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is a law degree worth it?

hii i am thinking of pursuing a law degree next year but i am still unsure

i am quite interested with law on a surface level, i am taking a gap year to explore this interest even more by reading books and doing deeper research related to law.

however i don't think i want to have a career in it (e.g. solicitor) therefore is it still worth even thinking about doing a law degree? i have seen stereotypes that you have to be quite aggressive in this field/degree so thats why i am a little unsure

if anyone has had any experience doing a law degree or studying law, i would really appreciate it if you could share any advice

thank you !!
Original post by jiminostalgia
hii i am thinking of pursuing a law degree next year but i am still unsure

i am quite interested with law on a surface level, i am taking a gap year to explore this interest even more by reading books and doing deeper research related to law.

however i don't think i want to have a career in it (e.g. solicitor) therefore is it still worth even thinking about doing a law degree? i have seen stereotypes that you have to be quite aggressive in this field/degree so thats why i am a little unsure

if anyone has had any experience doing a law degree or studying law, i would really appreciate it if you could share any advice

thank you !!

I don’t want to sound rude butttttt,
why would you want to do a law degree if you don’t want to have a career in it?
My dad studied law (and is currently a solicitor) but he had (and still has) loads of work to do. I would say it’s very stressful, but I guess that varies with different people, depending on how good you are at learning and how free your schedule is.

I would recommend doing a course which corresponds to the career that you’re currently interested in, and something that you’ll enjoy.
You can always switch courses if you don’t enjoy it.

It’s your choice though, so just go with what your heart says. :smile:
Reply 2
Avatar for Joleee
Joleee
19
what do you mean by law degree and what do you mean by worth it? law is largely transferrable and should not be confused with a must career in the legal profession; not all LLBs are created equal so *could* be worth it if you go to a semi decent uni, really enjoy studying academic law and don't mind alllll the effort it takes just to get a 2:1. law requires a lot more effort than other degrees cuz of all the reading involved, memorising allll those case names and principles of law, researching numerous sources just to find a creative quote, trying to understand the bigger picture and also plug all the damn holes in your argument. personally find it mentally stimulating and really enjoy talking about law and politics with my friends in the law school hallways and with my professors, but in hindsight if i had taken another subject it would've given me less stress. like, i've seen more than one classmate have a mental breakdown first year (that's just my(!) experience tho cuz as i said not all LLBs are the same. they can't be; there's over 100 of them available so don't let that story in itself necessarily deter you :nah:).

you generally have to be aggressive in finding vacation schemes, TCs etc but you do not(!) have to be aggressive studying academic law lol. know some very, very quiet people and they're fine except maybe having only a handful of friends (which i don't think they mind :h:).
(edited 2 years ago)
Original post by Physīcs
I don’t want to sound rude butttttt,
why would you want to do a law degree if you don’t want to have a career in it?
My dad studied law (and is currently a solicitor) but he had (and still has) loads of work to do. I would say it’s very stressful, but I guess that varies with different people, depending on how good you are at learning and how free your schedule is.

I would recommend doing a course which corresponds to the career that you’re currently interested in, and something that you’ll enjoy.
You can always switch courses if you don’t enjoy it.

It’s your choice though, so just go with what your heart says. :smile:

you don't sound rude at all, thank you for replying and sharing! aah to answer your question though, i recently watched a video about how most people don't tend to use their degrees to their full potential and may choose a completely different career so that's why i was just wondering whether the value of taking a law degree would be worth it in the long run if i am not truly geared or up for becoming a solicitor/barrister etc. thank you sooo much! i hope you have a good day :biggrin:
Original post by Joleee
what do you mean by law degree and what do you mean by worth it? law is largely transferrable and should not be confused with a must career in the legal profession; not all LLBs are created equal so *could* be worth it if you go to a semi decent uni, really enjoy studying academic law and don't mind alllll the effort it takes just to get a 2:1. law requires a lot more effort than other degrees cuz of all the reading involved, memorising allll those case names and principles of law, researching numerous sources just to find a creative quote, trying to understand the bigger picture and also plug all the damn holes in your argument. personally find it mentally stimulating and really enjoy talking about law and politics with my friends in the law school hallways and with my professors, but in hindsight if i had taken another subject it would've given me less stress. like, i've seen more than one classmate have a mental breakdown first year (that's just my(!) experience tho cuz as i said not all LLBs are the same. they can't be; there's over 100 of them available so don't let that story in itself necessarily deter you :nah:).

you generally have to be aggressive in finding vacation schemes, TCs etc but you do not(!) have to be aggressive studying academic law lol. know some very, very quiet people and they're fine except maybe having only a handful of friends (which i don't think they mind :h:).

wow this is really insightful and helpful, thanks for replying!! :biggrin: what i meant by a law degree was the general LLB (honours) degree, but I didn't specify this and also not one that requires tests such as the LNAT, generally a llb law degree from a university that is not a russel group as i don't plan to go to one. (sorry i should have explained this earlier) :s-smilie: what i meant by 'worth it' is whether uptaking a degree in law would be worth doing if it does not lead to a job in the law field. i am realising i should have worded this better so i do apologise. but thank you for sharing! aah its nice to know its transferrable and i don't have to be aggressive haha as i am quite introverted but it doesn't bother me :h:

also do you think taking law with something (law with criminology) is as stimulating as a full llb law degree?

thanks again!! hope i cleared some things up (sorry if I didn't, mind is fuzzy atm)
Original post by jiminostalgia
hii i am thinking of pursuing a law degree next year but i am still unsure

i am quite interested with law on a surface level, i am taking a gap year to explore this interest even more by reading books and doing deeper research related to law.

however i don't think i want to have a career in it (e.g. solicitor) therefore is it still worth even thinking about doing a law degree? i have seen stereotypes that you have to be quite aggressive in this field/degree so thats why i am a little unsure

if anyone has had any experience doing a law degree or studying law, i would really appreciate it if you could share any advice

thank you !!

