then

There are ways in I'm not saying there isn't there are exceptions to the rule and as I said you could get into a small up and coming firm with a few small offices without the worlds best A Levels but if you are looking for a well known firm, or are after sponsorship you won't get it simply by doing the CPE there are too many law grads out there already.

Look at it this way as I said my grades weren't bad for my school, I have a 2.1 and will get a commendation overall for my course and I have some distinctions but so far I have only had 2 offers of work experience unpaid and I have applied for probably well over 50. And I've probably applied for about 20 training contracts and only got as far as interview for one small firm. I have good work experience good extra curricular stuff but there is always someone out there better than me.
I'm in it for the long run I'm sure I will find something but frankly I would accept a job with any law firm to do my training, I'm in it for the enjoyment of working in law not for the money. If you are willing to take your chances and apply and apply the go for it but if you are expecting to walk into a job then don't bother it ain't easy.

Also just getting through the course isn't easy I'd say just under a third of my course has dropped out and other people have failed modules.

Reply 18

Janak

damn this is so confusing...if they'll consider a-level grades everywhere - im better off working in finance

Even in finance on a grad scheme they will probably consider A Level grades. Some grad schemes won't take you with less than 24 pts (old system)

Reply 19