Choosing the right law course

No that’s not true. Leading law firms take 50% of their trainees completing non-law degrees however the other 50% do have a law degree.

By not completing a law degree you’d end up having to do the GDL. It seems to make more financial sense to do a law degree in the beginning, especially if you already have an interest in one.

Good luck.

Thank you so much!

I still need to consider my predicted grades and lnat test before I apply to the universities. Hopefully, I'll get there eventually!

Hi!
I have a few queries regarding law courses. In November I have to send off my UCAS application but yesterday my English teacher told me that doing an undergraduate degree in Law may be slightly limiting in terms of job prospects because leading law firms tend to favour those who have more knowledge, e.g. completing an undergraduate degree in something else before getting a law degree. To what extent is this true?

Could you advise me on what I should do? My personal statement and all of the work/ experience I have completed in the past few years is very fixated on a law degree.

I don't mind completing an LLB in a course such as Law with criminology or Law with Business but not all of the universities that I want to apply to have such courses that I would be interested in. So let's say I complete an undergraduate degree in Law, would doing a lot of extra curricular activities or having a part time job be able to make up for the fact that my degree is potentially limiting?

Also, I've been thinking of applying to the Law and Anthropology course at LSE, however, it's a BA course not an LLB. Are there any disadvantages of doing a BA and GDL compared to an LLB?

You’re welcome. I’m applying this year too with achieved grades, still need to sit my LNAT too. Which universities are you looking at?

I am thinking of applying to KCL, Queen Mary's, LSE, Royal Holloway and SOAS. The first three require A*AA for predicted grades though and mine are currently AAA, so I need to get my grades up before November. What about you?

The LNAT is a tough one at times. Best of luck!

It's not true - about 50% of legal trainees did a batchelor's degree in something other than law.



My advice is do a degree in something you are interested in - you only really get one (funded) chance to do this, so make it count! If you're not sure about doing law as a degree (=academic discipline, not vocational training), then do something else.



The disadvantage is that it's not a 'qualifying law degree'. However, the SQL has changed postgraduate legal training, so I'm not sure how relevant that is anyway now. I'm not an expert in the SQL stuff though.

I’m thinking KCL too! I achieved A*AA last time so all my focus is on the LNAT atm. I’m also applying to Bristol, Manchester, Birmingham and maybe Sheffield I’m not too sure yet.

OMG you're results are great, very well done! The ones outside of London have lower grades requirement but I'm not allowed to go out of London because of having to pay for acommodation. Sheffield does seem like a good university to apply to though. You could check out the complete university guide league tables to find out which one is most suitable for you.

I'm just hoping to get at least 26-28 ish in the LNAT to keep my chances of getting to good universities. I hope you do well too! If you register to uniadmissions they often have free webinars for support for which they email you.

Ah great, thank you! I will definitely have a look I'm aiming for around the same mark. I have done the LNAT before and used Arbitio but I need a much higher score than I got last time (23) so I'm not sure what to use. Any ideas?

I don't think law firms favour those doing other courses, they just don't favour those doing a law course. So there isn't a specific "benefit" to doing a law degree over something else in terms of getting a training contract/pupillage offer. However, it does make things slightly more straightforward as you will probably be in a better position to take the SQE without shelling out for a prep course, and for the Bar route you wouldn't need to do a GDL. So if you're certain you want to go into law, it's fine. If you aren't 100% certain of law as a career, I'd probably suggest doing another subject just as then you still have law (and anything else) as an option but you won't be locked into a (by all accounts) very dry degree which has a low first rate, for no reason.

Ah thanks for the advice! It's not that I don't want to study law. I've been wanting to study law for a few years now. I just don't want to end up unemployed because I made a poor choice with the route to law. I also don't really want to do a GDL because it seems intense and if there isn't a preferred route to law by leading law firms then I would rather not waste my money or time.

I'd be quite interested to know from others who have advised you whether a GDL will be necessary by the time you graduate because of the SQE. The SQE is something everyone will have to do, whether they hold an LLB or a non-law degree. Technically non-law graduates can go straight on to the SQE the same as LLB holders but I'm struggling to convince myself that this will be good enough for law firms. I suspect some kind of GDL type qualification will still be required first and I've certainly seen as much on KPMG's recruitment page for future solicitors.

I'd be quite interested to know from others who have advised you whether a GDL will be necessary by the time you graduate because of the SQE. The SQE is something everyone will have to do, whether they hold an LLB or a non-law degree. Technically non-law graduates can go straight on to the SQE the same as LLB holders but I'm struggling to convince myself that this will be good enough for law firms. I suspect some kind of GDL type qualification will still be required first and I've certainly seen as much on KPMG's recruitment page for future solicitors.

Hi!
I have a few queries regarding law courses. In November I have to send off my UCAS application but yesterday my English teacher told me that doing an undergraduate degree in Law may be slightly limiting in terms of job prospects because leading law firms tend to favour those who have more knowledge, e.g. completing an undergraduate degree in something else before getting a law degree. To what extent is this true?

Could you advise me on what I should do? My personal statement and all of the work/ experience I have completed in the past few years is very fixated on a law degree.

I don't mind completing an LLB in a course such as Law with criminology or Law with Business but not all of the universities that I want to apply to have such courses that I would be interested in. So let's say I complete an undergraduate degree in Law, would doing a lot of extra curricular activities or having a part time job be able to make up for the fact that my degree is potentially limiting?

Also, I've been thinking of applying to the Law and Anthropology course at LSE, however, it's a BA course not an LLB. Are there any disadvantages of doing a BA and GDL compared to an LLB?

It really depends, I honestly think that if you're actually not interested in Anthropology don't bother applying. The course has 16 places out of the 250 applicants hence I suggest you apply for the LLB degree as LSE wants applicants that are actually fascinated by the studies of both!

Thank you very much for your help. I definitely want to do a bachleor's degree in Law but not if it it limits my chances of employment because then there will be no point of spending so much money but if I still have an equal chance of employment then I would rather do the normal Law LLB course.