Any non-law graduates going into law?

I'm an MA History of Art student at the Courtauld Institute of Art and am planning on converting after this year.

My MA is for personal interest and to further improve upon my writing and research and analytical skills.

I currently volunteer as an adviser at CAB one day a week and am doing some shadowing with a solicitor from October onwards. I have a First in my undergrad degree.

I want to go into family law. That said, I am not sure what route to take... GDL and LPC or do two years as a paralegal then take the SQE in 2020...

There is no point doing GDL/LPC without a TC offer. Also waiting for the SQE won't make too much difference as you'll have to do the equivalent of GDL and LPC anyway.

It would be interesting to find out what undergraduate degrees you did and what progress you have made.

Anyone on a GDL? Or, a training contract? An LPC? Or even just graduated and thinking of converting to law? Anyone doing work experience?

Name your progress and degree.

Myself,
Degree: BSc. Hons. Creative Industries (Music Tech)
Progress: Considering converting; currently researching

You may as well wait three years (or do 2 years work experience in this time with a law firm as this is one of the new requirements) and be in less debt, as the solicitors regulation authority will be changing the way solicitors qualify in 2020 whereby you don't need to do a GDL. For more information visit the solicitors regulation authorities website.

I'm an MA History of Art student at the Courtauld Institute of Art and am planning on converting after this year.

My MA is for personal interest and to further improve upon my writing, research and analytical skills.

I currently volunteer as an adviser at CAB one day a week and am doing some shadowing with a solicitor from October onwards. I have a First in my undergrad degree.

I want to go into family law. That said, I am not sure what route to take... GDL and LPC or do two years as a paralegal then take the SQE in 2020...

Doesn't really work like that for most Family law practices. Many recruit only a year in advance, and so they will typically expect someone to self fund much more than commercial law.

The major difference between the current GDL/LPC route and the new SQE route is that the new SQE prep course is 1) not compulsory and 2) doesn't have to be completed before starting a TC (although the LPC can be studied alongside your period of recognised training, the GDL can't).

This means it could only take you 2 years to qualify under the new system rather than 4 under the current one. Just something to keep in mind.

Sounds really interesting! I graduated from my English Literature MA in 2013 and am also trying to get into family law, but didn't have any success with securing a TC this year sadly.

Can I ask how you went about volunteering with CAB? Did you have any prior experience of offering information and advice? What were their requirements? I've been trying hard to find a volunteering role with CAB but again, not much success so far!

Thanks

I went on the CAB website, typed in my local area and applied to volunteer at various sites. I was just very honest about the fact that I wanted to give back to my local community whilst really working in the interest of the individual. I also told them of my intention to convert to law and that I was eager to learn about all the different areas that CAB covers.

You have to be able to volunteer for one whole day a week or two half days. It took me about two months to finally secure a position, but the work is extremely rewarding and is what sparked my interest in family law. I realised I loved its complexity and the client interaction

Brilliant, thanks for getting back to me! Did you have any specific skills or experience of advising individuals before you applied? And did they give you indepth training on the topics you need to be able to advise on, or do they rely on your prior knowledge?

Sorry for all the questions, I keep hitting brick walls so it's really nice to be able to ask someone, hope you don't mind

They don't have to give them a TC anymore though. The whole commitment level from the firm changes too.

It looks like it will work much more along the lines of accountancy firms - study alongside working full time. If you don't pass the exams in a certain timeframe, your employment contract is terminated. There is now going to be probationary periods too (practically impossible under the current TC format) meaning firms can assess your on the job performance before making a full financial commitment to your training.

No, I just had part-time luxury retail experience! I just demonstrated that I had the ability to build rapport with clients and understand their wants and needs. That's all. They gave me all the training whilst I was there. I was provided with training booklets, information guides, the lot. You also have training on drafting documents on behalf of your clients and conversing with government authorities. It's all really interesting and the experience is truly invaluable. It is important to note however, that obviously this experience is not from the legal field; hence why I am shadowing a solicitor for a couple of months one day a week too

I'm a history major (just going into third year) looking into the possibility of going into law, but at this point I'm very much trying to determine whether or not this is actually the right path for me.

Any advice?

Do you know what type of law you'd like to specialise in? If not, you're in the perfect position to apply for Vacation Schemes, which will give you an insight into how a commercial law firm operates. Here is a list of the firm's offering Winter, Spring and Summer Vacation Schemes and their application deadlines:

http://www.chambersstudent.co.uk/law-firms/vacation-schemes/vacation-scheme-deadlines

Upon completion of a Vacation Scheme, you may be offered a Training Contract. The firm will pay for you to do your GDL and LPC, and then you will train with them for two years. If you would prefer to work for a smaller firm, try calling local high-street chains, and ask them if it would be possible for you to do some work experience/volunteering. Try and get as much information about a career in law from university law fairs, firm presentations and conversing with friends who have training contracts etc.