Hi OP,

I am a current LLB Law student at UEA and I would be happy to offer you some advice on this.

Having an interest in the law is a great thing and is crucial when it comes to studying it at degree level, it is a hefty degree and finding it interesting is a sure fire sign that you'll be able to see it through.

While, yes, most law students will start their degree wanting to be a lawyer (solicitor, barrister, legal executive) not everyone does and there are plenty of alternative career paths where having a law degree is really valuable. Many business roles suit the skills of a law graduate, from operations to HR to management, and all involve some level of legal knowledge within them. Generally, the business world respects a law graduate quite well. There is also law enforcement where a law degree can be incredibly useful. If politics interests you then you will find that there are many politicians out there who have some kind of legal background and government and policy is something regularly featuring in degree study.

In addition, the legal sector is expected to go through significant changes in the future to incorporate more job roles than currently are associated with the sector. Think things along the lines of legal strategists, legal project managers, legal IT directors, legal data analysts, and much more as the sector expands. So, while a career as a lawyer may not be in your interests, it doesn't mean that a career in law at all definitely won't be.

I will admit that studying law and getting into the career can be competitive and a bit tricky to navigate unfortunately. However, I know here at UEA we have dedicated careers and employability teams both at the uni generally and specifically within the law school that are really great at talking through career prospect ideas and reaching out for help where needed. You can find a link to the UEA careers and employability page here, and I would recommend taking a look to see what kind of support is offered and the ways that you can be supported as a law student who doesn't want to follow the conventional path.

I hope this helps put you at ease a little bit when it comes to thinking about studying law. If theres anything else I can help with please let me know.

Leah (UEA) :smile:
Reply 6
Avatar for Eus997
Eus997
3
Original post by jiminostalgia
hii i am thinking of pursuing a law degree next year but i am still unsure

i am quite interested with law on a surface level, i am taking a gap year to explore this interest even more by reading books and doing deeper research related to law.

however i don't think i want to have a career in it (e.g. solicitor) therefore is it still worth even thinking about doing a law degree? i have seen stereotypes that you have to be quite aggressive in this field/degree so thats why i am a little unsure

if anyone has had any experience doing a law degree or studying law, i would really appreciate it if you could share any advice

thank you !!


OK, so I know that I'm late to the game here, but I am a Law graduate and ex law student. I must say that studying Law was one of the worst decisions of my life. When I was 19, I was very naive and wanted to do policing (yikes). So I did Law. Like you, I didn't want to be a solicitor but felt like it would be a good degree regardless. I was wrong. I graduated, found that policing was not for me and that Law was immensely oversubscribed. I had a work placement, a good grade etc. and I still couldn't even find a related job paying 18k in central London! Please do not study Law unless you are certain that you want to do it long term and are prepared to cough up thousands for the LPC to qualify and do whatever it takes to get a training contract. Otherwise, please don't put yourself through it.
Original post by Eus997
OK, so I know that I'm late to the game here, but I am a Law graduate and ex law student. I must say that studying Law was one of the worst decisions of my life. When I was 19, I was very naive and wanted to do policing (yikes). So I did Law. Like you, I didn't want to be a solicitor but felt like it would be a good degree regardless. I was wrong. I graduated, found that policing was not for me and that Law was immensely oversubscribed. I had a work placement, a good grade etc. and I still couldn't even find a related job paying 18k in central London! Please do not study Law unless you are certain that you want to do it long term and are prepared to cough up thousands for the LPC to qualify and do whatever it takes to get a training contract. Otherwise, please don't put yourself through it.

hey
thank you so much for sharing your experience, i am opting for a different route now so law is somewhat out of the question for me, thank you nontheless! i honestly think law is quite demanding and will definitely test you so it is SO important to truly know whether you really want it or not. i was also looking at policing a few months ago and just had to come up with a decision fast and decide its not for me, it's quite difficult to consider whether we know if we want to do something or if it's just a small interest...anyways thanks again and i hope you're doing well now ~
Original post by jiminostalgia
hii i am thinking of pursuing a law degree next year but i am still unsure

i am quite interested with law on a surface level, i am taking a gap year to explore this interest even more by reading books and doing deeper research related to law.

however i don't think i want to have a career in it (e.g. solicitor) therefore is it still worth even thinking about doing a law degree? i have seen stereotypes that you have to be quite aggressive in this field/degree so thats why i am a little unsure

if anyone has had any experience doing a law degree or studying law, i would really appreciate it if you could share any advice

thank you !!


Hello,

I’m a third year law student at Southampton.

I think studying law is worth it if you’re interested in it. Just because you choose to do a law degree does not mean that you have to practice within the legal field. There are lots of transferable skills law gives you such as critical thinking, problem solving, the ability to form a convincing argument etc. These are skills that are valued by employers and not just relevant if you want to go into the legal field - there are students who study law and then decide the field is not for them.

Law however is a challenging subject and will be awful if you don’t enjoy it which is where I think research is very important. At the end of the day you want to make sure you are studying a subject you enjoy. I would recommend attending a taster lecture in law see if it’s something you are interested in (there are options both online for this and often at university open days ).

I personally really enjoy law and couldn’t see myself doing any other subject. But, ultimately this is a personal choice and you should consider whether studying law is right for you.

Teresa - University of Southampton Ambassador

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